Chapter 6
BEHAVING AND BONDING
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61. I’M OKAY WITH MY DOG’S BEHAVIOR. WHY BOTHER WITH ANYTHING BEYOND HOUSETRAINING?
Let’s see …
TO KEEP YOUR DOG ALIVE
You may think your dog would never run out into traffic—until she does, at which point it’s too late to wish you’d trained her to respond immediately to a recall. And if your dog bites a stranger or two, no matter what the provocation, there’s a strong possibility she’ll have to be euthanized. Training may not reverse your dog’s impulse to chomp down when frightened, but it can help you read the warning signs and to keep her out of potentially dangerous situations.
TO KEEP THE LINES OF COMMUNICATION OPEN
Good training has nothing to do with blind obedience or turning your pooch into an automaton. Rather, its goal is to let your dog know what you expect from her so she can behave accordingly and vice versa. The better you understand each others’ signals, the less frustrated with each other you’ll be, and the deeper, and the more deeply rewarding, your relationship will be.
TO KEEP YOUR FRIENDS
Just because your dog’s eating habits don’t disturb you, others won’t necessarily appreciate your pup jumping up on the table and grazing from their plates at dinner parties. (Of course, depending on your cooking skills, she may be appreciated under the table, performing the classic function of dispatching unsuccessful culinary efforts.)
TO KEEP YOURSELF AND YOUR DOG ON YOUR TOES
I’ll talk more about the importance of mental exercise in Chapter 7, but ongoing training is a great way for both you and your dog to stay alert and connected, and for the two of you to spend quality time together.
TO KEEP OTHERS IN AWE
Most people, even those who like dogs, don’t realize the reach of canine capabilities, so it’s easy to impress them with pretty much anything beyond the basics of “sit” and “stay” and “down.” Don’t think of skill demonstrations as parlor tricks but, rather, as payback for the endless displays of toddler abilities you’ve had to endure. If your dog turns out to be more impressive than your friends’ toddlers,50 all the better (as long as you refrain from gloating).
62. DO I HAVE TO SEND MY DOG TO A FARM OR MONASTERY TO GET HIM TO DO MY BIDDING?
There was a time when trundling your dog off to a country-side kennel for a month or so to get him trained—a practice inspired, in part, by the Monks of New Skete and their tough love How to Be Your Dog’s Best Friend (1978)—was very popular. Although no longer as trendy, entrusting your pup to a professional who returns him to you with better manners hasn’t been eliminated from today’s bag of training tricks.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the rowdy canine stranger who’s come to live with you, or your family is hopelessly confusing your dog by giving him mixed signals, remote training may be tempting. In theory, it’s supposed to work like rehab, to get your dog to establish better habits away from bad influences and under professional guidance. But even aside from the considerable expense of most of these boarding programs, they have several limitations.
THEY MAY CREATE UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
You might imagine your dog will come back from the country a changed canine, a perfect pup who will intuit your every wish. So what if your noisy Manhattan apartment doesn’t resemble the verdant fields where your dog learned to hustle when summoned? She’ll figure it out. As with all overblown expectations, a failure to meet them can lead to disappointment and frustration, perhaps even greater than what you experienced before your dog was trained. Poor you, poorer pup.
THEY’RE USELESS WITHOUT FOLLOW-THROUGH
Unless you and your family are trained to replicate the signals used to convey information to your dog, including the cues and body language you need to avoid, any benefits of the program will erode over time. If the regimen doesn’t include extensive home follow up, it’s not worth the investment.
THEY’RE WORSE THAN USELESS IF BADLY HANDLED DURING PRIME TRAINING TIME
If you send a puppy away during the optimal window for socialization and training (between 8 and 12 weeks) and the process is bungled, you’ve blown a key education opportunity. Yes, your dog can learn—and unlearn later, but not as thoroughly or effectively as when he’s at the most impressionable age. It’s akin to the difference between absorbing a foreign language as a kid immersed in the culture and learning it from classes and tapes as an adult.51
YOU HAVE LESS CONTROL THAN YOU DO WITH OTHER TRAINING PROGRAMS
Because your dog is at a remote—if not undisclosed—location and you will likely be discouraged from visiting during the first week, minimum, you won’t have a clue about what’s going on. For all you know, your dog could be crated most of the day or forced to dance the tango in a traveling circus (and you won’t get any of the proceeds). It’s essential, even more so than with other programs, to check the credentials of the school and trainers and to scope out the premises, even if all come highly recommended.
THEY OFTEN RELY ON HARSH—AND DISCREDITED—TECHNIQUES
Even the Monks of New Skete, who resurfaced on Animal Planet’s Divine Dog show, no longer emphasize physical correction in their training methods.
63. BUT DON’T I HAVE TO DOMINATE MY DOG TO MAKE HIM BEHAVE?
Ah, yes. If you don’t discipline your dog harshly as soon as he does something you disapprove of—say, attempting to jump on your bed—he will eventually take over. Everything. Before you know it, he’ll be turning your Barcalounger into a Barker-lounger, commandeering (or eating) the remote control, and forcing you to watch Meercat Manor, Mr. Ed, and other nonspeciesist shows.52
There’s truth to the popular notion that you have to establish yourself as the “alpha” to earn canine respect; as with kids, dogs need structure. But being a leader doesn’t require domination through physical force. Nor does positive training, the alternative route to being recognized as the household CEO, mean coddling.
Advocated by most mainstream dog trainers these days, guiding behavior through reward rather than punishment first came into the public eye in the 1950s, when it began being practiced on large marine animals. Unable to use bodily coercion to make whales and dolphins do their bidding, trainers employed food and the sounds associated with providing it (whistles, and in some cases, clickers) instead.
This system proved—and remains—consistently effective. Anheuser-Busch doesn’t have to worry about irate crowds at SeaWorld demanding their money back because Shamu and pals refuse to perform.
Why the delay in applying these methods to dog training, then? To distill a somewhat murky history, studies of captive wolf packs were interpreted to suggest that these positive techniques wouldn’t carry over to hierarchical canids. The degree to which dogs and wolves have parted ways is still a hot topic, but most ethologists (animal behaviorists) now agree that our domesticated pups don’t exhibit the behaviors on which harsh training methods were based.53
Theories aside, the more that professional dog trainers used the reward system, the more they discovered that it worked, that it worked long-term, and that it didn’t pose dangers to owners—as punishment-based training often does. Performing the much-publicized alpha role, for example, is a good way to provoke a dog into biting your face off.
Positive training is not a simple, one-size-fits-all approach. Its specifics vary, depending on the individual practitioner—and on the individual dog. Frankie, for example, won’t eat when he’s in an unfamiliar situation such as a training class—a reaction to stress he certainly didn’t get from emulating me—but responds enthusiastically to praise and chest scratches. So rewards for good behavior don’t have to involve food and/or an accompanying clicker sound.
Methods of discouraging undesired behaviors vary, too. They range from the redundant sounding “negative punishment”—which simply means withholding positive cues—to distracting your dog with a command when he’s doing something off-topic. The bottom line: although it’s based on sound scientific principles, effective positive training is also an art honed through a knowledge of dogs in general and yours in particular.
64. CAN TRAINING BE LEARNED ENTIRELY THROUGH BOOKS AND DVDS?
Only if you plan never to take your dog out of the house and introduce her to new people and situations. If you’ve got a puppy, it’s especially crucial that she work with a professional who can quickly assess her temperament—strengths as well as weaknesses—to help her get the most out of a training class.
Your temperament needs to be assessed by a professional, too. Even the most ambitious autodidact54 won’t succeed with books and tapes without getting somebody knowledgeable—and neutral—to evaluate the follow-through. You may think you’re being consistent, but while your mouth is praising “Good dog,” your body language may be bellowing “That’s the last liver treat you’ll see unless you shape up, bud.”
That said, getting a background in reward-based training techniques and watching them performed effectively will positively reinforce your decision to give your dog confidence and make him revel in your presence rather than playing on his insecurities and making him fear you. A prime place to get started is www.dogstardaily.com, which posts an array of excellent free demonstrations and downloads, including books and videos by the always entertaining Ian Dunbar, veterinarian, certified dog trainer, and site cocreator. The site’s blogs, written by such top behavioral experts as Nicolas Dodman and Patricia McConnell, are very informative, and the recommended products section can lead you to other star talent in the field (including Suzanne Clothier, Jean Donald-son, and Karen Pryor, among my favorites).
65. HOW CAN I FIND A GOOD TRAINER?
Dog trainers can hang out a shingle without any qualifications—and a lot of them do. Some ways to separate the mystery meat from the filet mignon include:
SEE IF THEY’RE JOINERS
Membership in the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT; www.apdt.com), devoted to continuing education and “dog friendly” techniques, is a good sign. A search by zip code will lead you to APDT members in your area who have been accredited by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT; www.ccpdt.org)—which means they’ve performed at least 300 hours of training within the last five years and have undergone a lengthy standardized exam in everything from equipment to ethology.
Listed next, uncertified members of APDT who have established themselves as dog trainers may or may not be highly qualified—you just have to pay an entry fee to join the organization—but, at minimum, membership indicates an awareness that training is a profession, not a hobby, and suggests at least a cursory interest in networking and knowing the state of the training art.
CHECK WEBSITES
The fact that a trainer has bothered to create one is a good start. Other things to look for include the following.
Currency
I know, not everyone updates their websites regularly (guilty!) but if you’re referred to an address that says “We’re looking forward to getting this site up in early 2007” you’ve got to worry about the trainer’s seriousness and organizational skills.
Attitude
One website of an APDT member I came across disses everything from “university veterinary behavioral programs” to “food-bribery trainers” and group classes. I wouldn’t want to put my dog in the hands of someone so insecure that he needs to disparage the methods of others instead of just explaining the virtues of his own approach. In my experience, such humans often exhibit fear-based aggression.
Unwarranted claims
Be wary of anyone who guarantees results within a certain period of time—or guarantees results, full stop. All you can expect is that a trainer do her best, using tried and true methods, for your dog. These methods may not succeed as a result of factors completely unrelated to a trainer’s skill—breed temperament or illness, to name just a couple.
CHECK OUT A CLASS (WITHOUT YOUR DOG)
If you ask to observe a class and the trainer refuses to let you, that’s a red flag right away. But even when you’re allowed to sit in, you might not have a context for what you’re seeing. Laughter, excited squirming (on the part of the dogs), and tail wagging (ditto) are all good signs; raised tones, sharp commands, and long silences are not. Whatever your impressions, be sure to follow up at the end by asking class members what they think. Few will be shy about sharing.
BE CLEAR ABOUT YOUR GOALS
Unless you know what you want, it’s impossible to determine whether a particular trainer can give it to you. For puppies, it’s pretty much everything—i.e., life preparation—but for older dogs you need to be a lot more specific than “I want her to behave.” A good trainer should be able to help you focus if you don’t have a sense of your options, and let you know if you’re being unrealistic about an objective—say, getting your dog to put a roller in his mouth and paint your house.
TRUST YOUR GUT
Assuming your gut is connected to your heart rather than to your machismo or machisma lobe. When I first got Frankie, I took him to S., a trainer highly recommended by two dog-loving friends. She was nice, smart, and clearly fond of dogs, but the first purchase S. required in preparation for the small dog class was a choke chain. The Frankie-size version was teeny, a wisp of a metal string, but it made me queasy.55 I ventured a few questions about the more positive techniques I’d heard about, but S. pooh-poohed them. And, after all, I was paying—and paying well—for her expertise. I figured I should defer to it.
In the end, waste of money notwithstanding, I was lucky. Frankie was too stressed out by the presence of the other small dogs—a snooty clique of Yorkies and Dachshunds—to learn much of anything, but neither did he learn to fear me.
And although I failed Chain Jerking 101,56 I discovered that my instincts about how to treat my new friend were sound.
66. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF GROUP VERSUS INDIVIDUAL LESSONS—AND WHAT CAN I EXPECT TO PAY FOR EACH?
For puppies, group classes are the key to learning how to play well with others and how to inhibit biting instincts. It’s more complicated for older dogs, some of whom will benefit from peer pressure more than others (as my experience with Frankie can attest). Only dogs without major aggression or fear issues are good candidates for the group experience—at least if they haven’t had some advance individual training.
As with every service, rates vary depending on where you live, but $150 to $300 for a series of six group classes is a good ballpark figure. Individual sessions can range from $50 to $150 for an hour but you can expect progress fairly quickly (although completion may take longer). If you don’t see the slightest difference in your dog’s behavior after two or three sessions, look for someone else.
67. CAN I LEARN TO SPEAK “DOG” AS WELL AS A DOG TRAINER?
Sure—and you’ll doubtless be better at the local dialect spoken in your house. All you have to do is keep your eyes and ears open and avoid shutting down the lines of communication. A dog that growls, for example, is trying to tell you something, whether it’s a fear-based, “Leave me alone,” or a possessive, “Hey, that’s mine.” It’s in your best interest to investigate what’s behind the growl rather than attempt to suppress it. If you discourage self-expression, next time your dog might go straight to bite, do not pass snarl.
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But it’s a two-way street. You not only need to decode your dog’s signals, but to be aware of what you’re telling him, whether deliberately or inadvertently.
The good news is that dogs can learn hundreds of words in our language, including ones we don’t intend to teach them—thus the common phenomenon of people in doggy households spelling to each other, “I’m just going out to the c-a-r.” They can even get past our ineptitude. We tend to treat our canine charges as we do foreign exchange students, repeating words, adding more of them, and speaking louder when we’re not immediately understood. But if we take the time to understand what our dogs are saying and to transmit our wishes more effectively, a surprising amount of information can be exchanged.
Books such as Patricia McConnell’s For the Love of a Dog and The Other End of the Leash, and Stanley Coren’s How to Speak Dog go into the topic in great and fascinating detail, and Sarah Kalnajs’s DVD The Language of Dogs adds visuals. The following is just a quick sketch of some of the basics.
WHAT YOUR DOG IS TELLING YOU
When you spend time with a dog, his barks are pretty easy to read, whether low and mean, high-pitched and excited, or persistent, almost rhythmic, demands for attention. Frankie recognizes my ability to tune out this last kind, so he occasionally fakes the more urgent variety.
Body language, on the other hand, may be more difficult to decode. Some moods and their indicators include the following.
I’m stressed and afraid
Some signs of high anxiety will be obvious even to dognoramuses: a tail between the legs, ears pinned back, cringing, shaking, and pacing. Others may be less familiar, such as the out-of-the-corner gaze that leaves the whites of the eyes showing, known as whale eye. And some cues are ambiguous. Yawning might mean sleepiness, for example, lip licking and drooling could be food-related, and lying on the back could indicate a desire for a belly rub. Put a few of these mixed signals together, however, and add a bit of submissive peeing to the back flip, and you can bet your dog is scared and/or upset.
I’m ready to rumble
Along with the obvious snarling, teeth baring, and growling, a dog that’s on edge is likely to give a hard, cold stare (not dissimilar to the one you might get if you’re caught checking out someone other than the person you’re with); stand stiffly; raise her ears (if you have a breed that can do that); and hold her tail rigid (ditto). She might also raise herself up on her toes to look bigger and tougher, unless she’s Great Dane-size, in which case, why bother?
Play with me, please!
Anyone who’s ever taken yoga will recognize the play bow as the downward-facing dog position (far easier for Frankie to assume and maintain than it is for me). Dogs who feel frisky and eager to engage will look relaxed, tail wagging lazily, maybe even a full body wiggle. If you think your dog is smiling, you’re probably not imagining it; loose lips and an open mouth are part of the picture. Finally, gentle nose nudging and pawing—or dropping a favorite toy at your feet—are clear signs of playfulness.
WHAT YOU’RE TELLING YOUR DOG
Dogs are far better at reading our body language than we are at reading theirs—thus their successful adaptation to our world over the millennia and our (not unwarranted) belief that they can intuit our moods—but the gap between canid and primate is often difficult for them to bridge nevertheless. And because we primates don’t often bother to learn canid, the results include the following.
Unintended rudeness
Approaching a dog directly and staring straight at him, for example, is considered an act of aggression; so is leaning down and patting him on the head. Hugging? Sudden movements? Sticking your hands in his face? All are intrusions into canine personal space, and they may cross over from annoying to downright scary. That’s why kids, with their sudden, impulsive movements, so often frighten dogs—and why dogs bite them.
Confusion
Sometimes dogs believe they’re speaking the same language as we are and don’t understand why they’re not getting their point across. Say your dog is barking and you yell at her to shut up. She’s thinking, “Oh, you’re making a loud noise, too. Good—let’s keep it going,” but is puzzled by your rigid posture and the tension around your mouth.
This is where Dogspeak 101 comes in handy. You’d be amazed at how quickly even simple attempts to communicate—ignoring the barking and rewarding a brief bout of silence, for example, or blinking and yawning to calm a stressed dog—can yield results.
68. I’VE HEARD TRAINERS CAN HELP WITH SOCIALIZING AND DESENSITIZING. WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
Socializing is the process of introducing dogs to the scary, complex world they’re going to be sharing with us, and showing them how they’re expected to behave in it. Ideally, puppies should be exposed to lots of different people, dogs, noises, and sights in their first 12 weeks so that nothing will faze them later on. One way to accomplish this—in addition to taking them to training classes—is to arrange for small groups of friends to come over and handle your pup57 while watching loud action movies and/or listening to heavy metal. If you can get your pals to put on hats and carry umbrellas, you get bonus points. It’s fun, plus any outlay for beer and pizza (or whatever inspires your particular group) will be more than compensated for by having a friendly, well-balanced dog.
Desensitizing performs mop-up duty for dogs who have not been properly socialized, helping to ease their fears. (These fears can also be breed-based or spurred by a single frightening episode.) Methods vary, depending on the source of the fear and its intensity,58 but they don’t include “flooding,” or full-on immersion—the canine equivalent of shoving an arachnophobe into a room full of spiders. Nor do they include babying. If you try to soothe a fearful dog, it only confirms her view that there’s actually something to be afraid of.
Typically, the dog’s desensitizer remains calm and confident while carefully exposing the pup to the source of her anxiety—whether it is shiny shoes, pugs, or men in black—and creating new, positive associations with it. Here again, professional guidance and the help of a few friends are essential. It shouldn’t be hard to find people willing to role-play—wearing shiny shoes, say, or dressing in black—and toss treats around. Who doesn’t love a chance to be silly for a good cause? Borrowing a pug might be more difficult but by no means impossible, and most pugs are happy to cooperate; they’re a helpful, fun-loving lot.
69. ARE THERE DOG SHRINKS—AND, IF SO, HOW DO I KNOW IF MY DOG NEEDS ONE?
Specialists who treat dogs for mental health issues—as opposed to dogs who earn advanced degrees in psychology59—are called behaviorists. This is a vague, blanket term; it would be like teachers, social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists all going by the same title. One way to distinguish between the different people who call themselves behaviorists is by fee structure: the highest rates go to those who have the credentials to wield a prescription pad.
But that’s relative. Dog trainers may give themselves the behaviorist label so they can charge more than instructors who don’t know enough to claim it. Consultants with an M.S. or Ph.D. in a field of animal behavior have a far more legitimate claim to the behaviorist name, especially Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists (CAABs; www.certifiedanimalbehaviorist. com); in addition to an advanced degree, CAABs are required to have five years of field experience. These experts don’t all do training—they haven’t necessarily majored in dog—but can usually provide knowledgeable referrals.
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The top dogs in the canine mental health hierarchy are veterinarians who are board certified in the specialty of behavior. This is a relatively new discipline; in 2008, there were fewer than 50 members of this elite group in the United States. Check the website of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (www.dacvb.org) to see if there’s one near you. Renowned among their ranks is Dr. Nicholas Dodman, a best-selling author who founded the Tufts University Animal Behavior Clinic and pioneered the field of animal behavioral pharmacology.
Reading Dodman’s The Dog Who Loved Too Much is one way to tell if your dog needs a shrink. Documenting case studies of canine patients who really have problems, from obsessive tail chasing to severe separation anxiety, this book will give you perspective on your dog’s mild shyness or occasional temper tantrum.
Most of the time, you’ll know if your dog is in imminent danger of harming herself or others and thus in need of expert help. But there are gray areas, including behavioral changes that seem to come on suddenly, that may leave you wondering whom to consult.
If you suspect your dog may have a problem that’s beyond the scope of a regular trainer, start by checking with your vet. Some obsessions are breed-related, for example, and sudden aggression could be caused by pain from an undiagnosed illness. And any veterinary generalist—or layperson who watches Animal Planet—will tell you that exercise is the key to canine mental health. Diet may make a difference, too. It’s worth asking your vet if feeding your dog less protein might lessen her aggression, for example.
A behavior modification program, such as desensitization for fear, guided by a trainer with good credentials, might be the logical next step.
Finally, there are drugs. If you’re hesitant to go there, consider that …
086A variety of antidepressants and antianxiety drugs were tested on animals before they arrived on the human market. It’s only fair that animals get to benefit from them, too.
087If a beloved relative or friend had a mental illness, you wouldn’t question the use of medication, would you? (If you would, you’re incorrigible.) Why deprive your dog of something that might improve her life—and your lives together?
088Your dog doesn’t have to become drug-dependent. Some antianxiety drugs, for example, might break a cycle of obsession, allowing behavioral therapy to kick in.
089The new class of “smart” drugs in the Prozac family won’t deprive your dog of his personality as sedating Valium-type drugs commonly did in the past.
090We often drive our dogs insane by depriving them of their natural environments and making them do odd things to please us. If you’ve tried other routes, why begrudge them a bit of chemical relief?
That doesn’t mean we should start drugging our dogs for acting doggy—as we dose our kids with unneeded Ritalin, say. As with everything in life, it’s a question of balance.
70. WHAT TYPE OF GEAR DO I NEED TO KEEP MY DOG UNDER CONTROL?
In the best of all possible worlds, your impeccably trained dog would walk calmly by your side without a leash and never jump on—or hump—your visitors. And we would have lasting peace in the Middle East. In our actual universe, we need restraint equipment to help keep our inquisitive pals from endangering themselves, from driving us nuts, and from falling into the clutches of animal control. Call it the hardware to the software of training.
Naturally, there’s no consensus on which restraints are the most humane and the most effective. On one end of the spectrum are people who believe that dogs shouldn’t wear neck collars of any kind because they’re ineffective and/or harmful; on the other are those who regard shock collars as the only way to get dogs to toe the line. Similarly, opinions on crates range from considering them safe havens to condemning them as doggie lockups.
Any restraint is only as benevolent as the dictator who administers it, and even cruel tools can be used responsibly by skilled practitioners. Still, the following assessments take into account the ease with which well-intended but inexpert handlers can screw up and harm their pups. In theory, most of these should be used for training only; in practice, many of them end up as permanent accessories—which is another reason to avoid some of them in the first place.
NECK COLLARS
Time was when few questioned the neck collar as the anchor for a leash and ID tags. In recent years, however, the efficacy of trying to guide dogs by the neck—with or without pain—has come under dispute. The base of the neck doesn’t have many nerve endings, the argument goes, which is why bridles are used to get horses moving and nose rings rule in camel caravans.
The neck collar’s effect on canine health has been examined, too—especially for small dogs. The neck may not have nerve endings, but it can be damaged by constant pressure.
Nevertheless, the following items still dominate the racks at pet supply emporia.
Buckle or snap-on (a.k.a. flat) collars
The standard default collars, these don’t do anything but hang around the neck. They’re fine for dogs who don’t tend to yank or pull vigorously.
You’ll be spoiled for choice in this category. To start with, get something adjustable, especially if you have a rapidly growing puppy. A collar should be loose enough for you to slip two fingers60 into, tight enough so your dog can’t escape; three fingers usually leaves too much room. (Wait until your dog relaxes a bit to perform any digital measurements.) The smaller the dog, the wider the collar should be in proportion to her neck; otherwise a swift tug can turn it into a garrote.
After that, anything goes. People who wouldn’t dream of dressing their dogs get their sartorial kicks with collars—metro-bling, natty nautical, Guatemalan-weave, ethno-chic … you name it and it’s available in a real or virtual pet boutique. Most collars simply make a fashion statement, but others are also utilitarian. If you walk your dog at night, for example, consider neckwear that glows in the dark or pulses flashing lights.
Choke or slip collar
As the less frightening of its aliases suggests, rather than buckling or snapping together, this collar slips around a dog’s head. Whether consisting of chain link or nylon, it bears a metal ring at each end. One is inserted through the other and attached to a leash. When the dog tugs, so does the collar. If put on or used improperly, the slip collar may choke your dog ceaselessly (and, if it accidentally catches on something, fatally). If put on and used properly, it chokes your dog selectively by applying a quick, snapping pressure that serves as a correction.
If you don’t have a problem with booby-trapping your dog’s exercise, perhaps you’ll be dissuaded away from this collar by the fact that even correct use may be harmful to his health. According to one post-mortem study, some 92 percent of dogs on whom choke chains were used showed damage to the soft or hard tissue of their necks. In particular, the trachea and esophagus of small dogs were vulnerable. Additionally, choke chains can put pressure on the ocular nerve, bringing on glaucoma in breeds that are susceptible to it. They may also create pulmonary edemas in brachycephalic dogs—the ones with pushed-in faces.
Partial slip or Martingale collar
Originally designed for dogs with heads narrower than their necks, such as Greyhounds, these collars combine the flat collar and the choke chain—only without the choking part.
That is, they only tighten slightly when a dog pulls on them, which keeps the collar from slipping off. Usually. That’s one of the disadvantages of this type of restraint: if the flat part that goes around the dog’s neck isn’t adjusted to exactly the right length, leaving a gap between the rings to which the leash is attached, or if the dog backs up suddenly, he can slip out of the collar (and not just partially).
Prong or pinch collar
Ouch! This collar consists of a series of wide chain links, each with metal prongs that turn inward toward a dog’s neck. More similar to a Martingale than to a full slip collar in that it limits the extent to which it can constrict the throat, this device compensates for its inability to throttle by its potential to inflict sharper and more constant pain. It looks meaner than a choke chain, too—the better to advertise your sadistic tendencies.
Remote collars
The most infamous of the distant-control restraint devices, the shock collar does exactly what its name states. Not only is the idea of wanting to apply even a slight jolt of electricity to your best friend unfathomable to me, but these collars are far from reliable as training tools. For example, you can accidentally set off the current with your TV remote, thus causing your dog to cower every time he hears the opening notes of Law and Order.
Less obnoxious, the citronella collar is designed to distract a dog from any unwanted behavior. The most commonly used variety is voice activated, spritzing the pup with an annoying burst of lemon whenever she barks. These collars are not cheap, and finding the cause of the barking would be far preferable, but they’re not dangerous, either.61 And who doesn’t like a quiet, mosquito-free pup?
HEAD HALTER OR HEAD COLLAR
I was taken aback when I first began noticing dogs along the trail wearing these restraints, which wrap, muzzlelike, around the mouth. What could have made all those benign-looking Golden Retrievers turn evil, I wondered—and could Frankie defend himself if one of them escaped? I have since discovered that these so-called head collars, which fasten around the back of the neck and drape over the top of the snout—similar to halters used on horses—aren’t designed to keep dogs from biting. Rather, they’re intended to keep them from tugging on a leash by replicating the action of mother dogs who lift puppies by the scruff of their necks and/or put their snouts in her mouth. Far from being violent offenders, haltered dogs are simply pups taking direction from a mommy surrogate (you). They can open their mouths, drink, eat, carry toys … all the things that good dogs are allowed to do.62
Many dog owners swear by these items, sold under such names as Gentle Leader, Halti, and Snoot Loops. They’re thrilled by their ability to get their charges to do their bidding without painful coercion. Dogs are not as uniformly enthusiastic; judging by their often-fervent attempts to remove them, halters are probably as uncomfortable as they look. In all likelihood, you’ll need to introduce your pup to this headgear slowly, with lots and lots of food bribes.
Two caveats: Although halters are usually safe, if you jerk your dog’s head suddenly, you can cause a neck or spine injury. And for obvious reasons, they’re not an option for dogs without snouts—Boxers, Pugs, Brussels Griffons, and so on.
HARNESSES
Dashing through the snow … Okay, harnesses are not only for sled-bearing Huskies (or reindeer). In fact, small breeds with sensitive tracheas are the most likely to get strapped into these chest cradlers, although most other dogs, and especially escape artists with skinny heads, can benefit from wearing them, too.
In general, because the pressure from a harness is equally distributed, you can’t harm any part of your dog’s body with them. Even the potential discomfort from chafing straps can be mitigated by felt- or velvet-lined versions, as well as those made from soft nylon webbing.
It’s the fact that they’re cushy that makes most harnesses unsuited to large dogs who like to go their own way; if you don’t let go of the leash, your big lug may have the leverage to pull you down the street, which is embarrassing. The so-called “no-pull” harnesses, however, discourage such behavior by tightening under the front legs and shoulders when your pup tries to haul you away. And those designed so that the leash attaches to the front have the added advantage of getting your dog to move toward you, rather than away from you, to relieve the pressure.
The down side of harnesses? They must be carefully fitted; they have to be used in conjunction with a collar bearing your dog’s ID tag; and they can be a huge pain to get on. I bought one for Frankie that has a strap intended to go between his front paws and hug his chest. He prefers to insert both feet on one side while trying to chew on the seatbeltstyle plastic buckle that goes around his middle. To be honest, I only use the harness to be PC.63 Frankie likes to walk behind me, with the rare collar tug therefore catching him on the scruff and not the throat, but I don’t want anyone to think that I’m injuring him. If I need to leave the house in fewer than 20 minutes, however, public opinion be damned.
LEASHES64
There are two general types of leashes: the sensible kind and the retractable variety that holds 15 to 30 feet of nylon line in a plastic handle. Too many things can go wrong with retractables to enumerate, but they include: uselessness in case of an emergency (they lock up when they’re stretched taut); the ease of getting them tangled in another dog’s leash or of having another dog owner trip over them, because they’re so thin they’re practically invisible;65 and frequency of breakage of both the handle and the nylon line. Use the wrong strength, and you can accidentally jerk your small dog off her feet. All in all, if you feel the need to reel something in, go fishing.
Assuming, then, that you’re opting for the sensible variety, the main things to consider are length and material.
Length
Four to six feet is a good standard size for both training and general strolling, the shorter length being preferable for urban walking, and especially if street-crossing is involved. For hikes and other outdoor adventures, the so-called long line, a clothesline-type rope that can extend as long as 50 feet lets your dog pretend she’s off leash. You can step on the leash whenever you want to stop her from forging through the forest, thus crushing her illusion of freedom.
The indecisive and those who enjoy lots of different activities with their dogs should consider adjustable leashes, which have clasps at both ends and several rings that allow you to shorten and lengthen the tether at will or whim.
Material
Leather is the classiest and probably the most user-friendly for the holder, but it’s also the most expensive, most liable to be subject to sun and water damage, and most likely to be chewed by your dog.
Chain leashes are sturdy and definitely discourage chewing, but they’re uncomfortable to hold unless they have a leather or nylon handle. And if your dog accidentally slaps himself with the leash—ow! (And talk about not PC.)
Nylon and cotton are probably your best bets. They’re cheap, durable, washable, and come in lots of colors. You can get one for every outfit—yours and your dog’s.
CRATES
I’ve seen the word “crate” used to refer to everything from snug, hard-sided travel carriers to capacious playpens that afford pups pacing space. It’s the in-between size, large enough for a dog to stand up and turn around in but too small for him to transform a separate area into a bathroom, which I’m talking about here.
Properly used, crates are intended to fill in for wolf dens or caves. A dog won’t soil the place where he sleeps, the theory goes, which makes these cozy enclosures ideal for maintaining (although not initiating) housetraining. And because canines often need a retreat from irritating Homo sapiens, a crate also doubles as a sanctuary.
Nor is there anything wrong with occasionally sending your pal off to chill in a crate during the visit of a dog-averse friend.66
All too often, however, crates are turned into lockups67 for dogs who destroy stuff out of loneliness and boredom while their owners are away from home for extended periods. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating here: “Bad human, bad human!”
No matter what your intent, you can’t stick a dog into a crate cold turkey and expect her not to regard it as punishment. Crate training takes time and effort; the extent of both will depend on your dog’s age and her history with confinement. Dogs who come from puppy mills may be used to being caged and find it comfortingly familiar, while those who land at a shelter after living in a home for many years may resist anything that reminds them of the pound.
The Humane Society’s website, www.hsus.org, offers a detailed program (click on “pets” and then “pet care”) for crate training. Some quick tips for acclimating your dog to her faux den include …
Associating the crate with good things such as food and toys.
Feed your dog in a crate and keep her toys in it when it’s unlocked and she’ll begin thinking there might be benefits to entering.
Introducing the crate in a room that your dog likes and that you spend time in.
You don’t want your dog to think of the crate as a canine Elba. Put it in a family room, kitchen, or other place where you hang out, so your dog doesn’t think he’s being exiled or isolated.
Pacing the length of confinement.
Leave your dog in the crate for progressively longer periods of time. Initially, stay in your home while your dog is in his.
Rewarding quiet behavior.
Yes, your dog may initially bark or whine when you lock her in a crate. Resist the guilt that these sounds will inspire, and give your pup a treat as soon as she calms down. If you simply release her, she’ll think that complaining is the route to getting sprung.
Limiting the crate’s use as a dogsitter substitute.
No matter how used to the crate your dog is, it’s no substitute for exercise and company. If your dog is sufficiently tired, she won’t need to be confined.
Crates are available in a range of materials, from plastic and wood to wicker, but the most practical are the collapsible wire variety. Not only are these portable, but they can be gussied up to your heart’s desire. Dogs like to have a bit of privacy, so you can drape anything over the enclosures, from old towels or sheets to designer covers with acoustic muting properties—and even get coordinating mats to line the bottom of the doggie den. The only problem with some wire crates is the gap between the bottom and the bars, where a dog could catch his paw. A well-fitted blanket or other lining—which you’ll likely put in anyway, for warmth and comfort—should take care of that.
And before leaving your dog unattended, always remove any collar with tags that could get tangled on the bars. If your dog survives this traumatic experience—she might, in a panic, try to back up and thus cut off her airwaves—she’ll never again consider the crate a refuge.