From the University of Pennsylvania comes an interesting new study that actually looks at how an owner's aggressive behavior affects a dog's aggressive behavior.

Not too surprisingly, lead researcher Megan E. Herron notes:  

"Our study demonstrated that many confrontational training methods, whether staring down dogs, striking them or intimidating them with physical manipulation does little to correct improper behavior and can elicit aggressive responses."

Just recently, a fellow trainer was asking on a list about best ways to help a toy breed dog who had been biting.  The history presented highlighted that this little dog was physical hurting (had health issues that were painful), did not know a great deal (so had limited options for interacting and responding in good ways), and was being "corrected" for defensive snaps with more serious aggression from the owner.  

Despite this trainer's attempts to help this dog, despite the dog improving in the hands of someone who took the time to teach the dog and stop acting aggressively themselves, this little dog was put to sleep a few days ago by the original owner for "unprovoked aggression."  A heartbreaking outcome of owner aggression and confrontational "training" techniques.  (So sorry, CK ---)

The U of P study has some interesting highlights:

• Number one reason owners take their dogs to veterinary behaviorists:  aggressive behavior
• 43% of the 140 owners involved in the study had "hit or kicked the dog for undesirable behavior
• 31% had used an "alpha roll"
• 30% had used a "stare down"
• 29% had used a "dominance down"
• 25% of the dogs on which the above were used responded with their own aggression (I'm surprised it's not more; speaks to dogs tolerating a lot from humans) 

Go here to read a review of the study , which was published in Applied Animal Behavior science.

Since common sense and empathy for fellow beings are sometimes insufficient to demonstrate the folly of using confrontational techniques (especially with aggression!), perhaps simply proving the point with this study and many others will eventually open people's eyes. 

Sad but true that while we'd resent being trained in a confrontational and abusive way, it remains not only accepted but popularized.  

Ask me why I cancelled my National Geographic subscription . . .

In sad memory of a pair of bright eyes that asked for understanding and education, that warned she would not tolerate being attacked in the name of "teaching her" --- and for that light now gone out.  May her life's lessons do their work.  Rest in peace, little one.  You deserved better.

Most of us don't have to go too far in our family trees to find someone who grew up on a farm. But since 1960, there has been a huge shift in our society to a more urbanized life that does not include a daily working knowledge of animals and nature. This is not to say that simply living in a rural environment somehow confers an understanding of dogs or any animals.  But it did perhaps instill a more basic understanding of "animalness," something we see left over in the comments of our parents or grandparents who cautioned: "Don't bother the dog when he's eating" or "leave a bitch with puppies alone" or "don't tease dogs." Not necessarily a sophisticated understanding of dogness, but certainly a solid grasp of how to avoid being bitten by a dog!

So perhaps there is no mystery as to the increase of dog bites,particularly when you consider that from 1960 to 2003, the US population had a 30+% increase, more than 100 million people, many of whom did not grow up as the previous generations had. It's a different world, and that's reflected in some ways in our relationships with animals.

I've had many, many clients who never had a dog (or any other animal) growing up, but always wanted one. Their learning curve can be, well, let's just say steep. They often have some interesting myths, beliefs and expectations about dogs, and sometimes approach the dog from a highly emotional point ofview without appreciating the need for practical management and training or an understanding of "animalness." The "Lassie" mentality is much in evidence in this group.

On the other hand, those clients who always had dogs also carry with them some old fashioned notions and beliefs which reflect a much more practical approach, albeit one that limits the possibilities of the dog who is not necessarily seen as a creative, emotional, intelligent creature capable of learning a lot, especially when you're not beating them into compliance.

There's something that happens when we as humans reconnect with the "real" world around us, where time flows according to Nature's dictates, and animal time prevails, not the artificiality of human schedules and timetables that often are wildly out of sync with Nature herself. The good news is that you can live anywhere and find the real world. Marie Winn's "Redtails in Love" tells how Manhattanites find a way to reconnect with the natural world. And this article from Newsweek tells us that what is real in Nature cannot be duplicated by facsimiles - the real thing has beneficial effects which can be measured.

That with which we do not live closely becomes mystified, misunderstood and/or romanticized, never a good thing. That which we intimately know shapes us in ways we may not fully grasp but which nonetheless contribute to our wholeness.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY (and Happy Birthday to Alaskan moose lover Deb Gillis)

Once upon a time, there was a concerned client who was considering adding another dog to their household. They already had two dogs, and were quite worried that dog number three might cause the dreaded "pack mentality." And if that wasn't enough, they also feared that the third dog would mean, and I quote, that "situations would get out of hand".

Often weary of how humans elevate themselves as superior using self referential (not to mention self reverential) logic, I was moved by this passage I stumbled across in The Territorial Imperative:

"No man or other animal lives as other than a whole being. If I am a dominant male lion with a vast impressive mane, then at once I am a predator seeking candidates for my next meal, or I shall grow unbearably hungry; I am also prey, and I must keep a wary nostril for men carrying guns, or I shall end up decorating somebody's wall; I am a proprietor, and I must keep rival lions out of my hunting territory, or game will grow scarce; I am a husband, and when one of my wives comes into heat then I must entertain her; I am a father, and with due regard to future lion generations I must brook no nonsense from my cubs while teaching them all I can; and I am also a social being for, sad to confess, I am deathly slow on my feet and an appallingly bad hunter except at close quarters, so I am dependent on the assistance of my wives and my friends, and whether I like them or not I must somehow get along with them. If I am a lion I am many things at once, and if I am a man I am even more. And so it may seem a temptation toward unreal simplification to select a single aspect of the human condition with which to absorb ourselves. And indeed it is most surely a temptation and an almighty hazard."

ROBERT ARDREY
Rome, 1966

We are all never less than whole beings.  Indeed...

My friend Tom O'Dowd at Wolf Saga sent me a quote from Red Smith, the famous sportswriter, the first sportswriter to win a Pulitzer Prize.  Smith was talking about becoming a writer:

“I've had many writing heroes, writers who have influenced me. ...When I was very young as a sportswriter I knowingly and unashamedly imitated others ... But slowly, by what process I have no idea, your own writing tends to crystallize, to take shape. Yet you've learned some moves from all these guys and they are somehow incorporated into your own style. Pretty soon you're not imitating any longer.”

The FDA has updated its list of adverse drug reactions for pets .  Adverse reactions can range from mild and transitory to extremely serious or even potentially fatal.  Knowing what might happen when your pet is on a certain medication can help you stay alert to possible problems.

You may search for a specific drug simply by clicking the letter of the active ingredient's name. If you don't know that, hit Google using the trade name.  (Example:  You've been told to give your pet dragon Tylenol, but you don't know the active ingredient.  Google "tylenol active ingredient" and you'll quickly find out the answer is acetominophen.)

The list can also be downloaded from the FDA's Web site.

While ingredients are listed alphabetically, adverse effects are listed in order of highest number of occurrences to lowest.

As you're now thinking about adverse effects, this is a good time to make sure you've got this posted near all phones, in your wallet, in your car, and on the refrig: 

ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center's 24-hour hotline 888-426-4435

There is a fee, but I can say from experience the lightning fast information and help sorting out a potentially dangerous situation is worth every penny.

Have a peek in your medicine cabinet or counters for any of these Top 10 Human Medications that poison pets.  Be especially careful to store these out of reach, and supervise children, elderly or anyone who may be forgetful or careless about their medications.

Top 10 human medications that poison pets  

• NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Motrin, Aleve, Nuprin, and many more)
• Antidepressants (too many to list)
• Acetaminophen (brand name: Tylenol)
• Methylphenidate (brand name: Ritalin)
• Fluorouracil (brand name: Carac, Efudex, Fluoroplex)
• Isoniazid (brand name: Nydrazid, Niazid)
• Pseudoephedrine (brand name: Sudafed; can be in a number of cold formulas)
• Anti-diabetics
• Vitamin D derivatives
• Baclofen (brand name: Kemstro, Lioresal)

From ScienceDaily.com comes some interesting information,and hope for treatments of terrible diseases in both dogs and people.

Lou Gehrig's Disease Linked to DM in Dogs  Researchers from Univ. of Missouri and Broad Institute say that they have "uncovered the genetic mutation of degenerative myelopathy, which has been unknown for 30 years, and linked it to ALS, a human disease that has no cure."  (ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.)

Veterinary neurologist Joan Coates, an associate professor of veterinary medicine & surgery in the MU vet school notes:  "Dogs with DM are likely to provide scientists with a more reliable animal model for ALS. Also, this discovery will pave the way for DNA tests that will aid dog breeders in avoiding DM in the future."

Degenerative myelopathy (DM) takes a horrible toll on many breeds, and of course, my beloved German Shepherds are at the top of the list of affected breeds.  Being able to screen for this genetic defect is good news for anyone interested in breeding the healthiest possible dogs.

Since dogs are a better model for testing the therapeutic approaches, this means that clinical trials in dogs in order to find good answers for humans will ultimately result in a good deal of knowledge about what works in dogs.

Thanks to Ginny Palmieri over at Crows Nest for the heads up!

Despite Hollywood's portrayal of the howl as a lonely cry in the dark, howling is a gorgeously complex vocalization in wolves, coyotes and dogs.

Dogs howl for a number of reasons. Not all have to do with sorrow, sadness, or loneliness.  Sometimes, howls are a great way to share excitement. In wolves, this is called rallying. The wonderful staff at Wolf Park uses this to great effect when it's time to round up the wolves participating in the weekly Wolf/Bison interactions.  (Wolf Park is the only place on the planet where you can see this predator/prey interaction every Sunday. 25 years and counting and the score remains Wolves: 0.)

Dogs & wolves (don't know about coyotes) howl in response to other sounds:

• howls (by humans, other dogs, wolves, coyotes)
• sirens
• musical instruments (bagpipes are a classic trigger)

Howling is often a call/response mode.  Among wolves, the howl functions as a way to ask, "I'm here - where are you guys?"  I have used this to let a lost dog know where I was (accompanied by the other dogs.)  Howls carry far.

Howling can also serve as a territorial warning - "We're here, so you better not be!" I've had the pleasure of listening to the three groups of coyotes that live around our farm doing a round of howls.

I came across the website of Karen Delise, The National Canine Research Council.  Delise offers a much needed clear eyed look at our fears, the facts, and much more.

When I was 14, we adopted an Afghan hound.  A few months later, for reasons never fully understood, this dog I loved so much slashed my sister's face open and nearly severed one of her ears.  Having held my sister's face together for the hour it took for my parents to get home, having heard her 9 year old anguished screams echoing down the halls of the ER, I do not take biting dogs lightly.  I've seen (and felt!) firsthand how much damage can be inflicted in a few brief, awful seconds.

But I also keep a balanced perspective.  I'm well aware that most of what is labeled "aggression" is a deliberately inhibited, meaningful communication from a dog.  I keep a Google alert for "dog bite" and "animal attack" and so every day, from all around the world, I get daily reminders of the potential for serious, even fatal injury by dogs.  I don't have the heart or time to do a comparative Google alert for "child abuse" or "pedophiles" or "parental abuse."  Too many posts would show up in my mailbox.

Because I see media reports of the worst cases involving dogs, I always seek out more facts when hype and hysteria are present.  There's a lot to be said about the lack of mandatory history taking, so that circumstances around a biting incident may or may not be part of the record.  A dog who had a toddler and table fall on him and in fear inflicted one shallow puncture may be counted in the same category as a dog who leaped a fence to attach children playing in a school yard. But the problems inherent in our tracking of dog bites is the subject for another day.

Today, I'd like to encourage people to visit and look around The National Canine Research Council website. In particular, I found this page informative when it comes to discussing the realities of biting dogs. Puts things into perspective.

The NCRC also offers year end reports.  Here is the 2007 year end report.  Well worth reading for those interested in an informed and enlightened approach to what the media unfortunately terms the "dog bite epidemic." 

I made an interesting discovery while looking through Small Animal Clinical Nutrition (a must have for serious students of the dog).  Found this explanation of why clients may choose to cook for their pet.  Made me laugh --

"Other people choose to cook simply because they feel guilty, as if they don't care enough.  This is a minor concern in the United States but is more important in countries such as France." 

(Reference:  Pibot P. Aliment Industriel: Aliment menager Vers un compromis?  Recueil de Medecine Veterinarire 1989; 165: 525-526)

Ah, those French!  I suppose given the French culture, a French pet owner would not only fret about the right ingredients, but what wine would go well with, say, raw lamb shanks, braised turnips in a light cream sauce and pureed carrots?  And goodness, what to serve for the cheese & fruit course! 

I'll stop now before I get into my mental images of a snotty French waiter who has retired from the Michelin 5 star restaurant where he worked for 20 years and is now the snotty owner of a pet food store...

Puts the news item re: Jacque Chirac's dog biting him in a new light.  The news piece I saw reported that the dog, a Maltese named Sumo, "has been agitated for some time despite receiving treatment with anti-depressants." I wonder if any reporters are investigating whether or not Sumo's agitation is related to an unsatisfactory menu?