Weekend Update February 27, 2010

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: February 26, 2010

The New Jersey Tundra

The New Jersey Tundra

What does your dog’s name say about you? According to Forbes, more than you think. It’s an interesting line of thought, but I found the idea that a name can be too “dominant” to be a bit of stretch.

A dog that went missing in Virginia showed up 600 miles away in Florida! What a nice surprise!

In the United Kingdom, a dog that has saved many lives in Afghanistan was recognized with the Victoria Cross.

A woman punched out a coyote that attacked her and her puppy.

A dog kept a toddler alive in the cold by staying with her.

Keep your dog on a leash! A Springer Spaniel plunged 300ft off a cliff while chasing a seagull. Here’s some amazing footage of the rescue.

A while back I posted about the wonderful production of 101 Dalmatians that is using rescue dogs. Mary Haight at Dancing Dog Blog has background and backstage information on 101 Dalmatians over here.

Last, did they nail the dialogue on this one or not? “Lazy energy,” “actively submissive,” “kitty leader,” “negative conduct”…..maybe he consulted on this?

Posted in News | 4 Comments

How can I stop my dog from digging up my yard?

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: February 25, 2010

Two dogs digging, halfway into a large hole in the ground.Digging is a common complaint for dog owners. The problem is, digging comes very natural for many dogs. As a matter of fact terriers are named for Terra, as in Latin for “earth.” They are literally called “earth dogs” — and it’s not because they are environmentally friendly. Digging is frequently a “hard-wired” behavior in dogs and stopping it is literally trying to stop a dog’s natural tendencies. So….

Instead of Fighting the Instinct to Dig, Harness It!

One of the most effective ways to deal with instinctual dog behavior like digging is to give a dog a way to do it that is not disruptive. My favorite is to set up a “digging pit” somewhere and then convince the dog that digging there is more rewarding than around the petunias.

Either purchase a sandbox or dig a hole and fill it with sand. (Sand is a lot easier to clean up than soil.) If you decide to go with a hole, it may be helpful to line it with plastic sheeting. Then, hide some toys in the sand and show your dog his new place to dig!

Start out making the hidden goodies easy to find and then work your way up to making it more and more difficult. Make it a game, and be sure to spend some time with your dog. Which is a nice segway to the next point…..

Idle Paws are the Devil’s Digger!

In detective fiction we frequently read or hear about “motive and opportunity.” We covered motive for digging, now you need to deal with the opportunity! Are you leaving a “known offender” alone in your yard? Leaving your dog alone outside is not a good idea for a lot of reasons, but leaving a bonafide digger alone is just asking for it.

Left to their own devices, dogs may not choose the recreation activities we would prefer. Trying playing with your dog instead of leaving him alone. Trying using toys and games to exercise his mind and redirect his desire to dig.

Training Can Help

Even when you are with your dog, his eyes may wander over to those petunias. This is a prime opportunity to train him to leave things alone on cue. That, along with some work on impulse control, will make it easier to redirect your dog’s attention to more productive pursuits.

Digging can be a big nuisance, but it’s not an insurmountable problem. Try these steps and remember: enjoy your time with your dog. That why’s you got him!

Posted in Training Tips | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Product Review: Nina Ottosson’s Dog Brick

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: February 22, 2010

Caffeine with the Dog BrickI was going to wait a few weeks to do another product review, but my sample Nina Ottosson Dog Brick from A Company of Animals showed up and it is just too cool to wait!

The Nina Ottosson line of games are properly called games, not toys. They are designed to make dogs think while playing together with their people. The toys are available in both wood and plastic. My sample is a plastic Dog Brick. (Be sure to select “Brick” under “size” if you want the same game.)

The plastic is heavy and very high quality. As you will see in the video below, I unleashed Gage on the game, and it is still intact — not even a scratch. However this is not a game that you should leave out unattended. It is intended for supervised (and team) play.

The dog brick has four sets of two sliders under which you can hide treats (I used kibble), as well as a center row where you can place treats either in the open or under plastic covers shaped similar to bones. This simple design provides you with a variety of options in varying the level of difficulty for your dog. The key with games like this is keeping it interesting for your dog without making it too difficult. The game includes a short but very helpful DVD explaining how to gradually introduce the game to your dog.

Enough talk. Here’s Caffeine with the game.

At first Caffeine seems a little intimidated and gives up, but after some help she gets into it. This illustrates how working together yields better results and more fun. This is not an alternative to the Kong – it’s a game!

Here is my wife, Dagmar, playing with Gage:

This process is similar to the one described on the companion DVD. To round out the Stooges, here’s Buddha:

Isn’t it interesting to see how the three dogs approach the game differently?

This game is a lot of fun! It’s definitely worth considering for any family. The Nina Ottosson games used to be more difficult to get in the U.S. (and quite a bit more expensive) but now with options like Amazon (affiliate link) the toys are much easier to find. The Dog Brick (Again: be sure to select “Brick” under “size” if you want the same game) is a medium level game, if you check out A Company of Animals website you can see the full line of toys, including the easier and more difficult options.

As promised, here is Gage unleashed:

Posted in Product Reviews | 13 Comments

Weekend Update February 19, 2010

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: February 19, 2010

Ready for Cold Walkies

Ready for Cold Walkies!

Welcome Dr. Phil Zeltzman readers! (If you don’t know what I mean, you are still welcome — but check out his excellent newsletter!) If you enjoy reading this blog, please consider subscribing. You get a free copy of my e-book on choosing on dog trainer, and weekly updates to this site!

Now the news…..

Over at Pawcurious, Dr. V wrote a nice series of articles on dental health this week. It starts with how to perform a visual inspection yourself and continues with dental care at home. Dental care for dogs and cats is getting a lot of attention lately, and it’s a good thing. Very useful stuff from a great vet!

I’m a huge fan of Animal Behavior Associates. Dr. Hetts and Dr. Estep are experienced professionals and they publish some of the best behavior information you can find online. I’m a happy member of their Behavior Education Network. Here’s a great blog post from Dr. Hetts on how to have a better behaved pet.

Looking for a way to combine your love of your pets with saving the earth? Sponsor a memorial tree for your pet, or give it to someone as a gift. This is a very worthy cause that is helping replenish trees in our national forests.

Despite the cold and record snows, it’s time to start planning travel. Dog Jaunt has a great list of dog-friendly places ready for you, based on reader feedback. Pop in and tell everyone about your favorite spots.

If you are in my neck of the woods, GoPetFriendly.com has put together a guide on Northward Hound’s Escapes from New York. (No eye patch or life sentence required.)

Last, great news on the puppy mill front from Dancing Dog Blog. West Hollywood has banned sales of puppies and kittens! Can I get a “woo-hoo?”

Update: I just got word of a great contest that wraps up next week: Do you know of a dog that has changed someone’s life?

Posted in Training Tips | 3 Comments

Letter From A Rescue: Annie

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: February 18, 2010

Annie needs a home

Annie needs a home

Older dogs in shelters and rescues tend to get a raw deal. Many adopters have an idyllic vision of getting a puppy and shaping him or her into their vision of a perfect dog — not realizing how little input they have after all. Many are afraid of bringing home an adult dog because they don’t know anything about the dog’s past, making an older dog not an option. The fact is, adopting an older dog can be very rewarding and as far as behavior goes, not really a risk at all. An adult dog’s personality, at least after settling into a new home, is a known quantity.

Annie is an (estimated) eight year old shepherd mix. Her owner was killed in a motorcycle accident. After the accident, in the confusion at her home, Annie panicked and ran away. She lived outdoors on her own in the area for a year before she was finally trapped: emaciated and in poor shape. All along she had been visiting her home, looking for her human.

When she was finally captured she landed in a shelter, where she lived for a year without finding a home. She was on the euthanasia list when Pets Alive rescued her. Annie takes a while to warm up to people (who could blame her?) but once she does she is a complete sweetheart. She would do best in a home where she is the only dog.

If you can’t take Annie in you can help Annie and Pets Alive with a sponsorship. The work a sanctuary like Pets Alive does is not cheap – they are essentially taking in the cases that many shelters would give up on because they don’t have the resources. Cases like Annie.

Posted in Dog Stories | 13 Comments

Product Review: Vitalife Dog Treats

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: February 15, 2010
Healthy Hips And Joints

Vitalife Healthy Hips And Joints

Dog Time Media put out a request a while back for bloggers interested in reviewing Vitalife (from Nomerica Products) dog treats. I had already purchased their treats a few times and agreed to receive the samples and give them a try. (There’s your disclosure and your intro, in one swell foop.)

First, a word on treats. I look at treats as falling into two broad categories: treats that I might give to one of my dogs as well, a treat — not necessarily part of their regular nutrition — and treats that I use for training.

Training treats are something that I can easily cut or break into very, very small pieces. They should also be more on the soft side and not something “crunchy” (creating distracting crumbs) or too chewy (taking a long time to eat.) “Regular” treats don’t necessarily have to be that flexible. Both, however, should be nutritionally sound, usually made from whole meat and without a lot of grain or artificial preservatives.

As I already mentioned, I have purchased Vitalife treats before. They are what I consider to be nutritionally sound. All of their treats state on the label that they are made from whole components, and it’s obvious when you see them that they are. I am not a fan of treats that are more or less meat-flavored cookies. Vitalife treats also include “feeding guidelines,” making it clear that your dog should only get a few of these treats a day. The guidelines differed for each of the sample bags I received, so they are not just standard text slapped on to make it look like Vitalife cares – they are based on the serving size and/or calories of the individual treat.

Vitalife “Plus” Healthy Hips and Joints Chicken Tenders

Vitalife’s “Plus” products contain extra supplements, such as the Glucosamine and Chondroitin in the Healthy Hips and Joints Chicken Tenders. These “tenders” look like chicken jerky to me. They also smell like chicken and most dogs find them very rewarding. Rewarding enough that you can use them as training treats if you spend the time in advance to cut them up into small enough pieces. Despite being dry and brittle, they don’t produce any crumbs. I guess that’s where the “tender” name comes from? I’ll stow some of these in my training bag when I think I may need to switch to a different treat to keep an easily dog interested or maybe deal with a real fussbudget that is tough to please.

Duck and Sweet Potato Twists

The Duck and Sweet Potato Twist were new to me, and an instant hit with the Stooges. They are exactly what the name implies: a piece of sweet potato with some duck wrapped around it. (Kind of genius, when you think about it.) Buddha rewarded these treats with his special “lip quiver” (he doesn’t have enough teeth for a tooth chatter) when I first opened this package, before he even tasted one. The treats look and smell exactly the way they should – a piece of baked sweet potato wrapped in a piece of dried duck. Their shape and texture would make them difficult to use as a training treat, although you could cut them up and end up with sweet potato and duck pieces. I think of them as very high value treats that I might actually use for something like “come when called” when I want to make a big impression on the dog and speed and portability are not important.

Chicken and Banana Wraps

The Chicken and Banana Wraps are again, exactly what the name implies. Banana Chips wrapped with what appears to be the same chicken as the chicken tenders. If you ever feel lonely in my house, peel a banana, so these treats were a “hit” too. The ingredients mention coconut oil in the banana chips, so “pet foodies” may not like these treats as much as the others. The Stooges really like them, and I do like the small serving size of these over the rather large duck treats. (But I’m sure I’ll be buying both at separate times in the future.

Overall. I like the Vitalife treats and think it’s a great product line. If you are going to buy premade dog treats, these are the kind of products should be be steering toward: whole foods and whole fruits and vegetables with no artificial anything.

Posted in Product Reviews | 10 Comments

Weekend Update February 12, 2010

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: February 12, 2010

The Brodies

The results for the first annual Brodies are in, and I am proud to announce that the Dog Spelled Forward blog………..lost! It was an honor to be included in the contest, and hopefully I’ll be back next year.

Debarking

The New York Times published a story about debarking, something that I had thought was a thing of the past. (Of course the fact that the procedure is illegal for elective reasons in NJ probably contributed to that notion.) Dancing Dog Blog covers the debarking controversy very well. Take a look.

Oreo’s Law and the Politics of Destruction

Moving on to another controversy, you’ve probably heard the story of Oreo and Oreo’s Law. Oreo was rescued by the ASPCA after being thrown from a rooftop by an apparently very abusive owner. After spending months (and no doubt thousands of dollars) nursing Oreo back to health, the ASPCA made the heart-wrenching decision to euthanize him because of serious aggression. Professionals in probably the best staffed behavior department in any shelter on the East Coast made a decision about a dog’s behavior.

At some point prior to Oreo being euthanized at least one rescue offered to take him. For whatever reason, and there has been some ambiguity on what and how things happened, the APSCA did not hand Oreo over.

The reaction to this situation has been loud, intense, and unfortunately, very predictable. Some people in the “no-kill” movement thrive on the politics of destruction, and what better target is there than an organization with a national presence that has done tremendous good for animals? Is there a better strategy for raising your own profile than playing “gotcha” with someone bigger than you? After all, when it comes down to it, the people that really cause the pet overpopulation – puppy mills – are faceless and nameless, but when you can tear down an animal welfare icon, you’ve struck gold!

But I digress.

Part of the fallout from the situation is “Oreo Law’s,” which runs the risk of allowing rescues that are already ill-equipped to deal with serious behavior problems the ability to demand any dog they want from a shelter, especially if the dog has serious behavior problems. Speaking from experience, this is not good. Here is a great essay on Oreo’s Law from Animal Law Coalition.

Posted in News | 13 Comments

The Puppy Diaries: Temple Grandin and Anthropomorphism

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: February 10, 2010

Jordan, retired service dog

Jordan, retired service dog.

Anthropomorphism can be a “bad word.” It is often used as a perjorative to indicate that someone doesn’t fully understand dog behavior.

I’ve used the word that way myself, as recently as this past weekend in the comments section of a post on this site. I feel that Cesar Millan’s description of “dominance” is anthropomorphic — that he puts very human thoughts into dog’s heads, like “taking over” when people are not signaling to the dog that they are “in charge.”

But, as I discussed a while back on Dog Star Daily, is anthropomorphism always bad?

To listen to John Homans in New York Magazine, the answer seems to be yes. In his well-researched and very informative article in the February 1 edition of New York he issues the familiar complaint about dogs being pampered and treated as children. I’m a little tired of this argument and the subtext that dog’s treated like children are always spoiled and over-indulged. Seriously…check out how spoiled some children are and then get back to me. (The article covers a lot more territory and is definitely worth a read.)

The latest Puppy Diaries picks up on this argument. Ms. Abramson discusses meeting Temple Grandin, at the premiere of her biopic. Grandin agrees with much of what Homan says, but does say that it’s OK to treat dogs like children. She seems to indicate that while dogs have specific needs and that keeping them cooped up in apartments can cause issues, that if these needs are taken care of, it’s still OK to treat them like family members. Ms. Abramson ultimately decides that Scout “is NEVER going to sleep with us” presumably out of fear that it will “spoil” Scout.

I find this attitude unfortunate. Like Grandin, I think it’s possible to treat our dogs as “full” members of the family without “spoiling” them, and reflexively recoil from grand pronouncements like “no dogs in bed” or “no dogs on the furniture” when there’s nothing more than broad generalizations behind them.

Photo credit:

Posted in News | 11 Comments

Buddha’s Story: My Inspiring Rescue Story

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: February 8, 2010

Buddha Grins

My partner.

Joanne Wannen, at Inspiring Rescue Stories, is holding a contest. People with rescue dogs can put together a brief video about their rescue dog(s), describing how their dog has changed their (or anyone else’s) life. The contest ties in very nicely with her book, which I just ordered.

Here’s my contribution:

Do you have a rescue? Let me know in the comments.

Posted in Videos | 5 Comments

Weekend Update February 5, 2010

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: February 4, 2010

Dogs Welcome Sign

I missed posting the Weekend Update for last weekend. Things were heating up here at Dog Spelled Forward World Headquarters and I didn’t have the time to put together a decent list of news and posts. Fortunately this week is a very different story with some great information on the blogosphere.

The mercury has broken 30 degrees a few times over here and I’m already thinking about spending some time outdoors. The Take Paws blog over at Go Pet Friendly had a couple of great posts about dining with your dogs. While being able to take our dogs to a outside cafe for a bite (no pun intended) may seem like a no-brainer to us, some don’t like the idea of eating with dogs around.

Speaking of travel, truth be told I don’t travel a lot and I am no expert. But I am starting to think about it a bit more and I’ve started to subscribe to a few very interesting blogs to get some pointers. Dog Jaunt posted a great article this week on packing for air travel with a small dog. Since I can’t even pack for myself (just ask my wife) I found this very useful.

How about grooming? I’m sporting a bit of a Grizzly Adams look at the moment and need all the help I can get taking care of a fuzzy character like Buddha. Will My Dog Hate Me gave me a new perspective on what grooming means and how to make it seem more manageable.

Earlier I linked to a story about Baltic, a dog that was rescued from the Baltic Sea last week, over on the Dog Spelled Forward Facebook Page. At the time, the identity of Baltic’s family and where he would end up was still unknown. Well, Baltic’s fate has been decided and I couldn’t hope for a happier ending.

Posted in News | 4 Comments