Training dogs

OK.  I have been slacking the last two weeks and didn't write a blog.  I apologize for that, I was truly being lazy!  Anyways I am going to talk about proper training techniques for dogs and puppies.  I know there are a lot of people that like watching Caesar Milan and think he is the be all end all with dog training, but I have to disagree on a lot of points.  First of all it helps to understand a little bit about how dogs view the world.

Think of our canine companions as a mix between wolves and toddlers.  They are as intelligent as a 2 year old, but can be a 2 year old with a hunting knife!  Decedents of wolves have been co-habitating with humans for a minimum of 12,000 years and some recent DNA research puts that time frame closer to 135,000 years!  In the beginning dogs helped with protection, hunting, and keeping us warm.  In return we shared scraps and affection. In today's world dogs rely on us for all aspects of their care just like young children do.  They look to us for security and for companionship, yet they are our protectors and our best friends.  It is important to understand how a dog thinks and sees the world in order to help them fit into our mold of an ideal canine companion.

In the past many training techniques focused on negative reinforcement and fear as a motivator.  This training method hinders the full potential of the canine-human bond.  The dominance based training methods of the past are continually being proven to be inferior to newer training methods.  This goes contrary to how many people think.  Doesn't the alpha wolf dominate the rest of the pack?  Don't the submissive dogs roll on their backs and look away?  The answer is in a very few circumstances they do, but most of the time the alpha leaders (male and female) of the pack are respected and benevolent leaders.  An alpha wolf does not have to bully the pack to assert his dominance.  Instead he leads by taking care of the pack first with confidence and wisdom.  So why then do many trainers still insist that we dominate our dogs?

If we look at our dogs as children in fur coats then the idea of teaching with correction and dominance begin to make even less sense.  Ask any mother of a two year old and they will tell you that redirection is a far more effective method of keeping everyone happy than trying to constantly reprimand them.   I've had many arguments with my husband on this topic when our oldest was in her 1's and 2's and he finally had to agree that a 2 year old just doesn't have the mental capacity to understand a lot of things and it is much easier to substitute or distract than it is to yell and fuss and punish.  Dogs are very similar.

The training methods of behaviorists like Ian Dunbar believe in a more hands-off, reward based system.  This system promotes confidence in the human and the dog as well as building a bond of trust rather than a bond based on fear.  Second these training methods are safe, easy, and fun to use for the average pet owner.  Dominance based methods are much more likely to get someone bit or create a more aggressive and fearful dog. 

How to make a friendly dog:  If you obtain your puppy at 8 weeks of age, it isn't too young to start training.  In fact by doing so at such a young age you are more likely to have a happy, friendly well adjusted canine companion.   The socialization window for dogs ends by about 12 weeks of age.  Begin by introducing your new puppy to at least four new people each day.  Pick people of all different shapes, sizes, ages, gender, etc.  The more people your puppy is exposed to the more people he will be willing to accept as "normal".   Hand feeding your puppy during the socialization exercises will help your puppy to associate strangers with good things.  If your adopt your puppy or dog after a few months of age then you may have to proceed a little slower.  She may already be nervous around new situations.  Make each interaction a positive experience and don't push her beyond her endurance.  Only feed your dog during these social interactions.  This is meal time and she will learn that strangers are a part of this. 

Language of dogs:  Despite the fact that many people believe their dogs completely understand them, this is not the case.  Dogs are capable of learning some of our words, but they are even more capable of reading our body language, odors, and voice tones.  Because of this it seems like they understand us when we talk to them.  When creating command words for dogs it is important to me consistent and use simple words.  Telling a dog to "Stop"  or "No" is much better than "No! No! Buddy don't do that, bad dog!"  Your dog will understand the few words and tone, but nothing in between and the rest may just confuse him.  Pick simple words like "Yes" or "Good" when your dogs does what you want, "Oops"  or "Nay" to mean that your dog didn't quite get it right, and "Stop"  or "No" for a true forbidden activity such as peeing on the carpet, of chewing the baby's toy.  Overuse of the "No" command words makes them less effective, just like with children.  Having the "Oops" command lets the dog know that they didn't do what you wanted, but they aren't in trouble and didn't break any serious rules.  It keeps the tone positive and keeps the dog more willing to continue to try and get it right.

House-Training:  Most dogs can not hold their bladder for six hours until they are at least six months of age.  The first step to successful house training is to introduce your dog to a crate.  Crates are a useful tool and can become your dog's safe haven when he wants to be left alone.  Crates only become cruel when a dog is left in one 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Whenever you are not keeping your eyes directly on the puppy he should be in his crate.  The crate needs to be small enough so the puppy doesn't feel he can eliminate on one side and still sleep on the other.  You need to take your puppy out at LEAST 6 times a day and especially after eating or drinking.  Pick a particular spot outside to use as the "elimination" area.  Take your puppy out on a leash (even if you have a fenced in back yard).  Don't distract your puppy with talk or play.  Bring him to the spot and use a command such as "Go potty".  Praise him profusely when he does go.  Then have some outdoor playtime.  If you immediately bring him back into the house he will be more likely to waste time to avoid having to go directly back into the house. If your puppy has an accident in the house it is YOUR FAULT.  YOU are responsible for watching your puppy and looking for signs that he needs to eliminate.  If you catch him in the act, a firm "No", pick him up and take him immediately outside to the elimination spot.  Praise him if he finishes going.  If you find an accident in the house then just sigh and clean it up.  Rubbing his nose in it teaches the puppy nothing.  If you can't watch the puppy put him in his crate or in a play area where he can't ruin anything if he has an accident.

 Chewing:  Puppies and some dogs like to chew.  Their mouths are a very important part of they ability to sense the world around them.  Also young puppies, even up to a year of age are still cutting their teeth and chewing helps to alleviate some of the discomfort.  Teach your puppy which toys are acceptable to chew on by putting part of their daily dry kibble inside a kong treat or other hallow treat.  Place these in the basket or area where his other toys are kept.  When you find him chewing on something that is not allowed make a trade.  Don't just take it away and tell him no.  Tell him "No!" and then give him a toy so you can tell him "Yes!"  If your puppy is chewing on you then you can let out a yelp and freeze for a few seconds.  Your puppy will likely become apologetic.  Forgive him and continue to play, possibly using other toys that he can bite harder on.

There are a lot of excellent resources to help you, help your canine family member fit in well with your family.  Patience, compassion, consistency, and understanding your dog will go a long way.

Diabetes in Cats

I am currently managing several feline patients with diabetes so I thought that would be an appropriate topic to write about this week.  Much of this information can also apply to dogs, but I will focus on the disease in cats. So what is diabetes?  There are technically two types, diabetes insipidus and diabetes mellitus. Diabetes insipudus is a disease where the animal is unable to concentrate urine and not the topic of today.  I am going to discuss diabetes mellitus.

Diabetes mellitus is a disease where the body is unable to regulate blood sugar.  First of all it is important to understand how a normal cat regulates their glucose. Glucose is the energy source for all cells in the body.  When a cat eats a meal it is digested in the GI tract and the food broken down into it's basic parts of amino acids, fats, and sugars.  The liver then plays a further role in breaking down fats into usable glucose.  As glucose levels increase in the blood this triggers the pancreas to release insulin.  Insulin is the "key" that opens the cell door to allow glucose in.  Without this key the glucose can not enter the cell and the cell will not get any energy.  It is like being in the middle of the ocean, but not having any water to drink.  Most cat's suffer from Type II diabetes where the body may produce enough insulin, but no longer knows how to use it properly.
Because cats are not pack animals, they will hide illness until they are no longer able to.  This makes early detection difficult, even with the most astute owner.  Diabetes occurs in 1 out of 400 cats, but is becoming more common due to rampant obesity in companion animals.  Neutered male cats are twice as likely to develop diabetes than females, but cats weighing over 15 lbs and over the age of 10 are at  the greatest risk of developing diabetes.  Many experts also believe that a high carbohydrate diet predisposes cats to diabetes.  All dry foods and a majority of canned food contain a much higher percent of carbohydrate than cats need.  Once a cat develops diabetes this definitely plays a role in controlling the disease.
Regular check-ups every six months as well as screening bloodwork can be a very good way to detect the disease early.  The earlier the disease is diagnosed the more easily it is controlled.  Common signs that people first notice in a diabetic cat are increased drinking, increased urination, and weight loss despite a good appetite.  In more advanced stages weakness, wobbly gate, vomiting, anorexia are the common signs.
Diabetes is actually fairly easy to diagnose.  A small drop of blood to check glucose level will rule diabetes out if it is normal.  A blood glucose level above 200 mg/dl is a strong indication that the cat is diabetic.  Stress or a recent meal can falsely elevate glucose so a urinalysis or fructosamine level will need to be done to confirm the diagnosis.
If the diagnosis is made early enough many cats can be controlled by feeding a low carb diet.  Eventually about 70% of cats will need insulin to control the diabetes.  There are oral medications for humans to control diabetes, but most cat owners find it much more difficult to give a cat a pill than an injection.  Also the oral medications tend to be much less effective in controlling the diabetes and may promote further pancreatic cell damage.

Diets that are low in carbs, meaning less than 7% carbs, are difficult to find.  Purina DM canned is the only prescription diet that is available that has <7% carbs.  Janet& Binky'sCat Food Nutritional Information Page is a good resource for over the counter diets that are low carb.  You can't go by what the guaranteed analysis of a can says because they count water content so I recommend picking something off the list or calling the company and asking what percent of carbs are in the food on a dry matter basis.  Water intake is also a critical component to feline health, especially in sick cats.  For the last 10-15 years veterinarians have been preaching how important it is to feed your cat dry food for dental health, when in fact there are only a very few dry foods that actually do any cleaning of their teeth.  Dry foods are very high in carbs and low in water content.  We are now seeing other health issues such as renal disease, urinary tract disease, and diabetes that may be due to these dry diets.  So should all cats be fed canned food?  I honestly don't know, but more and more research is coming out to support the belief that they should.
OK back to the subject of diabetes.  Switching your cat to a low carb diet is a very important part of managing diabetes.  If your cat is already on insulin it is VERY important to note that he may suddenly no longer require as much insulin or any at all once switched.  Many cats can go into an insulin seizure or coma from getting the same dose of insulin they have been getting for months or years once switched to a low carb diet.  Careful glucose monitoring is critical to prevent this.  If your cat is newly diagnosed then many vets will start them on a low carb diet before insulin is started to see if the disease can be managed that way.  Regular insulin checks and close monitoring of water intake and urinary output are necessary to be able to quickly realize when diet control are no longer adequate and insulin will be needed.
Insulin therapy is often instantly rejected by many clients as an option.  People fear to give their cat injections once or twice a day and are afraid they will stress out or hurt their cat too much.  In fact I find it much easier to give a cat a subcutaneous injection than to pop pills down their throat.  With proper instruction most people can learn to administer these tiny injections.  Especially of done while the cat is eating or relaxed they often don't even seem to notice the shot.  Don't reject insulin therapy out of hand.  Worst case scenario is you try it and you can't do it.  Don't euthanize your diabetic cat without at least giving it an honest try.
Monitoring a diabetic is very important.  Once you are good at giving your cat insulin injections, learning how to prick their ear for a small blood sample to check glucose levels is an easy step.  This is the best way to monitor glucose.  A glucose curve is a very important test to see how your cat's body responds to the insulin injections.  This is a test where blood glucose levels are checked every 2 hours for a 12-16 hour period.  Taking your cat to the vet hospital to stay the day for this test is unlikely to give very accurate results due to the stress involved.  Being able to perform this test at home give a much better indication of the true effectiveness of the treatment.
Diabetes is a manageable disease that does not have to shorten your cat's life expectancy or overtly affect his quality of life.  Diabetes left untreated is a completely different story.  Uncontrolled high blood glucose levels lead to repeated urinary tract infections, kidney damage, neurological effects (weakness, dementia, seizures, coma), cataracts (more common in dogs), liver damage, dehydration, infection, and eventually death.