Begin to really watch for signs of labour on day 57, and arrange for your bitch to have an ultrasound that day if your vet has the equipment necessary to do this. Ultrasounds are very useful to determine the size of the pups just prior to delivery day.

Temperature-taking at least twice a day, 12 hours apart, is necessary starting on the 57th day. If your vet is not on call evenings, weekends or holidays, take a dry run to the nearest emergency clinic. Make sure your car is full of gas and ready at all times. If an emergency visit is needed, take your puppy box, blankets and a hot water bottle, and your bitch can ride in her crate.

Be sure to have all your supplies ready before whelping. I prefer a cardboard box beside my bed, which the bitch is introduced to a few days before the due date. For Toy breeds I use a heavy box with handles (the kind used for transporting fruit is my favourite) and I use clothes pegs to clip a blanket around the box to simulate a cave. One side of the box is lower so the bitch can come out.

Have a board cut the exact size of the box so you can wrap a blanket around it and underneath. Test out a heating pad on low to put into one corner of the box, wrapped in a pillowcase and hemmed to the blanket in the box, so pups do not crawl underneath it. Leave the heat on low for first three weeks, depending on room temperature, then at night for the next week or two.

Some say that the bitch’s milk will come down faster if her stomach is massaged for three days prior to labour, but I have not tried this. An oxytocin shot from the vet is helpful for milk. If a Caesarian section is necessary, milk does not always come down right away. Have a supply of puppy formula on hand, as well as syringes or pet nursers.

My rule for feeding mother is one meal per pup plus one meal for herself per day. I like to give her warm diluted goat’s milk for about three weeks after whelping, then graduate to water. Canned organic pumpkin (available in grocery stores) is useful for cases of loose stools; add just about one-half teaspoon to the bitch’s food.

For bathroom duties, a potty pen works very well for me. A small pen set up in my sunroom with piddle pads is helpful for nighttime.

Be prepared for lack of sleep for about the first week. You will learn to catnap afternoons when pups are sleeping. A helper to tend to your other dogs during this time is very useful. I start weaning my pups around 3-1/2 weeks.

Handle the puppies frequently and enjoy every minute of having them. When you are exhibiting your own homebred dog in the Bred By Exhibitor class, you’ll find it so rewarding that you’ll forget about the stress you encountered. Good luck, it is all worth it!

For most people, the world of dog shows is characterized by the brightly lit, televised events such as Westminster and Crufts. On the lush carpets of these ultimate shows, Standard Poodles are always perfectly groomed, Doberman Pinschers hit every pose perfectly and Salukis gait gracefully around the ring. It all looks so effortless, but don’t let that fool you. There’s a professional team putting hours, days and even years of effort into many of those perfect-looking dogs.

A professional handler is just as the name implies – an individual whose job it is to handle show dogs. While the expert guidance of a professional handler is noticeable in the show ring, hours and hours of grooming and training ‘behind the scenes’ also go into making a top show dog. Considering the amount of work involved in campaigning a top dog, more and more owners are opting to call in a professional.

A puppy is usually sent to live with a handler when it’s old enough to be shown. The handler will train the dog, then start showing it. Professional handlers attend a show every weekend for most of the year. How long the dog stays with the handler is dependent on the dog and the dog’s owner. Some dogs stay only long enough to earn their championship and return home after only a few weeks or months on the road. Dogs that have potential for big wins are ‘campaigned.’

A campaigned dog will go on the road with the handler to be shown as a Special and collect Best of Breed, group and Best in Show wins. The goal of campaigning a dog is to collect enough points to be the top dog in its breed, group or even of all breeds in the country. (A victory at the more prestigious shows, such as Westminster, will gain a dog instant celebrity.) While a champion needs 10 points, a dog being actively campaigned can acquire thousands of points. And while there is the occasional owner/handler who is able to take their dog to that level, the amount of time, effort and practice required, usually calls for a professional’s touch.

Allison Alexander is one of Canada’s top handlers. She began showing as a junior, at the age of seven, and started apprenticing with other handlers at 12. She has since made a name for herself, both here and in the U.S., having won countless Best in Shows, shown multiple dogs to Top Dog status, and successfully competed at Westminster. Allison has about 15 dogs with her at an average show, and a staff of six (three full-time, three part-time). The breeds she currently has on the road with her include Salukis, American Cocker Spaniels, Doberman Pinschers, Great Pyrenees, Toy Poodles, Standard Poodles and a Norwich Terrier.

The dogs travel with her in a custom-made cube van, which takes about two hours to load and unload. A day in the life of a professional handler starts early. Allison arrives at the venue when the doors open at 6 a.m., at which time all the dogs are exercised. After they’ve been out, the dogs have their beds tidied, their water changed and are fed breakfast. Then Allison meets with her assistants, apprentices and ‘groomers’ to go over the day’s schedule and check for conflicts (such as two dogs in the ring at the same time). If there’s a conflict, Allison shows the dog whose owner has been her client the longest; the other dog is handled by one of her assistants. The dogs are all groomed in the morning so they look perfect when it comes time to step into the show ring. Allison does most of the trimming herself, while other members of her team handle the bathing and drying. The time it takes to groom depends on the breed – for example, a Standard Poodle takes about two hours to be “show ready” (plus three hours of prep time at home), where­as a Doberman or a Saluki just needs to be washed and dried.

As each dog’s show time approaches, it will receive grooming touch-ups. Some dogs win and continue showing (in which case they are freshened up before each turn in the ring); others lose and are done for the day. As the dogs finish, they are exercised again and fed. When the last dog has been shown, exercised and fed and all the clients have been updated, Allison and her team break for dinner. After dinner she returns to work, to exercise the dogs one last time before bed, do some extra work on the dogs that need it, and finally return to the hotel to get the rest she needs in order to do it all again the next day.

While much of the success of a show dog has to do with how well the dog conforms to its breed standard, volumes can be said about presentation, and this is where a professional handler outshines the competition. It is vital that both the dog and handler make a good impression. The dog should be immaculately groomed and the handler should look sharp and put together. But finding the right balance of looking good and not overshadowing the dog is hard to strike; after all, you want the dog to be remembered, not the handler.

“Personal appearance is very important. You want to look professional and make a good first impression, and not distract from the dogs you’re showing,” offers Allison. Because a handler is out at the shows every weekend, not only do they become extremely skilled at their trade, they are able to pick up on the likes and dislikes of the judges they come across often, and alter their handling techniques slightly to cater to specific judges. On that subject, Allison comments, “You try to remember the judges who don’t like you using bait, or want the dogs moved at a slower pace than others.”

The business of professional handling is a competitive one, but it is also very rewarding. When asked her favourite part of the job Allison muses, “I love working with beautiful animals and travelling.” I’m sure receiving trophies for every career accomplishment doesn’t hurt either, even if she doesn’t get to keep them.

This year, for the first time, the gala will be held on the east coast, in Halifax on September 3. CPHA President Allison Foley explains that “there were finally enough CPHA members in the area to pull it off; also, there was local interest to have it here.”

It seems that the east coast is determined to make this a particularly memorable night, “This year is special as it is held in such a gorgeous venue, Pier 21 [Canada’s Immigration Museum] – nearly all of us have ancestors who passed through that spot. Also, this is the first year the dinner has not only been an awards dinner, but we are trying to raise money for a charity, the Dog Legislation Council of Canada,” explains Foley.

No matter where the event is held, traditions are upheld. Foley explains, “My favorite part is the PowerPoint [presentation] that Shannon Scheer and others have added to each year: photos of past winners, old friends, the dearly departed and some funny moments. Makes me laugh and cry all at the same time!”

But the event is also about honouring the legends of the dog show world. When asked what the highlight of each gala is for him, CKC Zone 4 Director Richard Paquette said, “The Lifetime Achievement Award. It’s given each year, obviously to individuals who have made a significant Lifetime contribution to purebred dogs and the Canadian dog fancy. The winners over the years have been the cream of the crop of the Canadian dog culture.” This year’s honourees are Eleanor and Harold Foley (Elharlen Reg’d), longtime Boxer breeders whose influence has spread across the dog world.

In 2009, an affable Bernese Mountain Dog emerged as the Top Dog in Canada. ‘Ty’ – GCh. Avatars Try Try Again – and his breeder/owner/handler Kim Groves spent 2009 battling to be the best. Awards and accolades are great, but being rewarded by your peers is extra-special, “It is a great feeling to know you are well respected by your peers,” says Groves.

While the elite members of the dog world celebrate, will the dogs themselves be present? “Ty is coming to Halifax with us, [but] he will be most likely sleeping on his back in the hotel while we are celebrating,” admits Groves. Such is the sweet life of a champion.

The test consists of 12 exercises meant to reflect real-life situations. During the test, you can talk to your dog, repeat commands and if you see your dog is about to make a mistake, like jumping up to greet the evaluator, you can tell him not to.

The test is really like taking your dog out for a walk on a busy street. Exercise number 12, for example, demonstrates a dog’s response to handler commands as well as the handler’s ability to control his dog at a door or gate. Other exercises reflect common everyday occurrences during a walk – such as exercise five (Walking Through a Crowd) and exercise two (Politely Accepts Petting).

Have you ever walked your dog past a jogger, or a door that suddenly opened when you approached? Exercise 10 (Reaction to Distractions) demonstrates that your dog is confident when faced with that kind of visual or auditory distraction. Other aspects of the test involve such everyday considerations as being able to leave your dog in the care of another adult, and your dog reacting appropriately to other dogs it encounters.

Although dogs have to show they are trained and can follow commands, they don’t have to be perfect. Obedience trials are for perfection and performance. Canine Good Neighbour is about everyday living with dogs. Flexibility and communication between dog and owner should be taken into account by any evaluator.

The CKC started the Canine Good Neighbour program in 2002 in response to growing anti-dog legislation and the public misperception that all dogs are dangerous. The program has been growing steadily since then and with the addition of the CKC’s RDog (Responsible Dog Owner Groups) initiative, the push to have well-behaved dogs recognized by the community at large is growing in strength and organization.

In 2009, 1,579 Canine Good Neighbour certificates were awarded – 938 to purebreds and 641 to unregistered or mixed-breed dogs. The Canine Good Neighbour program is becoming more widely recognized as an important part of dog ownership. The next step is to follow the lead of some areas in the United States that have reduced licence fees for Canine Good Citizens, the American equivalent of CGN.

As society becomes more restrictive and less tolerant, it is more important than ever for our shared comfort and safety that we teach our dogs how to behave properly. Dogs learn canine communication and appropriate behaviour – such as sniffing rear ends and how to play-wrestle – from their mothers and other dogs. But dogs need our guidance and training to learn how to behave appropriately in a human environment. Basic good manners are necessary for dogs to live comfortably in our midst and if every owner taught their dog enough to pass a Canine Good Neighbour test, there would be a lot less irresponsible anti-dog media hype and fewer restrictive laws.
A CGN dog and owner team can walk down a busy street without really being noticed. This is a two-edged sword because the noticeable dogs are the ones that cause a problem and the well-behaved ones are part of the landscape. A CGN evaluation pays attention and rewards the people who spend the time to teach their dogs appropriate manners.

When your dog passes the CGN test, he’ll receive the CGN title and a certificate to acknowledge his success.

Some owners question the logic in treating a dog with cancer. One aspect is costs, which can be substantial with medication and ongoing testing. The availability of technology puts owners in the dilemma of having to say goodbye or enduring costly, often futile, treatments. Being unable to afford the care can be stressful on the owners and clouds the decision-making ability.

But, in between doing nothing and doing everything, is palliative care – supportive and compassionate medical care.

Palliative care has become popular because most owners want their pet to have as many happy, pain-free days as possible. If a dog is in unrelenting pain that can’t be ameliorated, euthanasia may be considered. But, maintaining quality of life allows us to buy more time. This time together can be very valuable and, in many cases, allows owners to face the final decision.

Looking at how a dog thinks can often help guide what to do. When a dog is diagnosed with cancer, owners often get depressed, fearing a future time when they might lose their friend. The dog, on the other hand, does not know he has cancer. He doesn’t think, “I’m going to get sick and die.” Instead, he lives for today and doesn’t think about what tomorrow may bring.

When we treat cancer, we must look at what we are putting our dogs through. A dog cannot comprehend being sick for a few days and then getting better. All he knows is that he is ill now.

When cancer is diagnosed, the first thing you need is information. You need to know what to expect and what can be done. Your veterinarian can help by explaining what is going on.

Every cancer creates specific symptoms. Bone cancer in a leg causes pain so the dog becomes lame. Tumours in the spleen may bleed and cause weakness from anemia. A growth in the brain could trigger seizures. A mast cell tumour releases histamine, triggering a buildup of stomach acid that causes ulcers and vomiting.

The goal of palliative therapy is to control these symptoms. But, as you can see, one treatment is not going to help every dog with cancer. Each type needs to be addressed differently.

Pain control is a major thrust of palliative therapy. Veterinarians often use non-steroidal anti-inflam-matory drugs (NSAIDs). Interestingly, besides con-trolling pain, the NSAID piroxicam also has anti-tumour effects. It has proven efficacy in the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma in the mouth and transitional cell carcinoma in the bladder.

For bone tumours, piroxicam is too weak to provide enough analgesia. It is often replaced by drugs such as Metacam®, or combined with tramadol or gabapentin.

If pain becomes intractable, opioids such as morphine or fentanyl can be used in the short term. These are not suitable for long-term use. If needed for more than a dose or two, the dog’s quality of life must be assessed.

Steroids are a mainstay with lymphoma and mast cell tumours. They provide immediate relief from inflammation and edema surrounding the tumour, but they also have a direct toxic effect on the tumour cells.

The thing to remember is that it’s not just pain that causes suffering with cancer. A dog can be just as distressed, if not more so, from difficulty breathing because of lung problems, or being unable to get up due to weakness or paralysis. Specific medications may be indicated to control these symptoms.

Sometimes, regimes used for cancer treatment can be used for palliation.

Chemotherapy can slow the growth of fast-growing tumours. Radiation routinely used after surgery to kill any remaining microscopic disease can also be used for palliation. In this situation, bone tumours, mast cell tumours and soft tissue sarcomas can be treated weekly to provide short-term relief of pain, discharge and swelling.

Blood transfusions can help dogs suffering from anemia. This can benefit dogs with tumours bleeding into the abdomen, or those with kidney cancer.

Alternative treatment also plays a role in palliation. Acupuncture can be used to decrease pain in dogs with bone cancer. Herbs can be used to slow cancer growth and reduce symptoms of the cancer itself, or the symptoms generated by treatment.

Before embarking on a treatment or palliative plan for your dog with cancer, decide where you are going before you start. Make sure your expectations match what is going to happen. This helps you resolve dilemmas as you go through treatment and keeps the focus on what you are trying to do – keep your friend pain-free and as comfortable as possible.

Hilmayer acquired her first dog through an advertisement in the local paper. She didn’t know much about dogs, only that her kids wanted one. What she ended up with was a black Lab named ‘Chester’ with a bad attitude and a need for training. She enrolled in obedience classes and took him to competition level, but he didn’t go far. “He couldn’t do the Stand [for Examination] exercise,” Hilmayer recalls. “He wouldn’t tolerate people reaching for him.”

Bitten by the obedience bug, Hilmayer continued training and competing with subsequent dogs. She adopted Levi in 2007 after he was returned to his breeder by owners who no longer wanted him. “I originally thought he was too old,” Hilmayer explains, “but he had the attention and drive I was looking for.” As it turned out, Levi was a brilliant strategist who could get into or out of anything. “I thought I’d just have to put some obedience on him,” Hilmayer recalls, but the dog, who had been kennelled for the better part of his life, had other plans. “He just felt he had to live life to the fullest whenever he got out,” Hilmayer explains.

So she started with the basics and, with plenty of patience and consis-tency, he began to make progress. Every morsel of food Levi ate came directly from Hilmayer’s hand for the first few months as she focused on developing a bond and getting him to pay attention to her. In five month’s time, Levi had settled into his new life and within two years they began to compete. It didn’t take him long to make his mark, and at the 2009 HIT of HITs Levi took the Novice class.

The HIT of HITs obedience competition is hosted every spring by Ottawa’s Bytown Dog Obedience Club. Teams with a Canadian High in Trial score of at least 195 out of a possible 200 in Novice or Open, or 193 in Utility, are invited to compete. Winners in each of the three classes compete for the title of Grand Winner. Hilmayer is no stranger to the HIT of HITs – she and Passion won the grand prize in 2005, came second in Novice in 2006, took top honours again in 2007, 2008 and 2009, and won Open in 2010. But Passion, like Levi, wasn’t always a star.

Passion first caught the eye of Hilmayer’s husband, Jerry Burke, in 2002 while he was teaching an obedience class at the couple’s school, Competitor Dog Training, in Stevensville, Ont. “He recognized her potential and knew she would be a good working dog,” Hilmayer recalls. But Passion’s home life wasn’t so rosy. When her original owner returned her, stating she was unsatisfactory, Hilmayer and Burke immediately contacted the breeder to see if they could have her.

To say that Passion had a lot of issues when the couple brought her home at 16 months of age is an understatement. After three months, Burke was convinced that his wife was in over her head. But Hilmayer’s confidence never wavered. “I had entered her in a tracking trial before we even got her,” she says. As she had done with Levi, she kept Passion tethered to her in the house and worked at building the dog’s confidence. “She was worse than I’d thought she would be,” Hilmayer says, “but she tried hard and her good breeding came out eventually.”

Passion showed potential from the start, and five weeks after arriving she earned her CKC Tracking Dog title. She went on to earn her CD in one weekend with four first-place finishes and placed High in Trial in three of the four trials. “She just excelled at everything – agility, tracking, obedience,” recalls Hilmayer, who says that adopting rescued or re-homed dogs is near and dear to her heart. “Getting an older dog means you can go right to work. You don’t have to wait for the dog to develop, or go through any of that puppy business,” she explains. “Breeders should know that if a returned dog is placed in the right home, it can excel.”

For Passion, who turned nine in May, this will likely be her last year of competition. Hilmayer hopes she’ll go out with a bang and, after winning High in Trial at 11 of the first 13 trials she competed at this year, she’s showing no sign of slowing down. “No other dog in Canada has accomplished what Passion has,” Hilmayer says. “I know I’ll never get another dog like her.”

There is also good agreement that, between the socialization mandate and training, puppies are time-intensive, to the point that people with jobs outside the home are encouraged to get adult dogs. Couple this with the desire to save a life, and the net effect is a lot of conscientious people with adult dogs from shelters and rescue groups.

So, what’s the deal on socialization now? Do you need to maintain it? What if you’ve adopted and your new dog is shy or skittish – or defensive – around people? Is it a lost cause? If not, what can you do?

Most dogs that are shy around new people, and even those that are specifically hand-shy – head-ducking when reached for – are the way they are through errors of omission rather than commission. Fearfulness is a genetic default setting in animals that has been shaped over eons, and that domestication has softened but not eliminated. Erring on the side of avoiding new things served the ancestors of all dogs very well. We can push back against fearfulness in two ways: genetics and environment. If we cease pushing back, default fearfulness will re-emerge, which is why shyness and fear-aggression is so prevalent. So, while it’s possible a shy dog has had traumatic experiences, such a history is far from necessary to produce fear. In fact, this is why socialization of puppies is such a high-priority endeavour.

When you bring a new dog home, don’t take it for granted that he will be friendly to all people, even if he took to you on your first meeting. Socialization is specific: dogs that are comfortable around adults are not necessarily well-socialized to children, and dogs that like women won’t necessarily like men. So gather intell while playing it safe around new people.

The rule is this: nobody should reach for or touch your dog if your dog hasn’t moseyed up to them first. This is called “pro-social” behaviour, and is in contrast to anti-social behaviour (fight or flight), and the less-obvious “asocial” behaviour, which is a dog giving you no read: no wagging and approaching, but no fight or flight either. Still waters running deep. Be careful.

If your new rescue dog is pro-social to all groups, first celebrate – this is quite glorious. Second, think maintenance. Get him out regularly and avoid bad experiences. Some dogs do “de-socialize” if they are allowed to get rusty. And a really bad experience – think a self-proclaimed expert alpha-rolling your new pet – can create a lifelong fear in an instant.

If he’s not pro-social to all groups, then the fight-flight-still-waters details come into play. If he’s frankly aggressive, don’t despair, as this is no longer a death sentence. But you do need professional help, so engage a competent trainer or veterinary behaviourist to get you on a therapeutic regime. Professional help is also a good option if he’s an avoider rather an offence-as-defence dog. But because the moral and legal stakes are not so high here, DIY training is an option.

The technique of choice is classical conditioning, or Pavlov’s Dog: associate the presence of people with incredible snacks, something the dog never, ever gets except when strangers are around. Shoot for a 1:1 ratio between strangers and the super-high-value treat. Maintaining a 1:1 ratio means not missing opportunities, and this is the hard bit.

However well-intentioned you are, and however much you understand classical conditioning in theory, you need a practical system to ensure you’re always armed with diced chicken or pecorino Romano cheese when there’s a situation where the dog might encounter strangers. I favour pre-preparing zip-lock bags full of ‘ammo’ and keeping some in the fridge and some in the freezer so you’re never caught without. You could also have freeze-dried liver or dried chicken strips in a bag that lives with the poop pickup bags or the leash, as a backup plan. It’s that important to be armed all the time.

You can also do Pavlov’s Dog with asocial dogs. With these pets, there’s an extra task, and that is being a line of defence between well-meaning strangers and your dog, who looks innocuous as he’s not fighting or fleeing. If anyone makes a move to reach for or touch your asocial dog, slow them down, which sometimes takes a bit of doing. People are notorious about thinking they are “good with dogs” and may ignore your instructions. The worst-case scenario if you don’t keep a self-proclaimed dog whisperer at bay is a reach forcing your uncomfortable dog to react aggressively, which will indeed work like a charm to back the person off. And so he learns in one trial that offence does work as defence. Much better if you keep the person at bay, tossing or hand-feeding treats with-out any attempts at patting. If your dog wants contact with the person, he’ll vote with his feet.

All dogs have the right to say No and we want them doing this without their teeth. To keep your dog on the road to be-lieving the world is in fact a safe place, prove to him that peo-ple don’t make contact unless he initiates it. Empower him to have the choice.

I’m rather a fan of confidence-building activities. One is re-ward-based training. Even if he’s a model dog and doesn’t need training, train him anyway. Enroll in a non-force-method obedience course, or a tricks class. Or get hold of one of the wonderful, accessible books on clicker training, such as Karen Pryor’s and shape tricks in your living room. It doesn’t matter if you’re not much of a trainer, as we’re after the process of training here, rather than the product.

Another activity I like is playing with the dog using his toys. If he doesn’t seem to be much of a fetcher or tugger on the face of it, don’t give up. Persevere at trying to engage him. Finally, work-to-eat endeavours are excellent for behavioural wellness (which is part of the benefit of reward-based training). A huge variety of sophisticated puzzle toys now exists that can accommodate part or even all of his daily meal ration. Dogs are descended from wolves, which are consummate problem-solving predators, and free food in a bowl is against the grain.

With good management, which means protecting them from those pushy people, shy dogs tend to continue making gradual improvements over the course of their lives. With classical conditioning treatment, the pace is accelerated and the best outcome is a dog that actively likes strangers rather than tolerates them.

When she was 13, Bon’s mobility became too limited to allow her to accompany me and the other dogs on our long treks. Though I was joined by five-year-old ‘Roxanne’ and adolescent ‘Fracas,’ I missed Bon’s wisdom and the beauty and mystery of that human-canine consultation. Roxanne, our frenetic little field girl and problem-child, showed no sign of stepping up to fill the role. She was too busy taking her many side-trips, which often left me calling, waiting and frustrated that her OTCh. was not evident in the bush.

In late December, just days after her 15th birthday, Bon told us that she wanted to leave. We helped her do that and since then have tried to adjust to the gaping hole left in our lives. Of course, we anticipated how we would miss her. What took us by surprise was the impact Bon’s absence had on Roxanne, with whom there had never been any apparent closeness. But little Rox suffered, withdrawn and morose in the house, appearing to lack the compass that, unknown to us, had guided her through her days.

A few days after New Year’s, still immersed in grief, I was skiing with Fracas at my side as always, and Roxanne missing on a side-trip despite my calls. As I approached a fork in the trail, my heart caught in my throat. Like a phantom seen through the thickly swirling snow ahead… Bonnie. The posture was identical – alert, ears forward and tail up, body facing the direction she recommended, but over her shoulder making direct contact with me, eyes wise, inquiring, consultative. But it was Roxanne, assuming a posture I’d never seen from her before, and a role she’d never played previously. She has now made it her own. Roxanne has stepped up and each time she does, it feels to me that for a brief moment, we share a visceral wash of memory, loss and love. We bless our Bon and together with Fracas, trek on.

Well, I’m sure we all have our own ideas, but I assume most of us are looking for high-energy dogs with the will to work, an eagerness to learn, a tolerance for their handlers’ mistakes and the ability to do multiple trials without getting tired of the game or too creative with their performances. And if at the same time they could refrain from destroying their owners’ abodes should they not get a two-hour run before their owner goes to work in the morning, this would be greatly appreciated.

Should anyone find a breeder who produces these paragons, would they please give me a call?

My definition might be a bit exaggerated, but I think this is what most people think they want when they talk about performance dogs. But there are other factors to consider, most importantly, what style of dog suits you?

Are you a high-drive person? Will you be able to tone down a wild child when necessary (for example, the Stays) or will the two of you just bounce off the walls together? Are you a soft gentle soul? Will you be able to impose your will on ‘Raging Bull’ or convince ‘Run-away Train’ that he wants what you want?

If you pick a breed known for high energy and high drive, don’t forget to take a look at the other breed characteristics that go along with this type of dog, particularly the temperament. You don’t want a dog that’s too dominant, too strong, too protective or too independent for you. We have all seen handlers who have too much dog. There is no benefit to owning a dog with all that willpower if you can’t deal with it.

It’s not only in obedience that high-energy dogs are in demand. In the conformation world, many breeders are trying to produce a more energetic dog. If you want to Special a dog (continue to show him after he’s a champion), you want a showing machine that loves to strut his stuff. But not all breeds are supposed to have that type of temperament, and sometimes, if you breed for a lot of energy you get other, related, undesirable characteristics, such as an edgy temperament, dog aggression, even people aggression. So be careful; research your breeder and his line thoroughly.

Soft dogs can also have energy. If your training methods suit this type of temperament, you might be better off with a softie. Willingness to please can be found in both tough and soft dogs, and is a much-sought-after characteristic. (Unfortunately it does not seem to be readily identifiable in seven- or eight-week-old pups, or we would all have a GMOTCh.)

Be honest with yourself about your training abilities and the methods you use, and try to pick a puppy that will match with you. Look for an honest breeder with a line that does well in obedience (if possible). Although puppy testing can be helpful in determining a puppy’s general character, so far no one (that I know of) has come up with a foolproof top performer test. Experienced breeders are often the best judges of their puppies’ potential, so listen to their advice.

Sometimes we are lucky and we find the perfect dog for our personality and training ability. But what is perfect for one person may be ‘Disaster Dog’ for another. So don’t feel too envious when you see the perfect dog at the end of someone else’s leash. Yes, they were lucky to find the right dog, but you can bet they had to work really hard and do a good job in order to bring out the best in that dog.

You, too, can aim to bring out the best in whatever dog you end up with. It might not be your dog of a lifetime, but we learn from all our dogs. So, yes, go looking for your ‘performance dog.’ But, as the saying goes, be careful what you wish for.

“Positive doesn’t mean permissive.” That statement is a powerful message and one that all dog owners can relate to. Positive means helpful and constructive; a positive response from an owner to his dog means that the dog will receive something pleasurable after he does the desired behaviour, which in turn will increase the likelihood of the behaviour reoccurring. It sounds simple – the more you give your dog positive feedback for what you want, the more likely it is he’ll repeat the behaviour.

Permissive is not the same at all. “Permissive” implies something far more tolerant and liberal. When dog owners become permissive with their pets, they allow their dogs behaviours with no guidelines, which is when problems can arise.
Rewarding a dog for a job well done is positive dog training. It does not mean the dog takes charge or calls the shots.

Dog sports are perfect examples of positive dog training at its finest. When you see a dog doing agility at a trial or on TV, the dog-and-handler bond can be exciting to watch. It would be a very difficult task to have those dogs working, and loving every minute of it, if they were taught in a negative fashion. The old-style do-it-or-else dog training is just that… old. I have said this before, but it warrants repetition: When you know better, you do better. We have dog-learning theory at our fingertips now, so it’s easy to increase our education, and awareness of how dogs think and learn. This does not mean we are pushovers; it means we are educated and aware dog owners.

Teaching a dog to pick up a dumbbell is a prime example. For competitive obedience competition, the dog learns to pick up the dumbbell, hold it, bring it to the handler and on top of that, go over a jump without dropping it. In the past, it was often taught in a negative manner. Dogs were forced to hold the dumbbell, and were reprimanded for dropping it. That method will work with some dogs, but it always takes its toll. The dogs may learn to bring back the dumbbell, but they don’t do it with their tails up and wagging. To some owners, the end justifies the means. For some, it is a matter of great importance and urgency that their dog never drops the dumbbell. For me, it is a sport that I love to do with my dog and it should be enjoyable for both of us.

Marking (with a click or a “Yes”) when the dog first shows interest in the dumbbell, then for putting it in its mouth and finally for bringing it to you, is the best way to teach this. It can take a little longer, but not always, and it’s well worth the effort. By showing the dog that the dumbbell work is fun, he will be thrilled when it comes out.

I was determined to show my newest competitive dog, ‘Yardly,’ how to do the dumbbell retrieve by using only positive methods. In a group of competitive dogs, he is one of the most animated… jumping up to get his dumbbell. Does he drop it? I can’t say he never drops it, but he is as consistent as any other dog and for me, that is enough. Getting his obedience title is a great goal, but enjoying the process while we get there is far more important to me, and I’m sure he would agree.

But, while I am positive in my training, I am far from permissive in living with my dogs. I feel that dogs raised with fairness, kindness, rules and guidelines feel confident and bonded to their people.

Other sports would benefit from positive training. Flyball is a lot of fun, and most dogs love it. It is much easier if you have a dog that will retrieve naturally, but if you want to play the sport and your dog is fit and healthy, there is no reason not to try.

By using the same theory as for the dumbbell, you will be on your way to teaching your dog to bring you the ball. Getting annoyed when your dog takes off with the ball will backfire. By being positive and encouraging him back to you then tossing the ball again, you will show him that the game is a lot of fun.

If you were permissive, you would allow your dog to run away with the ball and bring it back when he was good and ready. That is not our aim. Positively reward your dog for bringing the ball back (usually throwing it again is reward enough), and you will get the results you want. My terrier learned flyball from scratch. She was not a retriever at all, but she spent many years loving flyball after she realized it was a ton of fun for her.

It should be the mission of all dog owners to seek out trainers who fully understand learning theory, and the theory of positive training. There are lots of them out there, doing their job and keeping up their education. It is not necessary to use scare tactics or physical force to teach your dog what you want. Even the most complicated dog can benefit from your increased knowledge in this area. Unfortunately, we are seeing a swing back to the use of prong collars and punishment for dogs.

Those are techniques of the ’80s when we didn’t know better. While it’s important to find a balance and not let dogs overstep their boundaries, it’s also important to teach with respect. Negative methods can have a “quick fix” feel to them, but in the long run the issues are not sorted out, only masked for the short term.

One thing I know for sure. Positive is not a negative.

Sunburn is a particular problem in pale and short-haired (or hairless) dogs. It strikes the bridge of the nose, the ears, belly and insides of the legs. The underside becomes exposed when sunlight reflects up from sidewalks or the hot sand at the beach.

Thankfully, most sunburn we see in dogs is superficial. The skin looks red and inflamed, but unlike human skin, dog skin rarely blisters. A deep burn, however, can ulcerate, allowing bacteria and yeast to invade, creating an infection.

Repeated, excessive exposure to UV radiation can lead to cancer, particularly the tumour called squamous cell carcinoma. Breeds such as Boxers and Weimaraners that are predisposed to developing cancer should be limited in their sun exposure.

Sun exposure can also trigger or exacerbate autoimmune skin diseases such as discoid lupus, where the body produces antibodies against skin cells. We think this is due to the immune system reacting against proteins released from dead skin cells.

Some dogs with no pigment on their nose can suffer from a hereditary condition called nasal solar dermatitis (“Collie nose”). Thought to be a hypersensitivity to the sun, affected areas (the nose, lips and eyelids) can ulcerate and scab over.

Contrary to what some people think, fur does not prevent the sun from reaching the skin. To prevent exposure, it’s best to apply sunblock to susceptible areas such as the nose, ear tips and belly. There are some pet-friendly sunblocks available. The alternative is to cover up – use a spandex-style suit made for dogs, or perhaps a t-shirt. Also, keeping your dog in the house or in the shade between noon and three can reduce exposure.

If you see mild sunburn on your dog, you can reduce inflam-mation and help the skin repair by applying an ointment. In severe cases, dogs may need hospitalization, intravenous fluids and daily bandage changes. If skin dies and is lost, skin grafts may be necessary. See your veterinarian if you are ever in doubt.

An interesting thing happens when noses are exposed to sun. A dog may have a pink nose in the winter that darkens to black in the summer. Pinking of the nose in winter has been referred to as “snow nose.” Once it receives sunlight, the nose tans and there is no need for concern.

If possible, arrange a home visit. Make sure you are comfortable with the environment where the puppies are being raised. Some breeders will have a puppy area set up in their kitchen or family room, others will utilize a more traditional kennel environment. In any case, the puppies should have daily interaction with people and they should look clean and well cared for. Within reason, the breeder should allow you access to areas where the dogs are kept. If you get a bad feeling, odds are this is not the breeder for you. Be wary of a breeder who wants you to take home a puppy on the first visit.

Puppies should appear healthy and happy. The breeder should be knowledgeable about any health problems affecting the breed, and be able to show you health-clearance documentation for both parents. Discharge coming from the eyes or nose is a red flag; beware of anyone who seems apathetic about a potential illness.
Though your instinct may be to save an unhealthy puppy, you will experience much more heartache down the road, and worse, you will have financially supported a bad breeder. Good breeders know what you need to do to keep your puppy healthy.

Do your homework on the breed’s temperament. While some breeds will approach you willingly, other breeds are more apt to watch from afar. Odds are, the temperament displayed by the breeder’s adult dogs will be the one your puppy will inherit. If they seem overly skittish or aggressive, take note. The exception is the puppies’ mother; her main priority is protecting her young, so don’t take it personally if she doesn’t seem thrilled to see you.

To buy from a good breeder, you have to find one who is looking for good owners. Breeders determine suitability by asking you a lot of questions about your life and family. It may seem invasive, but they have your best interests at heart. A good breeder will want you to ask a lot of questions as well, so don’t be shy. Beware of a breeder whose only question is, “Will you be paying with cash or a cheque?”

For many good breeders, the puppy heading home with you is just the start of your relationship. Some will want a lot of contact, others are happy with the occasional update. Always choose a breeder that you would be comfortable asking for advice, as they are an invaluable source of information on the breed.
Make sure you are given all the required paperwork, and are clear about the breeder’s expectations. You may be required to sign a non-breeding agreement. Many breeders will want the dog returned to them if you are unable to keep it. If you have everything in writing you can avoid nasty surprises down the road.

A multi-published writer, Jeff Grognet, D.V.M., runs a veterinary practice in Qualicum Beach, B.C., along with his wife, Louise Janes, D.V.M.

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As a paranormal investigator I want to find and show evidence of the spirit world and deliver their simple message: “I am here, I am alive.” I don’t need equipment and gadgets to sense spirit; however, to pass on their message, I use equipment to obtain results that I can present to others. Videos and photography give us spirit photos and recorders give us spirit voice.

‘Spunky’ was my sister Carol’s dog. She was a bright little Jack Russell Terrier, full of energy. Spunky died in September 2007 of a mystery illness. One morning before I got out of bed, I saw Spunky and felt her materialize her spirit right beside my head, as if she were curling up there. She started talking to me in English, in a woman’s voice. She told me she felt very well. She was excited and happy. Everything was great. She told me to pass on the message “Keep your eyes open for the Brown Bow Wow.” I asked her, “Why?” She said, “Just keep your eyes open.” This didn’t feel like a warning of trouble or anything like that.

I passed on the message from Spunky to Carol and my nieces Rachel and Ashley. They were grieving very hard for Spunky.

Another month went by and Rachel was still having a hard time. She happened to go into a pet shop one day in December and saw the puppies there. One puppy in particular stuck in her mind so strongly that she went home and begged her mother to buy the pup. Rachel lamented strongly that the puppy was in bad shape living at the pet shop. Carol went to the pet store and with much more lamentation, purchased the pup and brought it home. Later at the vet checkup they were told the puppy was so infested with lice that the vet wasn’t keen on them keeping her. They stuck by this little ‘Brown Bow Wow’ and she finally got a clean bill of health.

The only way they vary is in the way they present themselves, such as the individual form and personality they had while they were alive. However the communication they use can be very human-like. We share more similarity in spirit to our furry friends than you could imagine. Just as the spirit of my sister’s dog, Spunky, sounded like a woman.

Yes! I absolutely believe dogs sense spirits. I was having an out-of-body journey one night and while floating through the park behind my house at about the height of the tree branches, I heard a dog barking furiously. I looked down and the dog was barking and looking right at me. The man walking his dog didn’t know why the dog was staring up in the air near the tree and barking wildly.

I’ve had a few people report similar events with their dogs. They look like they’re watching something invisible move around the room. One of our investigators owns a Basenji. While in their family room in the basement, the Basenji would stand on the couch staring at something and watching it as it moved around the room. They took a photo of the dog looking at a round ball of light. I would suggest that the first thing to do is to have your camera ready so you can begin shooting pictures when your pet acts strangely. Then upload your photos and take a real close look – not just for an orb, for an apparition. It could be an apparition of another animal or a person.

Nutritional deficiencies often show up first in the health and vitality of the skin and haircoat, so coat condition can be a good sign of how well what you are feeding suits the dog. A variety of food ingredients/supplements have been recommended for skin and coat health.

All fatty acids are not created equal. Omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids have opposed and complementary functions in the body. They need to be provided in balance for optimum nutrition, and current research places that balance at 5:1 omega-6s to omega-3s, or in a range from 5:1 to 10:1.

But of course it’s not that simple. Nothing in nutrition is. Fatty acids, whether omega-3s or 6s, come in a variety of specific forms. Among the omega-6s, linoleic acid is essential in the dog’s diet as it can’t be synthesized by the dog. (Arachidonic acid, already known to be essential for cats, is being investigated for dogs.) With the omega-3s, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) can be directly metabolized by the dog (another omega-3, alphalinoleic acid, has to be converted, so is less bioavailable).

Flaxseed oil, sometimes recommended as a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, provides ALA. DHA and EPA are directly provided by fish oil, specifically from coldwater fish such as salmon and trout. Most dogs will willingly, even eagerly, consume fish oil as a liquid supplement, but it can have the unfortunate side effect of making the dog smell slightly fishy.

Fatty acid supplementation is often recommended for itchy dogs with allergies. Though they likely won’t correct the problem on their own, they can help enough to allow lower doses of drugs such as antihistamines or corticosteroids. Fish oil alone can be beneficial for dogs whose skin is drier due to indoor heat or air conditioning.

Continued intake of fish oil may decrease levels of vitamin E in the body. For this reason, some fish oil products are supplemented with vitamin E. You also need to be aware of potential contaminants in fish oil – methylmercury and PCBs are potential worries. Knowing (and trusting) the source of the fish oil is a worthwhile goal.

And, as usual, more is not necessarily better. Too high a dose of fish oil can result in stomach ache, loose stools and gas (always a worry in dogs prone to bloat).

A condition called zinc-responsive dermatosis is seen in dogs with zinc deficiencies. Symptoms include a dull haircoat, hair loss, and crusty skin around the mouth, eyes and ears. Puppies with this condition may also be lethargic and anorexic. Supplementation with zinc usually resolves the symptoms in a few weeks.

The northern breeds, particularly Alaskan Malamutes and Siberian Huskies, have a genetic predisposition to-ward poor absorption and utilization of zinc. If they are fed a diet with a high component of plant-based ingredients or high in calcium, they are more likely to develop zinc deficiency. The phytates in plants bind zinc and reduce its absorption. Calcium has the same effect.

Too much zinc, however, is not a good thing. Most dogs suffering zinc toxicosis (a potentially fatal overdose) have consumed pennies; zinc oxide ointment (ironically used to com-bat skin irritation); galvanized coatings on cages, fencing, or nails; or certain paints or shampoos.

It is important to remember that though the northern breeds may require zinc supplementation, they also have a decreased tolerance for oversupply. Their range of efficacy and safety is much narrower than the range for other breeds.

One of the newer nutrients to join the discussion of skin and haircoat quality is biotin. A member of the vitamin B complex (B7, though sometimes also known as vitamin H), biotin is water-soluble, so it is not stored in fatty tissue. It can be poorly absorbed, so supplementation may be necessary to provide optimum levels. Natural sources include liver, some seed oils, and yeast. It is often provided in a brewer’s yeast supplement or as part of a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement.

Some studies have shown that biotin supplements can ease the suffering of dogs with dry, itchy skin. Although it is just beginning to be investigated in dogs, biotin has long been present in human personal-care products for hair, skin and nails. Because it is water-soluble and not stored in the body, there is no worry of over-supplementing.

Biotin can have a positive impact on coat shine after only a few days of use. It also provides a benefit to the dog’s footpads, helping to make them more robust and protect them from damage.

Note that feeding raw egg whites can result in a definite biotin deficiency, as the enzyme avidin found in egg whites blocks absorption of biotin. Prolonged use of antibiotics can also diminish biotin levels.

The desensitization and counter-conditioning program often recommended does not fit in this column, but there are some nutritional, herbal and natural remedies you can try.

First, the actual nutritional advice. Daniel Mills, B.C.Sc., M.R.C.V.S., at the University of Lincoln in Great Britain has proposed giving a noise-phobic dog a natural boost in tryptophan, by feeding a meal rich in complex carbohydrates with additional vitamin B6, a few hours prior to a known noise outburst, such as fireworks, or a forecast thunderstorm. The chemistry behind this is that tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin, which in turn is the target of all those pharmaceuticals known as SRIs (serotonin reuptake inhibitors). Serotonin is an important neurotransmitter, with known effects on mood. The role of the carbohydrates is to produce insulin, which encourages tryptophan uptake.

But the effectiveness depends on the ratio of other large amino acids, such as leucine and isoleucine, which compete with tryptophan for uptake. Once the carriers are saturated, no dietary change or supplement can affect the level of tryptophan. So while Dr. Mills espoused the complex carbs/vitamin B6 meal for a booklet called A Dog’s Dinner, he only evidence is anecdotal.

Another frequent recommendation is to use flower essences, specifically the blend known as Rescue® Remedy. If you’ve never heard of flower essences before, they were developed by an English medical doctor, Edward Bach, in the 1930s. He made liquid extracts of several dozen flowers, each purported to address different issues of emotional well-being in humans and animals. Rescue Remedy has become by far the best known. This blend of five essences is said to have a calming and stabilizing effect for individuals who are nervous or anxious.

One thing that makes Rescue Remedy easy to recommend is its harmlessness. Scientists who scoff at it show analyses that there is actually nothing but water in the formulation. It is definitely not a drug. Its proponents say that the essences are not physical, but vibration, so they do not show up in chemical analyses. No matter what you think of that, there’s nothing there that can harm your dog.

Some swear they help. But once again there’s a contradiction. While some take a dose of Rescue Remedy immediately before a stressful situation (a speech or a plane flight) and feel it helps, those who espouse flower essences say they take four to eight weeks to have an effect on your dog’s emotions.

So you can certainly try them short term, if thunderstorm or fireworks season is already upon you – after all, they can’t hurt and they just might help. But if you want to give them a fair trial, then next year start their use two months before the anticipated noise outbreaks.

The final recommendation is melatonin, a natural hormone that helps to regulate circadian rhythms, our wake and sleep cycles. Melatonin was banned in Canada for years, due to fears of mad cow disease, because the supplement was derived from the pineal glands of bovines. But synthetic pharmaceutical-grade melatonin is now available and approved.

That’s good news, because melatonin appears to offer some real hope for the owners of noise-phobic dogs. Linda Aronson, D.V.M., M.A., School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, reports a success rate of 80 per cent using melatonin with phobic dogs. Interestingly, she has found that some dogs need to receive the melatonin before the fear-inducing sound occurs, while others show benefits even if they are already responding to the thunder or fireworks. And those aren’t the only sounds for which melatonin can provide anxiety relief. Aronson has used melatonin to assist search and rescue dogs upset by flying in helicopters or turbo prop planes to get to search areas. Whereas pharmaceuticals could leave them drugged and unable to perform their jobs once they arrived on scene, the melatonin let most of them relax for the flight and still be sharp for their search duties.

After treating thousands of dogs, Aronson has received reports of adverse reactions in only four cases. Three dogs exhibited an increase in pacing, and the fourth seemed disoriented and relieved himself in the house. However, the owners of the last dog were so pleased that the dog’s thunderstorm phobia vanished, that they intended to continue the melatonin at a lower dose.
Aronson uses a dose of three milligrams every eight hours for dogs weighing 15 to 50 kilograms. Smaller dogs receive half that dose. Some larger dogs respond well at the three milligram dose, but a few require six milligrams. Arson cautions to be sure you are using a pharmaceutical-grade product, and that it isn’t mixed with other herbs. Melatonin is known to be safe when used with the typical anti-anxiety drugs, but other herbs may not be.

Finally, there’s a potential help that has nothing whatever to do with nutrition or supplements – classical music. Joshua Leeds, a sound researcher, and Susan Wagner, a veterinary neurologist, have written Through a Dog’s Ear: Using Sound to Improve the Health and Behavior of Your Canine Companion. They found that simplified classical music performed on the piano produced a claming effect on 70 per cent of dogs in shelters and 85 per cent of dogs in homes.

Over the previous weeks, the instructor had emphasized that a dog’s failure to master the intricacies of obedience had nothing to do with the animal’s shortcomings – and everything to do with the shortcomings of the human side of the partnership.

When she said this, she always seemed to glare disapprovingly at me, though I could never be certain because I was inevitably distracted by trying to keep Fred from initiating some new and nefarious bit of mayhem. I suspected that he spent the week between classes dreaming up increasingly clever ways to create chaos.

Most humiliating were the scornful, and often pitying, looks of the other dog folk in the class. Their perfect, biddable Labradors and Golden Retrievers wanted only to please. The same could not be said of Fred, an adopted Doberman of dubious lineage.

I had once been one of those other dog folk. Our previous dogs – Springer Spaniels, a Newfoundland – had been lovely, gentle creatures. The idea of formal training had never entered my head.

Then Fred came to us. High-spirited, intelligent, headstrong, protective, confident and absolutely certain that our lives would be a muddle without his helpful guidance, he was a different kind of dog. To Fred, commands were optional advice – to be ignored when more interesting adventures beckoned, as they frequently did.

So when the judge called us into the ring, and Fred sat straight and attentive at my left knee, I was a tad nonplussed, but grateful that we had managed to get that far without provoking a major incident.

My gratitude gradually turned to disbelief as the judge issued instructions and Fred, focused intently on my commands, ticked off move after move to near perfection. I could see jaws dropping. Who was this paragon?

The finale was the long down-stay, which Fred had always regarded as a golden opportunity to instigate pandemonium. I knew the evening would end disastrously for everyone and it would be all my fault.

As the minutes ticked by, I was on tenterhooks, but nothing untoward happened. Even when the humans filed back into the room, Fred stayed still as a statue.

And when I called “Come,” (usually the signal for him to careen across the room in search of a playmate), he rose with appropriate gravitas and trotted directly to me. As he sat, he looked smugly into my eyes as if to say, “You mean you really thought I couldn’t do all this stuff? Piece o’ cake.”

When the results were totalled up, Fred had scored the top mark – and was rewarded with a ribbon and trophy. Everyone in the room was dismayed, except Fred, who shrugged off all the accolades as his due.

That was the first time, but far from the last, that Fred confounded us. A lovable, irrepressible troublemaker with a wicked sense of humour, he approached life headlong and inspired frustration, puzzlement, disbelief, amazement and much laughter. His exuberant joie de vivre was contagious and quickly persuaded us that our far-from-perfect companion was ideal for us.

Now that he is gone – he died at 15 after fighting hard to stay with us longer – I treasure his ribbon and that little plastic trophy. They are reminders of the very special creature who captured our hearts and forever changed our idea of the perfect dog.

Getting your dog across the border to your destination may be as simple as having basic paperwork confirming vaccines given, or as complicated as having to quarantine him for a set time, depending on the country’s requirements.

Most Europeans love dogs and many enjoy having them in their establishments, with the exception of the stricter United Kingdom. France tops the list by enthusiastically welcoming your dog and letting him sit at your feet in restaurants, both casual and fine dining, and allowing him almost anywhere else you want to explore, inside and outside.

On the other hand, Americans and Brazilians love their canine buddies, but not in restaurants (patios are occasional exceptions). The United States and Australia provide many dog parks and pet-friendly destinations.

Mexico has a variety of vacation spots that offer dog-friendly lodging, restaurant admittance, and romps on beaches and in dog parks. Though a segment of the country values dogs as much as we do, countless abandoned, typically unhealthy dogs roam the streets. To control their numbers, poisoned food is sometimes intentionally put out. You’ll therefore want to watch your pet closely, and keep him leashed.

In many developing countries, diseased mongrels wander freely. It is important to keep your dog and yourself away from them.

Numerous countries cater to visiting pets, since satisfying travelers with pets is good for business. Be aware, though, that because we love our animals so much, it may be difficult to see how poorly other societies treat their animals. China and South Korea, for example, have reputations for treating dogs cruelly, yet China offers quite a selection of dog-friendly accommodations.

- In Canada, we usually only need to administer protection from fleas and other parasites for about half a year, since they’re not an issue in winter. In warmer countries, your dog needs to be protected year round. Insects can carry diseases not found in Canada. For instance, we have ticks known for the threat of Lyme disease, whereas some ticks in the Caribbean can transmit a type of erlichiosis.

- If there is extreme heat at your destination, dogs with heavy coats might not be comfortable. Beach lovers need to be careful of hot sand on tender canine pads; whereas city tourists need to be careful of hot pavement.

- If your dog isn’t used to the cold, make sure you pack a doggie coat and booties. And watch for substances used to melt ice on roads and sidewalks such as salt, which can irritate your dog’s pads.

- Car rental agencies vary in their policies regarding pets in their vehicles, since damage is a possibility and the potential of fur left behind is a concern. If a rental agency accepts a dog in one of their cars, they will likely expect it clean on return or may charge a fee to clean it themselves. Some companies may require your dog to travel in a crate. If not, covering the seats with a blanket will help to keep the vehicle clean. It’s best to check beforehand, as even individual locations of a big company may have their own rules.

- From the crowded cities of the world to the vast open regions, policies for getting around using public transportation – buses, trains, taxis and ferries – vary considerably. Inquiring beforehand will help your trip run more smoothly.

- If you’ll be flying to your destination, check the airlines to see how pet-friendly they are. Some will only allow dogs to travel in their cargo holds, which brings up all sorts of issues.

- When making reservations, always mention you’ll be bringing your dog, even if their ads specify that dogs are welcome. Some places charge extra fees, or only offer designated rooms. Others restrict the size or type of dog.

- If your dog has a sensitive stomach, you’ll want to bring a supply of his food just in case you can’t find any available in stores during your trip. In some parts of the world, bottled water is not only important for you, but also for your dog. Bring water from home for a dog that easily gets sick from a source it isn’t used to.

Airline travel has changed in the wake of 9/11, and the pleasure of flying has become a pain. There seems to be no end to the controversy and complications of flying with dogs. At one point, Air Canada ceased to transport pets, period. However, pressure from passengers has forced airlines around the world to reconsider their pets-on-board policies, and governments have set forth stringent regulations governing “live cargo” (as they label your beloved dog), as well as entrance stipulations.

The lists of conditions and restrictions are huge. Add to that suggestions by veterinarians, and it’s a labyrinth of information, some of it conflicting. The best and kindest policy seems to be: leave your dog at home with a qualified, trustworthy pet-sitter. But if you must transport your pet in an airplane for vacation reasons or because you are moving, there are ways to do that with the least impact. It’s all about preparation and obeying rules.

Although this service is not yet available in Canada, Pet Airways, a pet-specific airline (no human passengers) flies in and out of airports within driving distance of Canada, such as New York, Chicago and Omaha. A new approach to flying pets, Pet Airways puts pets in cages in the body of the aircraft, in a pressure- and temperature-controlled setting, resplendent with dedicated flight attendants.

Known as “pawsengers,” the pets are checked on every 15 minutes and given appropriate bathroom breaks and water, plus their owners have access to a tracking system. The service goes to major U.S. travel destinations, including Florida.

International travel can involve complex documentation, especially for rabies-free destinations like the U.K., Australia and New Zealand. An American company, flypets.com, services Montreal and Toronto airports and specializes in the preparation of documents required for international pet travel. Most airlines insist that you feed your pet a very light meal four hours prior to check-in and that the water dish be empty when the carrier is loaded onto the aircraft.

Airlines (other than Pet Airways) do not take any measures to check on your dog, nor will they guarantee safe passage. In fact, their air bills include a caveat that renders them not responsible for loss. It gives the impression that dogs are treated less carefully than luggage!

Airlines that accept dogs must comply with government regulations, and these are so strict in some instances that the airline has the right to deny passage to a dog that does not completely comply.

Among these requirements are: the carrier or crate must be large enough for the dog to stand up and turn around (but still be small enough to comply with size restrictions of the various airlines); food and water cups must be securely fastened (not just clipped on) to the interior of the carrier; there must be two copies of the health certificate, one attached to the kennel and one to the air bill, and an acclimation statement (if the dog is moving from, say, a warm-weather locale to a cold one) from the veterinarian; and most crucially, labels must be attached to the top and sides of the kennel, stating “LIVE ANIMAL” and containing the name of the dog, the shipper and consignee’s names, addresses and phone numbers, and the time of day the dog was last fed and watered.

Be sure there is a blanket or other type of absorbent material on the floor of the carrier; airlines don’t want dog urine dribbling about their floors.

At this time, Air Canada and WestJet are among the Canadian airlines that accept dogs in the cabin and in the pressurized baggage compartment. Generally, chartered aircraft are more flexible about pets on board, especially when it comes to larger breeds. Toronto-based Porter Airlines flies guide dogs. They all must comply with the government regulations of Canada as well as the countries into which they fly dogs, but their individual policies vary, so it’s critical to contact each airline before finalizing travel plans, to get the details on their policies.

In all cases other than strictly “shipping” your dog as cargo, you must be on the same flight as your dog. Airlines will not permit an unaccompanied minor to be in charge of a dog flying in the cabin. Certain types of aircraft cannot accommodate large dog carriers, so it’s crucial to check with your airline to find out the aircraft type and if it is suitable for flying your dog.

All airlines require that you register your dog within 24 hours of booking your own flight. There is no web check-in option for passengers travelling with dogs. All airlines insist that dogs taken in the cabin must remain in their carrier at all times, and that the carrier must be stowed under the seat throughout the flight.

Most airlines have seasonal restrictions for pets – for example, no pets are permitted on flights during the peak Christmas season, normally December 18 to January 7. Summer restrictions (rigid in the southern U.S. and tropical countries due to heat on the ground) mean that dogs cannot fly between mid-June and mid-September. In winter, pets cannot fly whenever the outside temperature is below freezing, and between the first of November and end of March.

Pressure from pet organizations and owners has in effect forced the airlines to accept dog passengers, but as a dog owner you must remember that some people do not like dogs, some fear them and some are allergic. Many dogs are chatty and will make noise during a flight; this might not be an issue on a flight between Toronto and Montreal, but Halifax to Vancouver could be. You are the one choosing to transport your dog by airplane and as a responsible dog owner, you must do all you can to ensure not only the dog’s well-being, but the comfort and quiet of your fellow passengers.

While airlines have become more cooperative about flying dogs, it’s a complicated process that should be reserved for only the most necessary transfers. Four paws on the ground is the best policy.

It is said that the first Tucker travelled to England with William the Conqueror in 1066. Around 1356, when Thomas Tucker was a captain in the army of King Edward III, the king gave him land in Sealyham, Pembrokeshire (Wales). Thomas and his descendants became known as “the Tuckers of Sealyham.”

The Edwardes family was one of the oldest and wealthiest in Wales. The brothers John, Richard and Thomas were the first members to use Edwardes (son of Edward) as a surname.

Thomas married Ursula del Holme and the couple built a house in the neighbourhood of Haverfordwest (Pembrokeshire). In the 18th century, Mary Tucker, heiress of the estate, married John Owen Edwardes. At that time, the Edwardes family had been connected to Pembrokeshire for more than six centuries.

John Owen Tucker-Edwardes’ father was William Tucker-Edwardes, Esq. (1784-1858) of Sealyham, High Sherrif of Pembrokeshire and representative of the monarch in that part of Wales.

John Owen’s mother, Anna Martha Phillipps (1788-1878), was the second daughter of George Phillipps, Esq., of Cwmgwilli and Istradwrallt, Member of Parliament. William and Anna Martha married in November 1807; their eldest son, John Owen, was born in 1808.

John Owen and his brothers and sisters grew up at Sealyham (also “Sealy Ham”) Estate, located between Haverfordwest and Fishguard, on the banks of a small river, the Sealy.

As a young man, John Owen joined the 23rd Regiment, the Royal Welch (archaic spelling, not Welsh) Fusiliers, one of the oldest regiments, dating from 1689. His military career brought the young Tucker-Edwardes to Gibraltar, where he had the opportunity to hunt with the Calpe Foxhound pack. Back in Wales, he bought a pack of Otterhounds.

In 1840, Tucker-Edwardes married Anna Jane Jones from Letterston (Wales). Only one son was born: John Tucker-Edwardes (1845). John Jr. married Hester Phillips and died in 1891, the same year his father died.

Because there were no other children, Sealyham House was inherited by John Owen’s brother, Owen, who died two years later (1893). Owen’s son, Charles Gustaves Whittaker Edwardes, inherited the estate. Charles died in 1902 without off-spring. His widow, Catherine Octavia, was the last Tucker-Edwardes to live at Sealyham House.

Tucker-Edwardes retired in 1848, and in the years to come devoted his life mostly to hunting foxes, otters, badgers and polecats, especially in the woodlands and farmlands around Sealyham House.

Various authors describe John Owen Tucker-Edwardes as “an eccentric sportsman.” Other than Otterhounds (some authors say he had as many as 16 packs!), Tucker-Edwardes owned small terriers, described as local terriers, Pembrokeshire Terriers or mongrels.
We don’t know what they looked like; some sources say black and tan, others are convinced they were white. Terriers used for hunting in Wales in the 1850s were most likely the old Devonshire Terriers, and short-legged terriers resembling the Fox Terrier.

Whatever these dogs were, Tucker-Edwardes was not satisfied with their hunting skills. He wanted a smaller terrier with stronger jaws, shorter legs, a white coat and an energetic temperament – a terrier that could join him hunting on horseback with the Otterhounds.

There is a striking comparison with another English gentleman, Rev. Jack Russell, who also enjoyed hunting on horseback and was looking for a terrier that could fulfil his specific requirements. Rev. Russell and Tucker-Edwardes were contemporaries in 19th-century England.

Another contemporary was James Hinks, who created and developed the Bull Terrier in central England. In Scotland, Col. Edward Donald Malcolm was developing the West Highland White Terrier.

We don’t know exactly what types of dogs Tucker-Edwardes used for breeding his ideal terrier. It is assumed that he crossed his own terriers with Welsh Corgis – another type of local dog – to get more length of back and shorter legs. Like Hinks and Malcolm, Tucker-Edwardes knew exactly what he wanted: a short-legged terrier with a harsh, white, weather-resistant coat. A white coat was a necessity, otherwise Otterhounds could mistake the dogs for the prey. (This theory is disputed by hunters; white dogs hunting underground aren’t white after chasing the prey into their holes.)

Tucker-Edwardes’ other requirements were that the dog should be strong, well muscled and not too big, able to hunt in the steep and rugged landscape of Wales. Last but not least, his ideal terrier should have strong jaws and a brave temperament. This was an important condition because the prey – a badger or otter – is bigger than the dog itself. Without hesitation or fear, the terrier must follow the quarry into its hole.

Another ancestor of the Sealyham Terrier could be the Cheshire Terrier, a small kind of Bull Terrier that is now extinct. It is assumed that Tucker-Edwardes used this terrier to improve the working abilities and for stronger jaws. Furthermore, he could have used a type of Dandie Dinmont Terrier, white terriers from Scotland, Wire Fox Terriers and the Bull Terrier. The Bull Terrier sounds a bit odd, but the English dog writer Freeman Lloyd mentioned the breed in his article Dogs and their Owners. I think we must believe him because of his close contact with Tucker-Edwardes. Lloyd wrote, “It is thought that your present correspondent is the oldest of the living public writers on dogs and kindred subjects who had the pleasure of knowing the late Capt. Edwardes, his son Mr. “Johnnie” Edwardes, their hounds and terriers, and hunted with them.” Freeman Lloyd was not only a contemporary, but a reliable eye witness.

Tucker-Edwardes started his breeding in 1848 in an isolated part of Wales. The arrival of strangers must have been sensational in those days, let alone the arrival of an unknown type of terrier.

In his The Complete Book of the Dog, Robert Leighton stated that the Bull Terrier and Dandie Dinmont Terrier were certainly not used when breeding the Sealyham Terrier. However, the author had a valid reason to believe that the West Highland White Terrier was used. Tucker-Edwardes was a good friend of the Marquis of Bute, owner of properties in Wales. At the same time, the Marquis was a close friend of Col. Malcolm in Scotland, the creator of the West Highland White Terrier… He may have been the link between these two terrier breeders.

Unfortunately Tucker-Edwardes didn’t leave any information about the basis and development of his breeding. Because his only son passed away in 1891, details are sparse and dog writers are dependent on contemporaries and assumptions.
However, we do know how the Tucker-Edwardes’ dogs were entered at dog shows. In a catalogue from one of the first shows in Haverfordwest, we read: “Working Terrier: Capt. O.T. Edwardes’ Tip, pedigree known for a hundred years, warranted to go to ground to fox, badger, and otter; £5.” It was common in those days to mention the price of a dog in a show catalogue when it was for sale, since dog shows were also venues for buying and selling dogs. The information “pedigree known for a hundred years” is especially interesting. Obviously, the exhibitor wanted to emphasize that terriers like ‘Tip’ were already known in Wales.

The Sealyham Terrier was well known in Wales from the 1860s. However, the breed’s popularity really began when it became known outside Wales. In 1911, the breed was recognized by The Kennel Club and its name officially recorded: Sealyham Terrier. In dog show catalogues dating before 1910, Tucker-Edwardes’ dogs appeared as Any Other Breed or Variety or simply Working Terrier.

The Sealyham Terrier’s development was the same as other working terriers. They were originally bred for hunting small game – for example badgers and polecats – but over the years they evolved into show dogs and pets. The present-day Sealyham Terrier barely resembles its 19th-century ancestors. In 1935, Hutchinson’s Dog Encyclopaedia stated: “The Champion Sealyhams of today are big, heavily boned dogs, much too large and much too clumsy for the work they were originally bred for, and they would not have the ghost of a chance of getting even their heads into an otter’s bolt.”

While John Owen Tucker-Edwardes only wanted a “pure working terrier”…

John Owen Tucker-Edwardes was well known in Haverfordwest. Thanks to Freeman Lloyd, we know that he was always accompanied by at least two small terriers with rough, harsh coats. When he presided over political meetings in Fishguard, two terriers were usually sitting on stage.

Baron Kensington and Fred Lewis were among those who valued Tucker-Edwardes’ heritage and became pioneers of the breed under the affixes Kensington’s and Bach. Lewis’s Sealyhams were pictured in nearly every contemporary dog book.

John Owen Tucker-Edwardes died in 1891, at 82 years of age; his only son, John, died six months later. The daughter-in-law of John Owen’s brother Owen – Catherine Octavia Tucker-Edwardes (later Mrs. Victor Higgon) – tried to breathe new life into the breed and for several years donated prizes for the Haverfordwest dog show.

In 1903, Sealyham Terriers were entered at a dog show for the first time. The judge was Miss Borrowdale, a niece of Capt. Tucker-Edwardes. However, some sources state that Mrs. Victor Higgon was judging. Anyway, we know that the judge had a lot of trouble putting “the mixed bunch” in the right order.

In the same period, four terrier fanciers came together at Sealyham House: Catherine Higgon, her husband Victor, Capt. J.H. Howell (Master of Foxhounds) and Adrian Howell. During this meeting, they laid the foundation for the first breed club, founded in 1908; Catherine Higgon was elected as the first president. This was followed by The Sealyham Terrier and Badger Digging Association, founded in 1912. A few years later, both clubs merged into The Sealyham Terrier Breeders Association. Catherine Higgon bred and exhibited Sealyham Terriers under the affix “Sealy” until World War II.

Another name that must be mentioned here is Sir Jocelyn Morton Lucas, an army officer who bought his first Sealyhams in 1909 – 12 small Sealyham Terriers from Capt. Jack Howell and a pack of working Sealyhams from Mr. Gladdish Hulk. These dogs formed the foundation stock of his famous Ilmer line.

Over time, the dogs became too big. In the 1940s, Sir Jocelyn and his kennel partner, Mrs. Enid Plummer, decided to cross the smaller Sealyham bitches with a Norfolk Terrier. These crosses formed the beginning of a new type of terrier, the Lucas Terrier. Since 1986, this breed has had a separate club in England, but is not recognized by The Kennel Club. To emphasize that it’s a working terrier, the Lucas Terrier became known worldwide as the Sporting Lucas Terrier.

Today, John Owen Tucker-Edwardes would not recognize his own breed. The rough little working terrier is now an elegant, stylish show dog. The Canadian-bred Sealyham Terrier Am., Can. & Swe. Ch. Efbe’s Hidalgo at Goodspice was Best in Show at Crufts last year. At the same time, Tucker-Edwardes’ creation is now an endangered breed with only 47 dogs entered into The Kennel Club Stud Book of 2009.

Many dogs enjoy training time and the increased exercise is good for everyone. Sporting activities can indeed strengthen the bonds of the relationship and bring out a greater appreciation for the dog’s natural abilities. But there can be a darker side – when perspective is lost.

Competition defines so much of who we are to ourselves and others. While competing can bring the thrill of victory, it is necessarily paired with the agony of defeat. Hockey great Wayne Gretzky once publicly lamented that the game he loved was being taken away from the ponds. It had become so regimented that the boards surrounding the ice were now a metaphor for inhibition as much as a means for keeping pucks in play. In competitive organized sport, games once undertaken for fun can become something ugly and tainted; the popularity of a sport can potentially start its death knell.

Dog activities aren’t shielded from this corruption of play. It is easy to be so taken with a sport that the dog’s desire becomes forgotten in the ribbon chase. For example, an owner may find that his dog is well suited to an activity – say, obedience. For years, the dog seems to enjoy the work, and happily pulls the owner into the training hall.

The years move on, and the dog ages. The human has been bitten by the training bug, and gets another dog to continue the activity. But the potential problem with this is that while one dog might find obedience fun and challenging, another may not.

Sometimes, we get so focused on what we want to accomplish, we forget that what the dog wants to do should be at least as important, if not more so. We can become blind to the dog’s signals that they don’t want to play anymore and run the risk of transforming fun into forced labour.

Perhaps it’s not the pursuit of excellence that’s the problem, but the public display that validates the result. I have a theory. Let’s say that you wanted to train your dog to heel beautifully or weave quickly through poles. Now we add that no one would ever witness the final result; there would be no public test or judgment.

Knowing this, would you forego that correction or do away with your harsh tone? Might you let your dog quit and go for a hike instead? Is it not true that some will sell out their best friend in the face of public scrutiny? There are those who will quarrel, but many know this to be true.

There are some great activities out there for dogs to try if their humans are willing. Competitive obedience, tracking, flyball and agility are just a few of the many sports in which dogs may earn titles and recognition. Of course, there’s just one important caveat: the dogs have no idea that they’ve earned recognition, nor do they particularly care about titles.

It holds no value or meaning to my dog ‘Puggy Sue’ that she was the No. 1 Pug in flyball for many years. Was there a status conferred to me? Absolutely. In the end, as we kept going, I would be lying if I said that I didn’t become more conscious of her points earned. I was fortunate because Puggy loved to play. She loved the game so much that even after losing an eye, she came back to become the first Pug to earn the Flyball Master title. Watching her joyful expression and the way she pulled to go, go, go, Mom! made all the hours of driving her to tournaments and practices worthwhile to me. Not because she performed so well, but because she performed so happily.

But this isn’t always the case. When I go to a practice obedience competition (a correction match), the surroundings are much harder to take.

Because obedience is such a precise discipline, too many exhibitors think that discipline is the primary component to the sport, and they subject their dogs to capricious collar corrections and hissed commands far more often than they initiate a pat or cuddle. I have watched dogs that didn’t come the instant they were called being dragged by the collar, the owner using sharp ‘pops’ to make the dog comply. Why it surprised the owner that the dog was reluctant to come the next time is beyond me.

In more active sports, amid the high-spirited competitors, one can see dogs that clearly do not enjoy the work. Their pace is slowed, their mouths closed in concentration, and other stress-displacement behaviours reveal a truth the owners won’t see.

I had a client come to me with a Bulldog they were trying to train for flyball. The dog loved running, but had no interest in tennis balls and even less in retrieving. For months, they had tried all sorts of things to get the dog to retrieve a ball – treats, squeaky balls, squeaky treat balls, you name it. What was apparent to the rest of us wasn’t to them; they were trying to fit their round dog into a square doghouse.

My advice was a question: Why not just do something else, like tracking or agility? I was met with a blank stare of disappointment. Clearly the all-knowing sport-Bulldog trainer had failed her. She expected me to provide the magic answer so that her dog would become animated and do as well as mine did in flyball. The secret was that my dogs live to do that game, so training them required not so much clairvoyance as a flyball box and lane. The training was easy because they wanted to play.

The irony is that most hobby trainers and dog-sport enthusiasts are certain that I refer to someone else. If you ask anyone who has been involved in dog sports longer than 15 minutes the difference between a pet home and a working home, the former will be met with a derisive snort. The enthusiasts may roll their eyes when they explain that the sporting home is immeasurably superior to the pet home, in which people do nothing but gaze adoringly at their overweight, under-stimulated dogs all day long, or so I am told.

Some dog-sport enthusiasts accumulate numbers of dogs reaching into the teens or higher, because they are certain that some of these “high-drive” canines could never have a good life were they not running flyball four times a month, or training for agility twice a week.

This is pretzel logic. The problem is that the other 160 hours a week are spent being one of too many, with little individual bonding time or couch cuddling. These misguided owners have an image of underutilized dogs with such potential, they’d be wasted in a pet home. Imagine the horror! Days on the couch, off-leash parks in the city and summers at the cottage, all with nary a judge or starting line in sight.

As it is with most matters of the heart, the truth may be found somewhere in the middle. While it’s true that some dogs need to work and live to run, it is equally true that some of the most loving and enriched environments are homes where the dog is the cherished companion and nothing more.

Sports can be a wonderful outlet with your dog. The benefit of regular exercise is well known, and all things being equal, a dog that gets regular mental and physical stimulation will be happier and calmer than one that does not.

I love playing with my dog, and competitive obedience is one of my favorite pastimes. While we earn titles, I won’t likely get high score in trial anytime soon. It’s not that I don’t care about the quality of performance; I do. But I care a lot more about my dog’s psyche, and slogging away to straighten a sit isn’t fun formy dog. If he’s not having fun, then regardless of what else happens, it hasn’t been worth it, for I have done my best friend a disservice.

Your time with your dog is too short; he will leave you before you are ready and your heart will break. On the day he slips away to continue his journey, and your sorrow weighs upon you, take care to let him pass with a heavy heart but a clear conscience. If you have never forced your dog to do an exercise, never hurt him because he didn’t comply, never blamed him for a mistake when it was yours to bear, then you will be able to let him go with the pain of having lost a friend, but the comfort of knowing that you treated him with love and respect.

The score of the run will be lost to your memory within months, but the image of your dog’s smiling face, jumping a jump or running to your knee, will be a picture that your heart will never let fade.

Kennel cough, also known as infectious tracheobronchitis (ITB), is an upper respiratory infection. The hallmark of the infection is a non-productive (no fluid comes up from the lungs), honking cough. Interestingly, a different Bordetella bacteria strain infects people. B. pertussis causes whooping cough and the same symptoms we see in dogs.

Other signs of ITB are sneezing, nasal discharge and inflamed, runny eyes. Some dogs have a mild fever, but most of the time, temperatures stay normal. Most dogs have minimal or no symptoms of this infection, especially if they have been vaccinated.

If the condition progresses to where the dog has a severe cough along with a fever and lethargy, the disease may have moved into the lower airways. Chest X-rays are required to be sure there is no evidence of pneumonia.

Most veterinarians treat ITB with antibiotics; this makes sense with bacterial involvement, such as Bordetella. Antibiotic use in viral infections is controversial. We know they don’t work on viruses, but most veterinarians feel they are justified for preventing secondary bacterial infections.

As ITB is spread by direct contact, the risk is highest when large numbers of dogs are housed together. All dogs are susceptible, but it cannot infect other animals or people. If it is suspected, afflicted dogs should be isolated to minimize transfer between dogs. Dogs with respiratory infections should not be taken to shows, classes or kennels.

Intranasal Bordetella vaccines rapidly and effectively boost secretory antibody production in the nasal cavity and throat. According to Craig Greene, a veterinary internist in Georgia, the intranasal product produces a faster-developing, persistent protection than the subcutaneously injected vaccines. In fact, boosting with intranasal products can immediately precede kennelling if upper respiratory infections are known to be a problem.

A new virus was recently found and your dog may already be infected. The new virus on the block is canine respiratory coronavirus (CRC), discovered in England in 2003. Studies show that CRC is a common infection. In Canada, about 50 per cent of tested dogs had antibodies to the virus, indicating past exposure. The majority of these infections went unnoticed by their owners.

However, CRC can cause an acute infection and, especially if other agents become involved, severe symptoms. There is no specific treatment for CRC and no vaccine to prevent it.

Many families today are on strict schedules. There are many after-school activities, with less and less downtime for the kids. It has been many years since I’ve seen a group of children skipping, playing hopscotch or building a tree fort without parents around.

It’s the same for our dogs. I’m not saying our dogs should run free, but it seems that more and more dogs are expected to be doing something, or are constantly directed.

Micromanagement seems to be a popular concept. We all want our dogs to watch us, heel correctly, not sniff at other dogs, and to be ready for our next command. In fact, many dogs are so managed that they are not able to simply hang out in the house, doing nothing, without being put away in a crate. Some dogs are put away in a crate, brought out to train, then put back in. Many family pets live their lives this way, because their people have not taught them the art of doing nothing.

A dog trainer saying a dog should do nothing? Actually, yes. I love training dogs, and love doing dog sports and activities, but once my canine pack and I are in the house for the evening, I like them to chill out. This can be hard to accomplish, as a lot of our interactions with our dogs actually increase the attention they require, but it is doable.

You can set up your home to be a sanctuary. This means no ball playing or other energetic activities in the house. I don’t have any kids, but I’m fairly sure that if I did, I would not have a basketball hoop in the living room.

Dogs need quiet activities to keep them occupied indoors. This is usually a chew toy of some sort. By keeping your home peaceful, you will convey to your dog that this is the norm.

Believe it or not, the word “stress” is often kicked around among owners referring to their dogs. Stress can indeed be a factor in dog behaviour, and is definitely on the rise. Perhaps a simpler, more Zen-like attitude will help our hyperactive canine friends relax.

“Go” is a well-used word in my house. It means the dogs need to go somewhere else, not be at my feet constantly, so they will go to their mats and lie down quietly with their chew toy. It’s not the same as putting them on their mats and saying “Stay.” If you do that, you will have to maintain the Stay, and keep an eye on your dog. If he gets up, you will have to ask him to lie down again, and the cycle will continue.

When you say “Go,” there is no follow-up once you have trained the word. Teaching is simple. Put a leash on your dog and sit on your couch. When your dog pushes in to you, nicely say “Go” and take his leash, stand up, and with the same hand holding the leash, motion him to go away from you. The leash will help direct him to nowhere in particular, just not at your feet. He will be confused at first, but it is a fabulous household word.

I think all dogs should be trained, and I love advanced training and dog sports, but what are we eventually training them for? Many people train only for dog sports and interact with their dogs only on a training level.
There’s nothing more satisfying to me than seeing my dogs run full speed in the park – running for the sheer joy of running. They aren’t doing anything.

The training will come in when a bike comes along the path and the dogs are told to “Stay” or “Come.” We have trained for that moment, but the rest of the time they are not managed or instructed. They are always in our sight, but are free to sniff in the brush and feel the breeze on their faces. There is no one telling them to “Watch,” or even telling them to bring back the ball.

The art of doing nothing also comes into play on everyday outings. When you stop to speak to someone, your dog should know that he must stop and sit, or at least not be the centre of attention. By teaching him to relax and stay put when you stop, you have taught him to do nothing. He doesn’t have to sit, he can stand. The only requirement is that he not pull or be disruptive.

Our dogs need to just be with us, hanging out, soaking up a few rays on the deck. In fact, we should take a lesson from that and join them.

Misinformation about lice abounds, so let’s start with what they are.

Lice are tiny roach-like insects that live on the skin. The two types of lice – sucking and biting – differ only in how they feed. Their names give it away. On each of their six legs, lice have powerful claws that hold them solidly to hair shafts. Vigorous scratching won’t dislodge them.

The entire lice life cycle is on the dog. Female adults lay eggs called nits that they ‘glue’ to hair shafts. Nits hatch to nymphs, which undergo several moults before becoming adults. Egg to adult takes two to four weeks.

The issue with lice is the itch they create. Infested dogs bite and scratch incessantly. Rarely, puppies with severe infestations become anemic from blood loss.

Lice infestations are easy to diagnose. With good eyes, you can spot the two-millimetre-long lice on the hairs. Lice are small and tan-coloured; fleas are larger and darker. Lice also stay still while fleas skitter around. Nits on hair look like dandruff, but instead of falling off when the hair is brushed, they stay put.

Lice move from dog to dog through direct contact, such as two dogs playing together at daycare. Lice are also species-specific – dog lice do not infest people.

Treatment

The old way to treat lice is to use a pyrethrin or organophosphate flea shampoo or spray. They do a good job of ridding the dog of lice, but there is a simpler way.

Both Advantage® and Revolution®, applied to the skin two or three times, two weeks apart, kill lice effectively. The reason for repeating the treatment is that you want to kill any nymphs that hatch from the nits still present.

All dogs in the house should be treated even if you do not see lice on them.

House treatment is not needed as adult lice live for only about 12 hours off the host. However, most people wash the pet bedding in case nits are present. Combs and grooming instruments can carry nits and adult lice, so they should be cleaned thoroughly or replaced.

Ironically, if you see a lice infestation, it suggests your dog is pampered, not neglected. It means that she has had the opportunity to play with other dogs in the park or at doggy daycare facilities. Having lice on your dog is something you shouldn’t be ashamed of.

There is nothing like a beach to take a game of fetch up a notch. But instead of throwing a potentially dangerous stick, you can use a beach-friendly toy. Beach-ready Zogoflex toys by West Paw Designs, are super tough, non-toxic and recyclable, and these brightly coloured toys also float. They come in a variety of shapes, from the bone-like Hurley to the disc-shaped Zisk, and are the perfect way to tire out and cool off a fetch-obsessed dog.

If you’ll be heading out in a boat or canoe be sure to pick up a life jacket for your dog.

Sun block is a must-have for any summer vacation, but dogs can suffer from sunburn as well. Vet’s Best sells a sun-relief spray for dogs, featuring natural ingredients like aloe vera and witch hazel as well as sun-blocking titanium dioxide. Best of all, this light and pleasant-smelling spray applies in a snap.

Sunburn isn’t the only concern on a sunny day, dogs – especially those with a heavy or dark-coloured coat – can develop heat stroke. Providing water and ample shade is important. When natural shade isn’t an option, bring your own! Guardian Gear now offers a light, portable dog cabana.

It’s important to be prepared for emergencies, especially when you’re far from home. Carrying around your dog’s medical records seems like a lot to keep track of, but the folks at Travel Stix have made it a whole lot easier. The Dog Care & Pet Travel Stix™ credit-card-shaped USB stick comes pre-filled with a care form that you simply fill out and save, allowing easy access to your dog’s information. You can also download other relevant information onto the 2 GB drive. Also handy is the pre-loaded medical authorization form, allowing you to appoint someone to make big decisions about your dog if you are unable to.

With a bit of planning and a few handy items like these, your next trip to the cottage or campsite will be great, safe fun for you and your pet.

Have you ever tried to judge? Even a practice match? Until you try, you have no idea of the multi-tasking involved. You have to remember your pattern for each class, call it while following the handler around the ring, see all the faults, instantly decide how much they are worth, and come up with a fair score and the correct order of placings. Plus, pass the dogs that deserve to qualify, and NQ the dogs that don’t.

It’s not so easy. But in the last few years, it seems quite a few people have felt up to the challenge and we now have a crop of brand-new judges along with, I gather, more waiting in the wings to write their exams and get started. Having recently gone through the process myself, I thought I would share a few thoughts on what skills you need to become a judge, and some suggestions on how to obtain them. Even if you never intend to step into that ring on the other side of the clipboard, there’s always a need for new match judges. Some day you might decide to take that giant leap. Here’s how you can start to prepare.

First comes the rulebook. You have to know it inside out. How far back does the handler have to stand from the high jump? If you said “eight feet” you are wrong. It is “at least eight feet.” Where can the handler use a command and/or a signal? What types of collars are legal? There are many details the judge has to have at his fingertips.
I started to prepare for my exam by studying the rulebook every day on the train. And even though we were already old friends, there were many details I hadn’t noticed until I took the trouble to look closely.

The exams are very thorough, but of course there are many aspects they cannot cover. Where should the judge stand to watch each exercise so he gets the best view of dog and handler? How closely should he follow on the heeling? At what point does the heeling become non-qualifying? And, perhaps the most difficult, how to score fairly.

To apply for a judge’s licence, you must have judged at least three sanctioned matches in the last three years, with a certain number of dogs in each class. Believe me, you need to have scored a lot more dogs before you walk into the real ring, so you need to judge as many fun matches as you can. Even though the handlers may be training in the ring, you can still practise your scoring. Ignore the training (such as the handler praising during the exercise), and score whatever faults you see (such as lagging or poor sits). Pretend you’re really judging, and practise keeping your eyes on the team every moment. Watch for handler errors as well as dog errors.

Take responsibility for your scoring and for your stewards. Explain to your stewards how you would like them to prepare for each exercise, but you should add up each exercise on the score sheet yourself, and the sub-totals as well. This will give you an idea where your top dogs are scoring, so you don’t get any unpleasant surprises when you hand out the scores (such as a dog earning 40 out of 30 on something and having to ask for the rosette back after the class has been pinned!).

One important step I think our system lacks is a ring procedure test. In the United States, an apprentice judge has to sit outside the ring and watch the judging with a licensed judge. The judge outside the ring questions the apprentice on how he would score a particular exercise, the judge’s position, etc. I am sure this is quite scary when done as an exam, but there is nothing to stop you from doing the same thing on your own. Even if you can’t persuade a judge to sit with you all day, do it yourself.

Score the dogs, and compare your scores at the end of each class, or the end of the day. Take notes of any unusual occurrences, and ask questions. Not necessarily of the working judge, he will be very busy that day. Find yourself a mentor, or at least a judge you feel comfortable with.

Many scenarios are open to interpretation. Watch for these, and ask yourself how you would handle them. Try to find a rule that supports your decision. Some situations are not clear-cut and could go either way. Don’t be afraid to decide you made a mistake and would handle it differently the next time. Judging is a learning process.

Be aware of different temperaments. Make sure you don’t overwhelm the dog when you’re following the team. Learn how to examine dogs without intimidating them. If you can find any judging seminars within reasonable distance, go.

Don’t apply to become a judge the instant you have done the minimum requirements. Get as much experience as you can, and ask a lot of questions before sending in that application.

And finally, enjoy it. We all know that exhibitors are stressed in the ring, but most people don’t realize the judge could be stressed too. Try to make exhibitors feel comfortable coming into your ring. No one should feel rushed just because they failed.

Think about why you want to become a judge. I hope it isn’t for the money or the glory, because you are doomed to disappointment! But if you think you can be fair and pleasant with everyone throughout a long day on your feet, can think like a judge, and would like to give something back, pick up that rulebook and learn what it’s all about.
For more information on becoming a judge, visit www.ckc.ca.

It has been about a decade since clicker training came to the fore. Its rules that a click indicated the end of a behaviour and a treat had to follow each click seemed to be set in stone and we followed them closely. Ideas like “making a contract with your dog” were common, and dog training seemed to be changed forever.

The great thing about clicker or marker-based training is that you do no harm. While a badly timed click may not get you closer to your goal, it will not physically or mentally hurt the dog you’re trying to direct.

Many in the dog community have yet to challenge the rules of clicker training, but by doing so, we could develop the effectiveness of this much-used technique. Challenging the rules of clicker training is not a criticism, but simply seeing all training as fluid, and striving for better communication with our dogs.

Some of my observations of the clicker rules are based on discussions with psychology professors at the University of Toronto, where I am a guest speaker on learning theory. However, the main observations came about through the training of dogs – hands-on, day-to-day interaction with dogs of all ages, breeds, shapes and sizes. Those observations are meant to elicit thought, and provoke us to challenge the rules.

When I initially started to explore clicker training, I went to many seminars and conferences on the topic and the speakers seemed to be of a mindset that you must follow the rules exactly; any deviation was quickly dismissed. I was happy to follow these rules until I came to the stumbling blocks that lead to my questions.

On a film set many years ago with my terrier ‘Levi,’ I was using the click to indicate to my dog that she had done a good job. Soon I found myself many feet away, with my dog being asked to do a number of behaviours in a row. She was clicker-savvy, and knew the click meant “You are correct” and that a treat was coming very soon. Levi was the first dog I had trained totally with the clicker, and the dog I watched closely over the years to see the benefits and fallout of this technique.

As the day progressed, I had to make compromises in my technique to suit the scene being shot. I would click for the correct behaviour and call out “Stay” so Levi would stay in the scene. Not knowing how that would work, I was delighted that she didn’t seem to mind that a treat was not coming right away. In fact, she had to do a number of behaviours with the click before any treat came her way.

Fellow trainers suggested that instead of the click, I could have called out “Yes.” A click has to have a treat after it. That was the rule. If you could not present a treat, you could not click for the behaviour. This meant that you could not ask your dog for a series of behaviours in a row unless you treated in-between. However, my dog worked much better for the click than she did for the word “yes.”

Levi continued to work in commercials and at photo shoots, and I continued to use the click to mean “You are correct,” even if I didn’t treat after every action. The click did not mean the end of the behaviour in every case. The end of the behaviour was indicated by a release of “Okay.” I had managed to take out the word “stay” and Levi still understood the game. This method worked well for both of us.

Trainers who saw her at work put it down to Levi being quite clever and very clicker savvy, but thought this would not work with other dogs.

The issue for many clicker purists is not only that the click indicates the end of a behaviour but, more importantly, that a treat must follow every click. Seminars and books on the topic state that we have a contract with our dogs to give a treat after every click. Or what? It sounded a bit over the top to me, and I always thought contracts had to have two parties involved. Did our dogs know they were in a contract with us? It was something I quietly challenged over the next decade.

Adding dogs to my family, I continued to use the clicker in my own way. I would make sure my dogs were introduced to it initially in training. I would treat after every click until I thought they had a strong understanding of the method, then I would treat intermittently.

It worked really well for heeling. I would click when they looked at me and treat on occasion – not a problem for the three newest dogs in my family.

With no science background but years and years of hands-on experience, it seemed to me the same as using intermittent reward in any other method, only this time there was a click involved.

I questioned why the behaviour would not grow stronger with intermittent reward and was again met with resistance. Many trainers would question why I would use the clicker one way, and teach it differently in my classes. It was a matter of information collecting. I knew that the method of treating after every click, and the click signalling the end of a behaviour, would be fine for clients and would not harm the dogs. The clicker was fairly new to dog training and it would have confused matters to have conflicting information so early on, but I also needed time and more dogs, to see if I was on the right track.

At a SuperDogs show, the dogs usually take the jump or tunnel in front of them and run to the finish line. As my own dogs were not brought up to understand that the click marked the end of the behaviour, and the click seemed to be a lot easier for them to hear amidst the crowds of cheering fans, I would click each time my dog did a jump or tunnel and treat at the finish line.

During a show many years ago, I noticed that my dogs sped up and got more excited each time they heard the click. They didn’t seem to mind that there was no treat coming at each click; they kept running to the finish line. It was evident in all my dogs, not only Levi. I got some lighthearted teasing from my teammates, as they would call out “Levi, click, click, click.”

At that time, I started to explore the true meaning of secondary reinforcer, something that is reinforcing because it has been associated with some other reinforcer. It seemed to me that when my dogs heard the click, they got an adrenaline rush, which in turn was its own reward. Some people live for the rush of adrenaline and some dogs are the same.

Once I set out to observe many other dogs and some of my students came on board with this idea, I found that many dogs live to hear the click, and the treat is secondary. (In saying that, it should be noted that it’s best to treat intermittently to keep this feeling strong over time.)

This observation was backed up in my discussions with the U of T professors, who all said that clickers can and should be used in many ways, depending on the circumstance. They agree that there is no reason a treat needs to come after every click; the click itself would be the reinforcer for many dogs.

Once again testing the theory, I decided to use it on the weave poles. I had taught my own dogs to weave by clicking and treating for each pole initially, but once they had mastered going though fairly well, I switched to clicking for each pole, and treating at the end. Once again, it was suggested that I use “Yes” and not click until I could treat the dog. But for my dogs, the click means much more than the word “yes.” My method worked fine for me, and if agility competitors are shaking their heads, that’s fine.

This is not to challenge those who are happy with what they are doing, but to get all of us to examine the rules we are following and question them. As long as there is no harm done to our dogs, and we continue to have fun, let’s not worry about click, click, click.

Lacey had stiff competition. ‘Passion’ (GMOTCh. Starbright Passionxtrodinair), who turned nine on the day of the HIT, was back. Handler Ikena Hilmayer tried to retire Passion in 2009, but Passion wouldn’t hear of it. They took the Open class and, once again, the Am. OTCh./Can. MOTCh. Whistlejack’s Justin Time Memorial Trophy, awarded to the team with the lowest total points lost (TPL) from either the Open or Utility class.

Lacey’s big sister, Golden Retriever ‘Marlou’ (GMOTCh. Morninglo’s Traces of Lace AgN, RA, Am. UD) captured the Utility class, making Louise only the second handler to have two dogs in the final runoff. Lacey took the final runoff by half a point over Passion and Marlou, who were tied. The People’s Choice Award, voted by spectators as their favourite team, went to ‘Blitz,’ an effervescent Australian Cattle Dog.

The trial of trials

Eligibility in the competition is a High in Trial (HIT) in Canada the previous year with a minimum score of 195 in Novice or Open and 193 in Utility. Teams perform under the scrutiny of three judges. This year’s judges were Michelle Armitage from Ottawa, who was responsible for the Open class; Susan Des Cotes from Hockley Valley, Ont., the Novice class; and Ron Marks from Halifax, Utility.

The final heeling routine and stays were designed and called by Jane McKnee, a well-respected obedience competitor and instructor, now living in Hudson, Que. The judges individually score each team: the class winners are determined by lowest total points lost (TPL). These three teams then compete in a final heeling runoff to determine the grand winner.

The HIT of HITs is not a CKC-sanctioned event, so judges can be very creative with the routines. The order of exercises in all classes deviated from the CKC order. Generally, though, most felt that the judges designed quite humane routines this year. In fact, the only complaint came from Wendy Beard, the photographer, who maintained that some of the exercises didn’t allow for the best photographs. For example, the direction of the Broad Jump in Open and the Directed Jumping in Utility were away from the crowd, resulting in a lot of rear-end jump shots. A note to judges next year….

The HIT of HITs is more than just the winners, though. The HIT is a display of the competence of a range of breeds.

This year that variety included a Keeshond, an Australian Cattle Dog, a Labrador Retriever, eight Golden Retrievers, three Shetland Sheepdogs, two Standard and two Miniature Poodles, a Belgian Tervuren, a Belgian Malinois, an Australian Shepherd and a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever.

The HIT involves dogs with varied experience. This year, two of the teams had not yet earned their CD (Companion Dog) title, but had already achieved HITs. Both teams took placements in the Novice class – Stephanie Perrier and Blitz (a second), and Sarah Keefer and her Keeshond ‘Gable,’ fourth after coming up short in a tiebreaker for third with Cathy Newey and her Standard Poodle ‘Chablis.’

Friendly competition

The HIT showcases many accomplished handlers. In addition to Louise, two other handlers competed with two dogs.

The HIT is nail-biting tension, particularly during the Novice and Open stays. While the Novice dogs all succeeded, three of the Open dogs did not. The HIT can be a heartbreak. One of those Open teams, Lisa Day and her Standard Poodle ‘Shaver,’ were sitting on a phenomenal 2.5 TPL, possibly the lowest ever attained, when Shaver felt it would be more comfortable to lie down, putting the team out of the running.
The HIT also included minor disappointments. My Sheltie ‘Jade’ and I were completing a wonderful routine in the Utility class when, on the last exercise, the Seek Back, after a flawless front, she failed to do a finish. With a competent finish, we would have been tied for first place in the class. But, I was still thrilled to place, as were all handlers who placed in their classes. In addition to those already mentioned, Open placements were Ghislaine Simard and Miniature Poodle ‘Sophie’ in second, Tracy Lyn Thompson and Golden Retriever ‘Tyra’, third, Helen Walker and Golden Retriever ‘Tess,’ fourth. The third- and fourth-place teams in Utility were Micheline Coté and Australian Shepherd ‘Mountie,’ and Stephanie Perrier and her Malinois ‘Nova.’

Most of all, the HIT of HITs is a superb display of the magnificent relationship and partnership humans can have with God’s greatest creation: the dog. To quote a friend of mine who was observing obedience competition for the first time: “It is utterly amazing!”

If your dog fractured a tooth, a general veterinary practitioner might extract it. However, there are reasons not to do this. The arguments against removing the tooth are that the dog has a more painful and longer recovery, an extraction leaves a hole so that teeth don’t have opposing partners to work against and prevent tartar buildup, and it might change the shape of the face.

A veterinary dentist such as Judy Rochette, D.V.M., F.A.V.D., Dip.A.V.D.C., at West Coast Veterinary Dental Services in Vancouver, would do a root canal. This would stop an infection from moving into the tooth while maintaining the tooth and its function. The next step might be fitting a crown over the tooth to protect it. The end result – the bite is preserved and teeth stay cleaner.

Veterinary dentists can handle almost any condition in or around the mouth, including orthodontic problems. If a puppy has teeth erupting in abnormal positions, an appliance can be created using resins, orthodontic brackets, and/or elastics to move teeth and correct the bite. In others, selective extractions allow full movement of the jaw or better growth of adult teeth. It can mean the difference between a painful mouth and a functional, pain-free one.

Veterinary dentists excel at surgery involving the mouth because of their extensive study of oral anatomy. For a dog that has a broken jaw or cancer in the mouth, exact reconstruction or meticulous removal is necessary. Jaw fractures must be accurately aligned to compensate for the forces in the mouth. If not done properly, the bone won’t heal and the teeth won’t interdigitate correctly. For a dog suffering from a melanoma (a highly malignant tumour) on one side of the lower jaw, the solution is to remove that part of the lower jaw (a hemimandiblectomy) to excise the growth. Considering all the vital structures that are in and around the jawbone, this surgical procedure takes considerable expertise.

The most common condition Ro-chette sees is periodontal (gum) disease. In fact, any veterinarian will tell you that this malady is prevalent. It causes bad breath, painful facial swelling and oral discomfort, and sometimes triggers behavioural changes such as a reduced appetite, or a tendency to avoid being petted or to drop food from the mouth.

Periodontal disease may affect the kidneys, liver and heart. It can mean the body is poisoned due to early kidney failure, the liver fails to clear toxins from the blood, and the heart valves scar and create a situation where not enough blood is pumped forward (congestive heart failure). Once periodontal disease is established, teeth need professional cleaning under a general anaesthetic. Extractions are sometimes required if the disease has progressed too far.

Challenging cases for Rochette are the complicated ones that stretch her expertise. For example, severe trauma or an advanced tumour can be technically difficult to repair or resolve. As well, Rochette’s practice treats animals of disparate sizes. Dealing with a root abscess in a flying squirrel is quite different from treating the same condition in a Great Dane or horse.

What does the future hold for veterinary dentistry? Rochette points to the changing standards of care – the field is following the advancements made by human dentists. Rochette sees a day when dental X-ray machines will be required equipment in all veterinary facilities offering dental care. As well as equipment requirements, there will be minimum education requirements needed by staff performing dental procedures.

She thinks that dogs will suffer less from periodontal disease in years to come. The impetus is coming from clients who want a higher standard of care for their dogs.

Owners are now asking for dental care – regular oral examinations and periodic teeth cleanings are becoming commonplace. It is also not unusual for owners to brush their pets’ teeth to maintain oral health.

The future for veterinary dentistry looks bright, but the real beneficiaries are the dogs themselves.

The CBSA’s detector dog program began in 1978 with a handful of dogs and a few runs at the agency’s Learning Centre in Rigaud, Que. The program, which trained dogs to detect firearms and narcotics, proved successful and by 1981, a 10-run kennel had been constructed. The facility was expanded in 2000 to hold 28 dogs at maximum capacity, and in 2003 a currency detector dog pilot project was launched. In 2005, the CBSA absorbed the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s canine program, adding food, plant and animal (FPA) detector dogs to its roster.

“The best thing about the dogs is that they don’t discriminate,” explains handler Ian Falzon, whose partner ‘Jagger’ is a currency detector dog at Toronto Pearson International Airport. “They just look for what they’re trained for.”

Dogs are sourced from breeders, rescue organizations, shelters and through word-of-mouth referrals. “We look for natural hunters that are bold, not timid, and that are comfortable around people, noise and action,” explains Brochu. Labrador Retrievers account for 65 per cent of the dogs in the program – the remainder are hunting breeds such as Springer Spaniels, Golden Retrievers, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers, German Short-haired Pointers and the occasional mix. Beagles are used exclusively for food, plant and animal detection.

Regardless of breed, dogs must exhibit good health and agility, a high retrieve drive and no signs of aggression. Only one in 10 dogs is accepted into the program, and after a one-week trial that includes visits to Montreal-Trudeau Airport and a complete veterinary assessment, the successful candidates begin their preliminary training at the Rigaud facility.

Successful applicants to the handler program also come to Rigaud to take part in an intensive 10-week course. “From the start, handlers take full responsibility for the dogs,” Brochu explains. The first week of class focuses on theory – how dogs learn, animal husbandry, and the protocol for living with a working dog. The dogs have only a basic level of training when the course begins – they learn along with their handlers, and bond with them throughout the process.

Each handler works with a variety of dogs to give them experience and allow the trainers to select the best possible match – not just between handler and dog, but also between dog and place of work. Handler Bill Gilbey began the course working with two dogs, but neither one proved suitable. “Toronto is the biggest and busiest airport in the country,” Gilbey says, explaining that his firearms and narcotics detector dog would need to be bold enough to withstand the noise, vehicles and people. Five weeks later, he met his match in ‘Mingo,’ a black Labrador Retriever with nerves of steel and energy to spare.

Early exercises consist of simple searches where the handler knows the location of the hide. “You have to show the dog it’s fun,” Brochu explains. “You can’t just throw the Kong® [as a reward], you have to get excited and put emotion into it.” As the teams become proficient, they progress to searching people, vehicles and buildings. They also move out of the classroom and into the real world, searching aircraft, container ships and vehicles at airports, marine ports and land border crossings.

By week six, live scenarios are introduced, testing not only the dog’s ability to find the hide, but also the handler’s skill in reading the dog and dealing with the public. Progress is gradual, and the trainers use video to help the handlers visualize their errors and refine their technique. “They have to be able to laugh at themselves,” Brochu says. “It’s part of the process of learning and improving.”

Both handlers and dogs have to pass the course in order for the team to graduate, and trainers check in with them after they’ve had a chance to settle in back home. “They haven’t always ended up with the dog they thought they wanted,” Brochu explains, “but 95 per cent of them thank us during follow-up.”

Upon returning to Pearson, Falzon and Jagger were mentored by veteran currency detector dog handler Ron Downer and his canine partner ‘Kenzo.’

Unlike other detector dogs, currency dogs are trained on a threshold – everyone carries money, but only amounts in excess of $10,000 need to be declared. “He’s not just looking for a goose,” Falzon explains. “He’s looking for the largest goose in the flock.” It takes a new team about a year to become fully operational, and two to three years to reach their peak. In his three years on the job, Jagger has indicated on several million dollars worth of cash and monetary instruments, almost half of which was enforcement related.

Every year, trainers from Rigaud travel to re-certify the teams at their home base. Any that are having problems are given an action plan, and may be required to return to Rigaud for a refresher course. “The dogs are a valuable resource in the fight against criminal elements,” explains Paramjit Joura, superintendent of Pearson’s Passenger Operations Enforcement Division, so maintaining their skills is critical to ensuring the integrity of the program.

Eager Beagle

Edward Filman’s Beagle ‘Lana’ is trained to detect food, plants and animals (FPA), including meat, fruit, bulbs, soil, plants and flowers. “Beagles are determined, methodical searchers,” Filman explains. “They’re independent and focused, and their smaller size means they don’t startle people as a larger dog might,” adds colleague Jane Killins, whose Beagle ‘Buddy’ is also an FPA detector.

If the dog indicates on a bag, the handler will ask the passenger about the contents and whether they have been declared. “It’s easy for a dog to find a suitcase full of food – it’s the smallest finds that are the most significant,” Killins explains. “A small item that’s wrapped and hidden is the real measure of the dog’s skill.” Most of the time, the offending item is some leftover lunch or a snack, and it hasn’t occurred to the passenger that it could be a problem. “It’s an opportunity to educate the public,” Filman says.

Each FPA dog can check five to seven flights a day, which translates into more than 1,000 passengers and all their accompanying luggage. “The dog is the only tool that can do this job,” Killins explains. “We can’t X-ray for food, plants and animals as they’re organic matter and look just like clothing on X-rays.” There’s just no way that humans could do the job, adds Joura, and the mere presence of the dogs acts as a deterrent to those who might be considering smuggling contraband into or out of the country.

“Our dogs are generally capable of working to over 10 years of age,” Brochu says. “Afterwards, we ask the handler if they wish to keep the dog or place it with a family of their choice.” Though people still mistake her for a pup, 10-year-old Lana will soon be retiring from the program. “She’ll work as long as she’s happy and healthy,” Filman says – and he plans to adopt her when the time comes. Filman will then head back to Rigaud to train with his next dog, but as an experienced handler he’ll be required to stay for only five weeks instead of the full 10. Then he and his new canine partner will return to the front lines along with the other CBSA teams, deterring smugglers, educating the public, and ensuring that travellers understand and respect the law.

Up to 70 per cent of the dry weight of mature bone is mineral. Immature bone, in contrast, lacks mineral but abounds in collagen. The collagen in young bones increases flexibility and enhances resiliency to fracture. Over time, the mineral content of bone increases rapidly; bone stiffness increases 20-fold in the first six months of life.

Puppy bones can absorb more energy and tolerate more strain and elastic deformation prior to fracturing than adult bones.

The other consequence is that juvenile bones are susceptible to different fractures than mature bones. For example, greenstick fractures, which are incomplete breaks going just part way through the bone, are almost exclusively seen in young dogs. Adult bones are much more brittle, causing them to fracture completely. As well, young bones can fracture at growth plates. This can’t occur in adult bones because the growth plates have closed and there is solid bone in their place.

Puppies differ from adults in the symptoms they show when a bone fractures. Pups often put weight on a broken leg, whereas adults won’t.

Crepitus, or grating together of the two broken, rough bone ends when moving, is often absent in pups, but a classic sign of a fracture in adults.

Pups are also unique in that the lameness associated with a fracture often disappears after a few days.

This, along with the fact that very young bones don’t show up well on radiographs (not well calcified) and fracture lines may be hard to find, makes the diagnosis difficult. Careful physical (palpation) and radiographic examination is needed to confirm a break.

To understand the problem with fractures in puppies, we need to review the anatomy of bones. The middle part of the bone is called the diaphysis; each end is the epiphysis. The latter part includes the growth plate, which is active and open in growing dogs and becomes inactive and closed in adult dogs.

If a bone breaks in the diaphyseal region, it is handled the same as if it were an adult bone with a fracture: the bone ends are held together so that a callus forms to stabilize and repair the fracture.

An epiphyseal fracture is quite different because the growth plate may be involved and disrupted, stopping all or part of it from continuing to grow. The result is a shortened leg or a bone that grows crooked. In the latter case, one side of the growth plate has shut down.

The best example of this effect is when the ulnar bone (the bone paired to the radial bone below the elbow) is damaged. The ulnar growth plate at the bottom of the bone, close to the wrist/carpus, may close prematurely.

This makes the bone shorter, which then has a bowstring effect on the radius. The radius deforms and bows out to the side, changing the angulation at the carpus, and leading to joint incongruity at the elbow. This can lead to joint deformity, subluxation and progressive arthritis. Cutting a section of bone out of the ulna takes the tension off the radius, allowing it to possibly straighten, or at least not get worse.

However, fractures in immature bones have a redeeming factor – they have a great propensity to heal. The periosteum, or membrane covering the bone, has an immense blood supply. This contributes significantly to the development of a callus in fracture healing. On the other hand, the soft nature of young bones makes implants used in repair susceptible to premature loosening and instability.

There are many ways to treat a fractured bone, and for each fracture, there is a best method.

The simplest way to fix a fracture in a young dog is immobilization with an external device. This can be a cast or a splint, but in tiny dogs, it sometimes consists of padding the leg and using a syringe case to keep it straight. This type of repair is best suited for diaphyseal fractures.

Though casts are easy to apply, they need intense management. Depending on the speed of bone growth, the cast needs to be checked and sometimes re-applied weekly.

Casts can also be a contributor to ‘fracture disease,’ a syndrome characterized by joint laxity or stiffness, muscle atrophy, degeneration of the joint cartilage and possibly deformity of the joint. It arises after prolonged immobilization of the joint.

The solution is to take frequent radiographs to monitor the healing process. The cast should be removed as soon as union of the bone is achieved.

Surgical repair can also be used in puppy fractures. Intramedullary pins – straight pins inserted into the marrow cavity of the bone – keep the bone ends in alignment. These can be run through the epiphysis as long as they occupy less than 25 per cent of the cross-sectional area of the growth plate.

Large pins have been associated with disturbance of the growth plate and subsequent retardation of growth.

Pins can also be used externally with a diaphyseal fracture. The pins are anchored in the cortex of the bone to hold the bones together. Though the soft cortices of immature bones can lead to instability of the pins in the bone, this is usually not a concern – the bone normally heals before the fixation fails.

Bone plates are rarely used except in long-bone fractures in large breeds or performance dogs. The main drawback is the extensive surgical exposure required to put the plate on the bone.

This is useful if perfect bone alignment is required for optimal repair and function. Plates are usually removed after three to five weeks to avoid plate entrapment and im-proper stresses on the bone.

Fractures of the epiphyseal growth plate deserve special mention. The surgeon’s goal is to cause minimal damage, using the least-invasive fixation compatible with good function and rapid healing.

Casts and such have limited use because the bone ends in fractures are rarely aligned. Muscles and ligaments tend to pull the bones out of alignment.

Fractures of growth plates require internal fixation – surgery to expose the fracture site, coupled with a fixation technique. Because of the rapid rate of healing, these implants need to provide only temporary stability rather than long-term rigid fixation.

In most cases of growth-plate fracture, smooth pins (or tiny wires a few millimetres in diameter) are run through the growth plate. Screws and plates are generally avoided. Both could be used with the intent of removing them after three weeks or so. Failure to remove such implants can lead to premature closure of the growth plate and shortening/deformity of the leg.

Bone fractures in puppies should be treated within 24 to 48 hours of injury. This allows an easier reduction (getting the bone ends back in place), less tissue and bone trauma, and the best possible outcome.

The key is to know what options you have and which one has the least chance of interfering with subsequent bone growth.

The world has become safety-crazed. People buy helmets for toddlers learning to walk, so it shouldn’t be surprising that dogs are perceived as dangerous, too. Fuelled by unconfirmed statistics and frenzied media attention, people are feeling justified in their fear. Let’s take it down a notch and look at the reality.

Dogs hold a unique position in our lives. They are companions, workers and heroes. At the same time, they are seen as posing a threat. For some, dogs are family members kept in our homes and involved in our activities. At the other end of the spectrum are those who keep dogs as possessions, unsocialized and untrained – or worse, trained to attack. In reality, irresponsible, abusive and ignorant dog owners have created most of the situations where dogs have harmed people.

Early and positive socialization with children is the best way to teach dogs that kids are not scary or dangerous. The same goes for kids. Early and positive interaction with dogs, learning the do’s and don’ts, will teach kids that dogs are not scary or dangerous. Familiarity breeds confidence and ability. People with the proper skill set won’t torment, tease or unwittingly provoke a dog. Parents who are terrified of dogs need to look carefully into the facts before instilling an irrational fear in their children.

In doing research for this article, I came across an astonishing amount of contradictory information, inflammatory language, misinformation and inflated numbers. Cases in point: the oft-quoted number of 4.5 million Americans, or two per cent of the population, bitten per year; or, one-in-five dog bites requires medical attention. Both statements have been used to prove how big a problem dog bites are in North America.

But the National Canine Research Council points out that that number was obtained by phone surveys of just over 5,000 people, conducted in 1994 by J.J. Sacks, M. Kresnow and B. Houston, and the data was, “weighted to provide national estimates.” The estimated numbers are not corroborated by actual public health agencies.

Even if the huge numbers estimated were correct, how can a problem that affects not quite two per cent of the population and in most cases requires no medical attention be called an “epidemic”? Dog bites have decreased steadily, even though the dog population has increased – yet the perception remains that dog bites are a major problem, especially for children.

The Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP) database has compiled injury reports using data from the emergency rooms of 10 pediatric hospitals and four general hospitals across Canada. To put things in perspective using actual data from real hospitals, bicycles or hockey are far more dangerous than dogs, but dogs are a bit more dangerous than hot beverages.

Many people have the impression that dogs bite for no reason. In the world of 24-hour news, blogs, Tweets, YouTube, getting attention is hard, so headlines are slanted toward the dramatic. The news media finds a hot-button issue and selects stories that will elicit the strongest response, sell the most newspapers, generate the most hits on the website.

Several summers ago, headlines in Toronto screamed “Year of the Gun,” leaving people to suppose that the streets of that city were war zones when nothing could have been further from the truth. In reality, crime rates had dropped.

Reports of dog “interactions” are often just as irresponsible. Reporters regularly leave key points of a biting incident to the very end – the dog was tied outside its entire life, and an unsupervised child wandered over to the dog’s food. Suddenly the terrifying becomes a tragic and preventable story of abuse and negligence. Still, the only thing many people take away from the story is the scary headline and their fear is reinforced.

Also on the rise is the number of people who are shocked when I tell them they can pat my dogs. “Won’t it bite me?” they ask – apparently expecting every dog to be a rampaging maniac like the ones in the headlines.

What exactly is a dog bite? If the skin is broken by a tooth, it is considered a bite and reported as such in many of the statistics used to promote the dog-bite “epidemic.” No distinction is made between actual attacks, accidental scratches, protective bites or defensive bites. Did the dog turn around and graze the skin of a child that poked it with a stick – justifiable and restrained defence from abuse? Or did the dog snap because a child walked by its food bowl – an unreasonable overreaction. In the statistics, both situations are just bites. Animal control agencies are interested in whether the dogs are up to date on rabies vaccinations, so even a minor scratch is noted and described as a bite. Statistics are slippery things.

I do not mean to trivialize the tragedy of real attacks. They are horrifying and should never happen. But magnifying scratches into medical emergencies terrifies everybody and makes attacks or deaths seem more common.

It is important to put things in perspective. If every dog required the amount of careful handling that is recommended these days, dogs should be in zoos instead of living rooms. It makes sense to fear a bear walking down the street, but it’s not so logical to cross the street to avoid a dog being walked. More often than not, someone who’s afraid of dogs will do something that makes the dog pay attention to them – pick up a stick and wave it threateningly, flap their arms or scurry around the dog in an interesting way. Any dog is going to at least look at this abnormal behaviour.

Dogs make people’s lives a little richer, bring things into perspective, dry a tear or make us laugh. It’s a shame that, through misinformation and hysteria, many people do not or cannot participate in the conversation.

When a dog is fearful, we use incremental exposure to build up confidence. Starting at a distance, we expose the dog to the disturbing thing coupled with a positive thing. We make sure that the scary thing doesn’t do anything startling as we move closer, and slowly the dog makes a positive association with the scary thing. The same thing works for people (although liver treats aren’t nearly as effective as proper information).

Please, get out and about with your friendly dog.

However, an increased awareness of this disease by veterinarians, and better testing, means it is being diagnosed earlier. The key is to be aware of the symptoms so you can ask your veterinarian to test for the disease.

Hypoadrenocorticism (HA) occurs in a higher frequency in the Standard Poodle, Labrador Retriever, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Portuguese Water Dog, Great Dane, Rottweiler, Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier and West Highland White Terrier. Its heritability is under investigation. So far, information is inconclusive.

HA is a glandular problem. Specifically, the outer layer (cortex) of the paired adrenal glands is inactive. The hormones they produce, collectively called corticosteroids, enable the body to adapt physiologically to stress. These are divided into the glucocorticoids (GC) and mineralocorticoids (MC). We can see deficiencies of one or both in HA.

GC, sometimes called cortisols, are related to the synthetic hormone prednisone. They alter the metabolism of sugar, fat and protein. Their mission is to gear up the body so that it can burn these food sources (rather than storing them) in a fight-or-flight situation.

MC such as aldosterone influence the levels of sodium and potassium in the blood. The way to think of this is that sodium (as a salt) tries to keep water in the bloodstream. MC conserve sodium so that the volume of blood in the bloodstream is at maximum. This allows the body to lose a little blood in a fight and blood pressure won’t drop too low.

These corticosteroid hormones help the body adapt to stressful situations. Without these hormones, even small stresses can be a physiologic disaster.

HA usually strikes young dogs (four to five years old), but any age can be affected. It’s been seen in puppies as young as 12 weeks old. Bitches are affected twice as often as males.

HA can arise from destruction of the adrenal cortex itself (this primary form is the most common form of this disease) or there is a defect in hormone manufacture by the pituitary gland at the base of the brain. In this latter case, there is no hormone available to stimulate the adrenal cortex into action (this secondary form of the disease is rare).

In primary HA, the adrenal cortex is destroyed by an overactive immune system. Antibodies attack the cells and cause inflammation, killing the cells. This leaves the dog with a shriveled gland composed of scar tissue.

Initially, signs of HA are vague. They may consist of listlessness along with vomiting and diarrhea. Periodic episodes lasting a day or two may go on for a prolonged time, and the owner (and veterinarian) believe the dog has periodic intestinal problems. However, when a dog suddenly goes into an Addisonian crisis, it is hard to ignore the symptoms. In this event, the dog can’t meet its caloric and circulatory requirements when exposed to stress and simply collapses in shock.

In an Addisonian crisis, blood sugar drops precipitously low and potassium concentrations rise. The latter occurs because there is not enough sodium in the bloodstream. Excess potassium disrupts heart function – the heart rate drops and an irregular rhythm develops. This crisis can be fatal. About one-third of HA dogs are diagnosed while in a crisis.

When a veterinarian sees an animal in shock, and there has been no history of trauma or exposure to toxins, s/he institutes supportive treatment. This consists of intravenous fluids (which have moderate levels of sodium and little potassium) and possibly some glucocorticoids.

By coincidence, this general therapy is also the specific treatment for Addison’s disease. The dog recovers, but the veterinarian will be no wiser that s/he treated an Addisonian dog rather than a dog suffering from shock due to another reason.

The way to diagnose HA is to do a blood panel. In HA, the renal toxins (blood urea nitrogen and creatinine) are elevated. This can be mistaken for acute renal failure (ARF). The big difference between these two is the response to treatment. In HA, the patient seems to improve very fast while on fluids. In contrast, patients with ARF are slow to improve and have a poor prognosis.

The other characteristic abnormalities on blood tests of dogs with HA are elevated potassium and decreased sodium.

In some cases, an electrocardiogram can also suggest a dog has HA. The hyperkalemia (high blood potassium) causes specific changes in the ECG pattern (small or absent P waves).

The way to diagnose HA with certainty is to do an ACTH stimulation test. An injection of ACTH (adrenocorticotrophic hormone) is given to stimulate the adrenal cortex to release corticosteroids, just as it would in times of stress.

Normal dogs have a massive rise in corticosteroids with an ACTH injection. HA dogs have no corticosteroids to release. This test should not be done while a dog is receiving steroids for any other condition as it will give a false result.

Treatment of HA consists of providing supplemental GC and MC. The most important aspect is replacing the missing MC. This can be done with the medication fludrocortisone acetate (known as Florinef®), given twice daily. The dog’s electrolyte levels (sodium and potassium) are tested regularly until the appropriate dose is found, and then periodically after that.

With time, the Florinef dose needed to control the disease seems to increase. About 50 per cent of dogs on Florinef do not need any GC; the medication has some glucocorticoid activity as well as its MC effects.

Another way to treat HA is with a Percorten® (DOCP) injection, given every 25 days. Many veterinarians feel that this medication provides better control, but in addition, a small dose of prednisone is needed to provide sufficient GC activity.

HA can usually be well controlled, but owners must be alert to signs of relapse or illness in their dog, particularly during periods of stress (such as from surgery or trauma).

Although little is known about the inheritance of this disorder, it is prudent to avoid breeding affected animals or their close relatives.

But in summer, sled dogs make lousy photography models. Their coats are coming out in thick mats like half-shorn sheep. They roll in the mud like pigs. They need to be covered in bug repellent. Most photographers would run the other way. But we mushers adore them even when they’re in the caterpillar phase of their life cycle.

I’m sitting cross-legged in the yard on a wooden platform above a pool of mud. I’ve moved the dog yard to fresh green grass, but they always end up digging lakes that fill up in it rains. ‘Blaze’ is lying in my lap, legs splayed out in a way only dogs get away with. Her dog smell is all over me. She pokes her nose at my hand when I stop brushing. A wet pay slaps me on the chest. Yes, Blaze, you’re itchy, I know.

Her shedding fur can be pulled at like cotton candy. I smear the backs of her pointed ears with a thick, tar-like paste to keep the biting flies from chewing her raw.
We’ve just come back from a swim in Lake Superior. I took ‘Doppler,’ ‘Jade,’ Blaze and ‘Ula.’ They ran full tilt up and down the beach for half an hour. Paws just touching the water’s edge, tongues lolling, pounding past me with gleeful smiles.

Huskies generally dislike the water, but these guys have grown up here beside the lake and some have learned that the cool water on their bellies is a relief. I swam across a wide river mouth and the dogs followed, though Jade, who still distrusts the water, jumped on her buddy Doppler’s back for a ride, Doppler just grinned.

In a few months the early mornings will be cool enough to start the training all over again. Pulling the ATV, getting the miles. Figuring out new positions on the gangline, who runs best together for the upcoming season. ‘Minden,’ I think you should come up to point position this year. She seems interested in what’s going on in the lead.

You want to learn how to be a leader, girl? ‘Tarzan,’ we still need your muscle in the wheel here big guys, right in front of me.

They are constantly growing, evolving, learning. After a few hundred miles on bare ground, the snow will finally come and we’ll thankfully switch to the sled. We’ll run miles of silent trails together. Mid-morning sun hitting the hoarfrost that covers bare branches and the world is a sparkling diamond. We’ll stop at some perfect spot and the dogs will have enthusiastic snow baths, grunting with pleasure. I’ll lie on the sled bag and eat a jam sandwich and listen to the personal space around me.

By the time we go to a dog race they will have their sleek winter coats. People will want to pet them, take their pictures, ride in the sled.

But until then, the dogs sleep, they swim, they get brushed and loved. They lay on their platforms with coated ears and itchy skin and watch the butterflies flit by.

When they’re young, pups stick close by. They don’t have the confidence to run across the park in a straight line away from you. As they get older, their confidence increases, and they start to take more risks. Now they don’t stick so close, and their exploring expands to not only some bushes a few feet away, but the patch of garden close to the road. As your blood pressure rises, so does your voice.

“Come… Here boy… Come!” falls on deaf ears. You make a deal with yourself that if only your dog will turn around and come to you, you will concentrate on his training more diligently. Miracles do occur, and your beloved dog comes running back. Now you have a deal to keep.

Training your dog to come when called can be one of your most challenging tasks as a dog owner, and one that deserves your best effort. You need to practise, practise, practise. Use some solid techniques and do thousands of Recalls.

Start with your pup on a leash. Call his name, then say “Come” in a happy voice. Encourage your dog to come to you, tell him to sit, take hold of his collar and give him a treat. That’s it. That is your task.

The great outdoors is host to numerous distractions. I don’t see a treat as a bribe, but as a reward. The more a behaviour is rewarded, the more likely it is to occur. My dogs all come when they’re called, even though I don’t always have a treat for them. They were trained with treats; the end result is a fabulous Recall, then they are weaned off the treats. Thinking that your dog should come to you because you have asked him to, and you are you, can be a losing battle. Matching “Come” with a tasty treat will help you accomplish your goal of getting your dog trained for a solid Recall.

Once he has mastered this word “Come” on his leash, you can attach a longer line and allow him to wander farther. Call him to come frequently during your outdoor time. Let him get his treat and go back to exploring or playing with his canine buddies. As soon as he consistently comes back to you when called, you can let the long line drop and soon stop using it altogether. The key is to not repeat the word over and over again, but to call him once and encourage him to come to you. The leash is not on him so you can pull him in; it is on him to stop him from wandering away, and for safety.

Now you are ready to start proofing this word. Your dog understands what you want when you call him to come, so you can start to make the exercises more challenging – and fun – for both of you.

While out walking on leash, say “Come” and at the same time start to run backward. This surprise action will not only help improve your dog’s Recall, it will help keep him focused on you while he’s heeling. Another game is coming away from a distraction. When your dog is looking elsewhere, call him to you and reward him for coming. You can do this outside or in the house. Toss a toy, and when he goes to investigate, call him.

It’s important to remember that teaching a Recall should always be upbeat and fun. A firm tone will make most dogs apprehensive about coming. Don’t call your dog for something unpleasant like having his nails trimmed. When you call him, make sure only good things happen so he will make a positive association with this word.

Most of us lose patience at some point when calling our dogs. If you’re starting to sound like a broken record, put the long line back on and do a bit more homework. Practice makes perfect and nowhere is this more evident, and more important, than on a Recall.

Once your dog comes reliably, set up some distractions and teach him to ignore them. Put some holes in empty plastic water bottles and add a few smelly treats. You can put these bottles around your house or yard and call your dog to come past them. Learning to come no matter what is in the way is a great lesson for all dogs.

If you have trained a solid Sit, and are now working on a Recall, consider how this looks to your dog. First you taught your dog to stay and not move. Now you are asking him to move from his spot and come to you. Most dogs like to be given feedback, so when you call your dog and he gets up from the Stay, say “Yes” so he knows he’s right. Encourage him with some verbal praise.

I like my dogs to come with tail wagging and a big smile on their faces. This can be accomplished by reward and encouragement and you will no longer be the dog-catcher!

She adopted the two-year-old tan-coloured racer from a Greyhound rescue shelter just over 10 years ago. His anti-social behaviour and lack of training initially made things difficult for the pair, but after two years of patience, Winston finally came around. Kush describes him as her best friend and soulmate who stayed with her during her single years, the beginning of married life and through the birth of her first child.

“Anything I was going through in life, I could pull my strength from him and he was always just there for me,” she explains. “He was my baby. He was an absolutely wonderful dog.”

She was devastated when he was diagnosed with cancer at 10 years old, but drastically changing his diet pushed the cancer into remission. Kush had 18 more months with Winston before she noticed a weakness and loss of feeling in his hindquarters. After six months of his being unable to stop from relieving himself in the house, she knew in her heart the time had come.

“I called the vet and said we’ll have to do this really fast,” she says, recalling the decision to euthanize Winston. “He said, ‘Just come out.’”
Kush, her husband, Chris, and Winston were ushered into the vet clinic through a separate entrance so they would not have to face a waiting room full of strangers.

As Winston’s final moments approached, Kush said goodbye to her friend, knowing that she couldn’t go into the exam room and watch him slip away.

Winston passed away in the care of Chris and their veterinarian, as Kim stood outside the door and wept. She credits her vet’s compassion for making it as easy as possible for her, her husband and, most of all, her Winnie.
“I just had to stay outside,” she says through tears. “Whenever anyone would walk him away from me, he would always pull and try to stand beside me and [as they walked Winnie away] he didn’t. He just went in; it was like he knew.”

It is a moment we don’t want to go through, much less think about, but facing the decision to euthanize my 12-year-old Collie cross ‘Alex’ just before Christmas 2006 led me to ask others about their experiences so I would know what to expect. I heard stories of vets allowing dogs to lie on the floor in the midst of their families; tales of dogs peacefully passing away after spending their final moments in the arms of loved ones, as well as calls and cards of condolence sent by the vet afterward.

This was not our experience. I can still hear Alex’s anxious cries and see her front paws clawing at the surgical table as two technicians held her down and our vet shaved her right front paw, then administered the initial sedative and the fatal dose of anaesthetic. My husband Hugh and I stroked her and tried to reassure her, but she continued to fight it. Before we knew it, she was gone. We didn’t have 15 minutes alone with our baby while she was calm like I thought we would. Before I was really ready, I lost the first dog I ever had. I don’t think the ache will ever go away and worse, for us, is the final memory we have of Alex.

Knowing what clients and their dogs need during this painful time is extremely important, says Dr. Cathy Emms of Ivy Veterinarian Services, just outside Barrie, Ont.

“I think that euthanasia is one of the most important times for you to be compassionate,” she says. “It’s a huge decision for the owner to make. A lot of times they’re losing their best friend. You need to take into consideration everything you can think of to make that experience go smoothly.”

Supporting the owners’ decision is paramount to the service Emms provides her clients, as they usually need to feel reassured. Thankfully, I had that support from my vet and do not carry the burden of regret on top of my deep sense of loss.

“If they’re having trouble making the decision and I honestly feel that it’s the right time, I will sometimes say something like, ‘You know, if this were my dog, I would be thinking about euthanasia, too, ’” says Emms.

Emotional support

Like Kush, Emms’ client Lori Martin relied on her vet when her 12-year-old Rough Collie, ‘Hannah,’ suffered extreme pain and loss of control in her rear end, due to arthritis.

“I really leaned heavily on Dr. Emms at that time,” says Martin, recalling Hannah’s final days in the spring of 2006. “I trusted Dr. Emms enough to know that she would guide me because it’s a really tough situation. You want them around; you want them to stay with you as long as possible but you don’t want them to suffer. I think that’s the torment about being in that situation.”

Family and friends sat on the floor in a private room at Emms’ clinic and comforted Hannah. Once Emms administered the sedative to relax her and left them alone, Hannah turned and looked at each person before she settled on the blanket between them. Emms returned about 15 minutes later and gave Hannah a lethal dose of a barbiturate that quickly and painlessly stopped her heart.

While thinking about euthanizing your dog is unsettling, it’s an important consideration when choosing your veterinary care. I respect my vet very much – he is one of the best in his field and he provided excellent care to Alex through various tumour scares and in her last year, kidney disease – but I also know that I could have found more comfort in Alex’s final moments if I had expressed my expectations to him beforehand.

When initially meeting with a veterinarian, Emms suggests you pay close attention to how he or she treats your animal and how your animal responds.

“I think you get that personal touch from some people and maybe not so much from others. So, if you want to be assured that at that really important time when you might have to put your pet down you’ve got someone who is compassionate, I think you can tell that right away.”

You can also ask questions such as:

• Is there an extra cost if you want to be with your dog during the procedure? (Some charge extra.)
• Can you bring in family and friends?
• How much time will you have with your dog after the sedation and before the lethal injection?
• Do they offer privacy with a separate entrance or waiting room, or appointments during off-hours?
• Can you hold the dog or have him on the floor with you during the procedure?
• Can your dog be given extra sedation if he’s anxious, perhaps even something you can give orally before you reach the vet’s office?
• Is the vet licensed to provide euthanasia at your home?

Ivy Veterinarian Services has a registered mobile clinic Emms uses to treat animals at their home. For many, who want complete privacy or because of their dog’s anxiety, this is a preferred option. Emms will take the dog’s body back to her clinic for cremation, but often euthanasia at home is followed by burial on the family’s property. While Emms does not provide burial service, she tells her clients to check local bylaws first, as many municipalities forbid home burial.

Some veterinarians provide burial service – often a mass grave with other pets – while most offer cremation and give you the choice of having your dog’s ashes returned to you. For other burial options, the International Association of Pet Cemeteries has a list of memorial parks and cemeteries in Canada.

“The most important thing for a vet to do is to make everything as easy as possible for the animal and the owner,” says Emms. “I think our clients are really comforted if they are there when we put the animal down and they see that it’s not a terrible thing and it wasn’t painful and they were really peaceful when they passed away.”

Bella had always exhibited a great deal of nervous behaviour at the vet’s office, so I wasn’t surprised when my parents told me they wanted to let her go in the comfort of their home.

The decision to euthanize a pet can be gut wrenching. Adding to the many considerations is the option of home euthanasia.

Ilana Smolkin, D.V.M., co-owner of the Guelph Animal Hospital, notes, “Decisions surrounding euthanasia are very personal.” She suggests that people proceed in a way that is most comfortable for them and that seems right for their pet. “Some people choose not to be present; others want the whole family there. Some do not want that memory in their home; others feel [their dogs] are more comfortable in that environment.”

When confronting the decision to euthanize a pet, seek advice from your veterinarian. If you are considering a home euthanasia, start by asking your vet if he or she will perform this service. Not all will offer home euthanasia, but many do – and some who don’t offer the service as a general rule may agree to do so under special circumstances.

As difficult as it may seem to discuss the subject of euthanasia, doing so will help you understand the process and think through a number of issues. The event itself is wrought with emotion, so the best time to think about important decisions is before the procedure.

“It is helpful for people to know in advance what they should expect,” advises Dr. Smolkin. “Aftercare decisions such as cremation, whether or not to keep the ashes, burial options, etc., are best planned for.” You can’t simply assume, for example, that your veterinarian will leave your pet with you to bury. “Many cities have bylaws about burial after euthanasia,” Smolkin cautions.

Strictly speaking, the procedure won’t change if performed at home instead of a clinical setting, but there may be aspects that need to be considered for home euthanasia. “Owners should be prepared that animals can lose control of their bowels or bladder when they go,” advises Smolkin, “and that eyes remain open.”

Here again, Smolkin suggests discussing the procedure with your vet in advance, because every practitioner has a slightly different approach. For example, some veterinarians elect to sedate an animal prior to the procedure, in order to lessen any stress that might occur.

Ask your vet if this is something he or she recommends.

On a summer day, my parents and I sat together on the floor of their living room. The three of us held Bella close, told her we loved her and stayed with her until she slipped away. My parents couldn’t bear to watch her being taken from the house, so I gently wrapped her up in the quilt that some years back she had declared hers, and said my final goodbye to her. Our veterinarian left and we took comfort in knowing that Bella’s pain had ended.

Letting Bella go at home didn’t lessen the loss. It didn’t make things easy. We still miss her. But it did feel like the right decision for Bella and there is some comfort in looking back and knowing that we did our best to make those final moments as peaceful as possible.

There are many advantages to fluff drying: the coat will dry quicker using this method, the coat can be straightened (which is important if you plan to use scissors), fluffing with a brush can help remove any remaining mats or undercoat, and fluff drying can improve the appearance of a sparse coat or one that has been clipped short.

Professional dog dryers are the best choice for fluff drying. They provide maximum air volume and most have variable heat controls. Choosing a stand model will allow you hands-free operation. Professional dryers are very powerful and if you decide to use one, you must be careful not to burn your dog’s skin.

A professional dog dryer is a costly investment for most pet owners. A human hair dryer can be used instead; clamps are available that attach to the edge of your grooming table to hold the hair dryer. This will give you the use of both hands: one hand to hold your dog, the other to hold the brush.

Choose a soft grooming brush for fluff drying. Your dog’s skin may already be a little irritated from dematting and brushing prior to his bath, so a soft brush is important at this stage of his groom.

Depending on your dog’s coat type, fluff drying will affect the hair in different ways. For example, fluffing a curly coat (like on a Poodle) will cause the hair to increase in volume, and stand away from the body. Fluff drying a wavy coat (like the leg furnishings on an American Cocker Spaniel), will cause the hair to straighten so that it lies flat.

To fluff dry, aim the nozzle of the dryer at the area of coat you wish to dry. Using a light stroke, either lift and straighten the hair or brush in the direction the coat grows. Your groomer can instruct you on the proper technique to use in order to achieve good results for your particular breed.

To practise, put the dryer nozzle a few inches from your forearm. Leave the dryer in place for a few seconds and notice how fast your skin starts to feel hot. Next, move the nozzle quickly back and forth over your forearm. Notice that the dryer feels a lot less hot when it is kept moving. Always remember to keep moving so that you don’t burn your dog’s skin. If your dryer is a stand model or is clamped to the table, keep repositioning your dog and try to work quickly.

When I was a kid, there were no dog parks. Parks were filled with kids playing soccer and parents handing out snacks, and the family dog was often present, scavenging for bits of food. Today, we see segregation at its finest. It is unclear to me when it started, but in most larger towns and cities, dogs have their own designated area to run free.

This means following a few rules and guidelines to make the most of these parks, and to help the public perception of dogs in general.

Creating a canine culture is paramount to the success of local dog parks. While many people see it as a place to let their dogs run amok, the off-leash park is best used as a tool to physically and mentally tire your dog, while insisting on some manners. The entire dog community must accept and follow this principle; it can take just one person to spoil it for everyone. Some cities and towns have their own dog associations set up. Ask around at your park, you’re sure to find someone with the information.

Most dog parks have a list of rules posted at the entrance. These are put in for safety and should be followed, even if you don’t agree with them. Whether rules are posted or not, please let common sense prevail. Always have a leash with you. Females in heat should be leash-walked elsewhere. Make sure your dog’s vaccination protocol is up to date and your dog is in good health.

The dog park is not the place for an aggressive dog or bully. While you might think it’s funny when your dog harasses, humps, barks at and chases other dogs, that behaviour is not amusing for the rest of the group. And while you may think these actions are funny at the park, all you are doing is allowing your dog to practise bad behaviour.

Many dog owners will decide to let the dogs work it out on their own, but this can lead to disaster if you’re not reading the cues correctly. It’s always best to err on the side of caution, and stop any activity that doesn’t sit well with the group as a whole. It can be okay to play chase if all participants are willing, but more often than not, one dog is doing all the chasing.

Dogs in the park should have a reliable Recall, no exceptions. If your dog doesn’t always come when called, go back to class for some instruction and motivation. “Sit” and “Leave it” are other important words for your dog to have under his belt.

Barking is another issue that cannot go unnoticed. Barking on occasion out of excitement can often be overlooked. Constant barking has to be addressed. Many of the parks are government run and funded, and therefore subject to complaints from the tax-paying public. Barking is a common complaint. Not only do you risk your park being closed due to constant noise, you are again allowing unacceptable behaviour from your dog for the sake of running free. A timeout should help curb a persistent barker.

Off-leash activities are an important part of a dog-park visit. Before unsnapping the leash, do some focus work, using play with friends as your dog’s potent reward. A few minutes of training amidst the distraction of other dogs is a great way to tire your dog out mentally.

Make sure you are always aware of what your dog is doing in the park. It’s a pleasure to chat over coffee with the other dog lovers, but keep an eye on the action.

Be realistic when it comes to your dog. Lots of dogs don’t relish a trip to the dog park. This is especially the case for socially mature dogs. While they loved it as a youngster, they no longer think puppy wrestling or catch-me-if-you-can is fun. If you think about it, when was the last time you played hide-and-seek? Many adult dogs prefer a hike in the woods with their people, or a play date with one or two buddies, to the interaction of large dog groups.

Dog parks are full of them. People with opinions and techniques you don’t agree with. People with ill-mannered pups. People who are not willing to see the bigger picture.

Perhaps your dog doesn’t like to share toys, so you leave them at home. What happens when someone shows up with a ball or a Frisbee? You can ask if they would mind putting away the toy, or you can leave the park for now. You can politely ask what times they bring their dog to the park, and arrange your own schedule accordingly. Most of the people I’ve met in our local dog park are friendly and willing to accommodate the dogs.

The main issue is that owners are often oblivious to their dog’s behaviour and what it might mean to the other dogs. We can’t expect everyone to understand canine body language, but we can and should be responsible for the physical and emotional well-being of our own dogs.
Be aware of the human/dog ratio (two or three dogs per person) and the general manageability of the group. If it doesn’t sit well with you, skip the park that day and take your dog for a walk around your neighborhood instead.

If someone in the park seems apprehensive about your dog, keep your dog away. If you are in an unfenced dog area, you may find people crossing it, or coming into it unknowingly.

It is not okay to let your dog run up to everyone and jump on them while you call out, “It’s okay, he’s friendly.” It would be much more constructive to call your dog to you, put on his leash and perhaps demonstrate a trick at a distance. The person will breathe a sigh of relief and see a different side of dogs. It’s only with correct dog etiquette that we can move forward.

My husband and I have made many changes for our dogs. We have tile floors instead of white carpet; brown leather furniture instead of fabric; and I drive a huge van that has lots of room for dogs and dog crates, instead of the bright red sports car I’d love to have.

I asked some dog owners what their lives would have been like if they didn’t have a dog.

The first thing most new dog owners notice is that you’re never lonely – or alone – with a dog sharing your life. Akbash breeder Orysia Dawydiak says, “I am never lonely because the dogs are around and are good company. When I’m distressed and alone, they are always there to comfort me.”

Of course, there are some times when people expect privacy, but dogs don’t always respect that need. Dog trainer Petra Burke says, “I haven’t been able to go to the bathroom alone for years.

One German Shepherd Dog, two Australian Shepherds and one Pomeranian look upon the bathroom as the time when they can corner me and get special attention!”

Dog owners will appreciate the friends they’ve made through dogs. Dawydiak says, “If I didn’t own my dogs, I wouldn’t have the many doggie friends I currently have all over the world.” It’s easy to see this in action: go for a walk with a dog anywhere and people will stop to talk about your dog.

Finances

Owning dogs will affect your wallet. Dog food, veterinary care, dog toys and other necessities can all add up.

However, there’s another way to look at those expenses. Award-winning writer Susan McCullough says, “If we didn’t have a dog, my husband and I would probably travel a lot more than we do now. That means we would spend more on hotels, airfare and car rental. So, perhaps it’s fair to say having a dog saves us money.”

Dog owners are responsible for the care and well-being of their dogs. That often means being aware of bodily functions that people would often rather ignore.

“If I didn’t share my life with dogs, I wouldn’t have spent two hours outside on a 10°F night making sure all six of my dogs vomited.” Deb Eldredge, D.V.M., says, “I had found the remains of the chocolate fudge and didn’t know which dog (or dogs!) ate it, and I didn’t want the dogs to get sick from the chocolate.”

Numerous studies have shown that dog owners are often healthier than people who do not share their lives with dogs. The companionship is certainly one aspect of this, as is the fact that people who own pets feel needed and essential in life.

But dogs also cause us to be more active. We walk our dogs, play with them, train them. In other words, we get off the comfortable chair and get moving. Only dog owners would be outside at 8:30 a.m. on a Saturday, standing in a wet, cold field while waiting to begin an obedience class or tracking lesson.

Connie Kelly, president of the southern California chapter of Love on a Leash Therapy Dogs, is active with her dogs. Besides their therapy work, they train in obedience, play agility and walk every day. “I simply cannot imagine life without dogs. They keep me active and healthy.”

Dogs add so much to our lives; entire books have been written on the subject. All of us who share our lives with dogs know we make adjustments, but what dogs give us in return far outweighs the changes we make.

Deb Eldredge’s college-age daughter, Kate, says, “If I didn’t have a dog my feet would freeze at night. If I didn’t have a dog I would never know when it was time for dinner.”

Dog owner and author Stanley Coren, Ph.D., says, “If I didn’t have a dog I would spend a lot of money on psychotherapy. I tell my dogs everything out loud, and the process lets me consider alternative options, relieves my stress and keeps me mentally sound.”

The skin on the nasal planum (the smooth, hairless part of the nose) is normally moist, black, soft and shiny. Dogs with NHK, in contrast, have hard, dry, rough skin on the nose, and especially above the nostrils. If the skin thickens enough, you can see fissures and ulcers.

Though this disease is easily spotted on the nose, it can also involve the edges of the footpads – what we call nasodigital hyperkeratosis. The edges can become very thick, but the contact surfaces of the pads are less involved – friction wears down the exuberant tissue. In time, the thickened pads can crack, producing pain and lameness.

A diagnosis of NHK can be complicated or straightforward. If lesions occur in an old dog and he has no other skin problems, the diagnosis is often made on clinical findings alone.

But if the dog is young or middle-aged, or if there are other dermal abnormalities such as depigmentation, ulcers or crusting, tests are needed to rule out other skin disorders. These dogs may have pemphigus (an autoimmune skin disorder), lupus or reactions to poor-quality dog food. Biopsy can confirm NHK.

Hyperkeratosis is due to buildup of excessive keratin (dead skin cells). It is a problem inherent in the skin and treatment is lifelong. Generally, the only dogs treated are those suffering from fissuring of the nose with its associated discomfort.

Treatment of NHK starts with removing the excess dead tissue. Owners can do this themselves once they have been shown how, and in most dogs, this is all that needs to be done.

The other way to manage this condition is to minimize the buildup. The first step is rehydrating the tissue with wet compresses for five to 10 minutes. Next, ointments containing antibiotics and corticosteroids are spread on the tissue.

With daily treatment, it normally takes seven to 10 days to return affected nasal tissue to normal. The key is to not be too aggressive. You don’t want to remove the lower protective layer. Once the nose is near normal, pause treatment until a significant buildup reoccurs. Conversely, treating once or twice weekly can prevent its progression.

Conversely, herbs aren’t your first choice for arthritis, but excel at treating liver disease. By reviewing some examples, you can learn how to choose what’s in your dog’s best interests.

Consider a two-year-old exuberant Labrador Retriever that played with another Lab at the dog park and ended up lame in a front leg. The veterinarian examined him and took radiographs, but found no significant injury. Like most Labs, he won’t tell you where it hurts. What type of alternative medicine is suitable for this dog?

This is a classic chiropractic case as it could be a shoulder or elbow subluxation. Normally, one or two adjustments would fix it. Another choice, and just as valuable, would be acupuncture.

For a seven-year-old Border Collie with a painful, stiff back, the treatment options change. In this case, radiographs show mild spinal arthritis. Painkillers alleviate the symptoms a little, but they quickly come back if medication is stopped.

The first treatment to consider with this dog is acupuncture. There are several reasons for this. One is that chiropractic, which would normally be a good choice with a back ailment, would be difficult to perform because the muscles are so tight. There is also a small possibility that you might be dealing with a disk problem. For this reason, the gentler treatment of acupuncture is safer than chiropractic. Once the stiffness and pain are decreased, this could turn into a chiropractic case.

Imagine a 10-year-old Miniature Schnauzer with liver disease. He is jaundiced and liver biopsies show that it is a non-specific hepatitis. Despite medications, there has been no improvement clinically or on blood tests. No other conventional treatments are available for the dog.

Alternative medicine provides several options in liver disease. Herbal therapy with milk thistle would be an obvious choice. Chinese herbs could also play a role, but would need to be dispensed by a veterinarian trained in their use. Dietary therapy with an easy-to-digest, lower-protein food could be useful. Acupuncture can assist dogs with liver disease. As well, homeopathy might be useful if prescribed properly.

Lastly, what would you do if you had a bitch with urinary incontinence? Conventional medication often helps, but you might want a drug-free method.

This is the ideal acupuncture case; inserting needles often stops the dribbling. It may be needed on a long-term basis (for example, every six weeks), but the treatment has no side effects.

Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of all of this was though I qualified with a high score but failed to win or place, I wasn’t distressed by the results. Instead, there was a collective euphoria because all of us had together been a part of a remarkable display of excellence. This display has been characteristic of recent obedience trials in the Ottawa-Montreal corridor under a range of different judges.

This boom of obedience skill, in an era when obedience is struggling to remain viable, warrants consideration. What are the factors that have resulted in Ottawa-Montreal becoming an informal centre of excellence for obedience?

Obedience in this area has tended to be a small, closed pool – the same long-term competitors showing up consistently with few and infrequent infusions of new blood. But within the last 10 years, Lisa Day moved to Ottawa and Louise Bastien moved to the Montreal area. Both were accomplished long-time competitors in the U.S., who immediately attracted attention here because of their polished skills. Both quickly became coaches and mentors, and a significant number of the high placements we’ve seen in the area have come not just from Lisa and Louise, but also from their students.

The impact of these high-profile newcomers however, was more profound than just skills improvement. Both women are generous and accessible, and the attitude they brought to competition transmitted to those around them and helped forge the supportive local trial culture that many judges have commented upon – the culture that resulted in so many of us celebrating one another’s success in February.

In both Ottawa and Montreal, there are many long-established obedience clubs, each with a core group that has organized trials on a regular basis for many years. These highly skilled organizers have exposed us to many American judges and Canadian judges from outside our local area. This exposure to many different perspectives has helped ambitious competitors recognize that fine-tuning your skills never ends. I suspect that this lack of complacency has kept the overall skill level of local competitors at its highest.

In Ottawa, Frances Holmes operates The Training Hall, in the far western part of the city. In addition to being a trial venue, the hall can be rented. It is well utilized and typically busy during peak trial periods. About three years ago, Kim Cooper opened a similar facility in the eastern part of the city. I suspect that in a snow-bound city the presence of two first-class rental facilities at different ends has allowed more people to train year-round. The results of that training are evident in competition.

This article is purely speculative – the factors above are simply my best guesses about the anatomy of local obedience excellence. It would be interesting to hear from others, both in this and other locations where obedience skills are flourishing. Please feel free to discuss this topic in the Dogs in Canada online forum.

My Finnish Lapphunds are quite perceptive, so I was not surprised when they noticed that Mum sees the world a little differently. Some people don’t see full-spectrum colour. On a good day, I see 10 per cent of the depth most people see. Some call this minor neurological condition stereo-blindness. My dogs call it guaranteed employment and endless laughs.

It seems that no matter how many of these dogs I share my life with, there is always enough work for them. The breed was developed to herd feisty reindeer and as a general odd-job dog, and apparently are easily adaptable to human idiosyncrasies. After all, humans are the feistiest mammals of all, and a challenge to herd. I can just imagine what the conversations among my dogs might be like.

“Go long, ‘Molly’! Mum’s going to walk into that wall!” says the first dog.

“Look out, she’s going to trip again!” the second Lapphund exclaims.

“Open window alert!” calls the third.

How troublesome I must be to them, to require so much supervision.

The three amigos cannot even enjoy a break when humans ought to be sleeping. If I am not sleeping well and get out of bed, I have at least two of the three following me around the house. We employ the normal formation – one Lappy in front; human; and one Lappy behind, just in case I take an unexpected course toward the refrigerator. Then, when I return to bed, the same two bookends lie on top of me, restraining me in the bed.

I’ll grudgingly admit that there have been times when all this supervision has been for my own good. On walks, the dogs show me which side of the hill I am to walk down, where the ice is thick and where it is not. I have been herded away from broken glass, corners, wild animals and motorbikes. When I show them in conformation competitions, it is truly the dog that is in control, telling me where to go in the ring and how quickly, and keeping me from running over fellow competitors and the judge.

This is very much a mutual-aid relationship based upon my quirks. As much as they try to herd me away from danger, sometimes I also feel as if my dogs and I are part of an ongoing, slap-stick-comedy routine. I can almost imagine the dogs smiling at me, and in a way, Lappies can smile. Maybe they think that my unorthodox sense of space is amusing.

When I miss the couch on my way down, and find three dogs wagging their tails and offering me toys, I laugh too. After all, it really is pretty funny.

Nutritional immunology began by examining nutritional deficiencies resulting from malnutrition, but has expanded into the field of immune status related to lifestage (specifically old age) and stress. An immune system that is deficient due to lifestage or stress has a reduced immune response, resulting in increased susceptibility to infectious disease as well as an increase in autoimmune diseases and cancers.

Diet has a significant influence on the immune system. More than 65 per cent of the body’s immune cells are found in the digestive system, or gut. The microbiota in the gut is critical to the development of a healthy immune system. “The immune receptors of the innate immune system present in the gut are the primary targets of strategies for immunomodulation via diet,” said Satyaraj.

One of the characterizations of normal aging is low-level chronic inflammation, which contributes to the immune system’s declining ability to regulate a robust immune response. The aging immune system loses its plasticity – the ability to respond promptly to harmful stimuli then return to a resting state when the challenge is over. This condition, called immunosenescence, increases the risk of age-related diseases such as cancer and infection.

In the aging dog, the numbers of T cells and lymphocytes are decreased. Titres of zinc, a mineral essential to the cells of the immune system, are significantly lower. The number of auto-antibodies and immunoglobulins G, M and A increase with age. All of this combines to have a significant impact on the status of the immune system, and can be modulated with targeted nutrition.

Stress, especially chronic stress, creates a notable negative impact on the immune system. Studies of immune response to vaccines indicate that stress renders individuals at increased risk for more severe illness.

The physiological responses to repeated stress result in activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathetic adrenal-medullary axis. This activation produces glucocorticoid (GC) hormones, which regulate the activity of cytokine-producing immune cells, and catecholamines, which modify immune-response genes.

A passive approach to immunonutrition involves providing dietary protein, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and managing caloric intake to optimize function of the immune system.

Proteins make up the structural components of the immune system. Receptors, cytokines, immunoglobulins and bactericidal proteins are all proteins, so a dietary source of high-quality protein is essential.

Antioxidants such as vitamins C and E and carotenoids can help prevent damage by free radicals. Studies in dogs have documented the benefits of carotenoids, especially in senior individuals.

Prebiotics, such as inulin, help maintain normal gut microflora. With use of antibiotics, infection of the GI tract, stress or old age, the normal bacterial flora can be overgrown by harmful bacteria. Prebiotics help maintain healthy gut flora under adverse conditions.
Caloric restriction not only increases lifespan but reduces immunosenescence. A 2004 study in Labrador Retrievers demonstrated that a calorie-restricted diet helped aging dogs retain a healthier immune system.

Active nutritional strategies attempt to modulate function of the immune system toward a desired goal.

One strategy is to boost the Th1 component of the immune system by stimulating it with probiotics. Protection against microbial infections relies on a Th1 response.

Probiotics include Enterococcus faceum, Lacto-bacilli species and Bifidobacteria species. A study conducted by Satyaraj and Arleigh Reynolds demonstrated that the bioactive properties of bovine colostrums enhanced immune status (according to response to a canine distemper vaccine).

A second strategy is to manage chronic inflammation. Cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s and impaired cognition are all exacerbated by chronic inflammation. A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids and DHA controls the damaging effects of chronic inflammation by reducing levels of prostaglandins and leukotrienes. Reducing inflammation also results in lowered risk of autoimmune disease by reducing exposure of the immune system to self-antigens.

Finally, personalized nutrition is just in its infancy. Some longer-term examples in humans include dietary management for those with diabetes or maintaining a healthy lipid profile to lower risk of cardiovascular disease. To expand this concept, biomarkers – objectively measurable characteristics that are indicators of normal biological processes, disease processes, or responses to therapeutic interventions – must be developed to identify susceptibility to or diagnose disease. Blood-sugar readings of diabetics is an existing example. The goal is to modify physiology through a particular diet, thus pre-venting disease or at least delaying its onset and im-proving quality of life.

Immunomodulation through diet works because of a chain reaction that begins with the immune receptors of the innate immune system. These receptors stimulate antigen presenting cells (APCs), which secrete cytokines that influence the exact nature of the adaptive immune response.

In an aging immune system or an immune system under chronic stress, APCs are not able to up-regulate necessary molecules as efficiently, thus reducing robustness of the immune response and giving it a Th2 (rather than Th1) bias. Immunonutrition attempts to address this deficiency by focusing on providing the required signalling to the APCs. One way to do this is with the im-mune response modifiers (IRMs) found in probiotics.

Immune activity as a result of dietary IRMs occurs not just in the gut, but throughout the entire immune system. This action is not yet fully understood.

Vero Shaw, the distinguished canine authority of that time, gave the view in a show report that, all too often, the pedigree was worth more than the dog. And to this day, you still hear an indifferent animal excused on the grounds that it “has a good pedigree.” As James Watson observed, “No one with any knowledge of the subject will breed to a dog merely on pedigree… a good dog makes a pedigree good, and not the other way.”

There used to be a saying in dog-breeding circles: No animal is well-bred unless it is good in itself. I haven’t heard it spoken of as a received wisdom for some years. Much more important than the names on the written pedigree is the ability to ‘read’ it – translate the names into physical content. As the Scottish Terrier breeder W.L. McCandlish wrote in his book on the breed, “The names in a pedigree form are merely cyphers, designating certain groupings of features and certain sources of blood, and a pedigree is of no value unless the breeder can translate what these cyphers mean.” Yet even some quite experienced dog breeders get dazzled by names on forms, rather than by dogs supported by blood from distinct ancestors. The canine geneticist Malcolm Willis has written, “Never does pedigree information become more important than information on the dog itself.” We must always value dogs that are good in themselves.

A decade ago, Bullmastiff breeder Claire Ridsdale produced an outstanding dog, Wyburn Nightcap, a superbly proportioned, extremely handsome brindle canine athlete. She knew I would admire him and arranged for him to be at a show where I could see him.

He was a throwback to the old gamekeeper’s nightdog, where the breed has its roots. I can understand why this top-quality dog wasn’t shown, but regret that he would never be bred from because of this lack of contemporary show type. He would have made a suitable outcross for Mastiff breeders seeking a reversion to truly typical type in their breed.

We should make full use of outstanding dogs; they produce the blood, not the paper they’re registered on. Our ancestors bred impressive dogs, not impressive pieces of paper.

I’ve never seen a better Airedale than those I saw in Molly Harbut’s Bengal Kennel over half a century ago. Top-quality dogs are truly memorable. I don’t recall written pedigrees.

I have seen some top-quality Akitas, Vizslas, Doberman Pinschers, American Staffordshire Terriers and Great Danes in recent years. I can recall, too, the top-quality ‘of Ware’ Cockers and the Whitwell Pointers. Some dog breeders get lucky and find a blend that more by luck than judgment gives them an outstanding specimen. The really gifted breeders can produce generations of top-quality dogs.

At several World Dog Shows I have seen classes of American Staffordshire Terriers that all look as though they have come from the same dam. Foxhound packs, too, can produce a pack signature in which just about every hound can closely resemble its fellows. In contrast, in a Bullmastiff ring you almost see a collection of ‘any variety Bullmastiff,’ the variations are so wide.

This is not good for breed type, is no help to a judge and not a good omen for the breed’s future. But the breed fanciers seem content with this situation.

When I was working in Germany nearly half a century ago, I learned from Hund und Umwelt (Dog and the World Around Him, i.e., his environment) by Dr F.K. Dorn, of his work in the German Democratic Republic. Dorn devised a system of four categories: A (Type), B (Appearance), C (Conformation) and D (Temperament). Within each category, Dorn devised a numerical scoring system, for example, Al (shelly), A8 (too heavy and clumsy); B0 (lack of pigmentation), B5 (excellent appearance, outline and symmetry); D0 (nervous or timid), D3 (cautious, not self-assured) and D8 (unafraid but not aggressive). Such details could then be written on a dog’s pedigree for use in formulating breeding plans.

This became known as the Merseberg scoring system, after the German Shepherd Dog breed club there. Dorn was seeking to establish a clear picture of the hereditary qualities of a dog’s whole bloodline. But half a century later, our pedigrees still merely list the ancestors for five generations, without any checks on their accuracy or the slightest whiff of real information about the dog. Is this progress? Is this in the best interests of good breeding?

In his informative book Control of Canine Genetic Diseases, George Padgett, D.V.M., argues for registries/kennel clubs to provide genetic information on the written pedigree, not just a list of ancestors. He writes that any registry “that purports to be effective in the control of diseases must provide the information that breeders need….” The Kennel Club has had an in-house geneticist for some years now, but we still have the 19th-century pedigree form.

The early-20th-century terrier breeder Sir Jocelyn Lucas wrote, “The show dog pure and simple is bred from, no matter whether he be clever or a fool. It is the show points or the external appearance alone that count….” If there is truth in that statement today, would not the introduction of a truly 21st-century pedigree form reduce that risk? How valuable to have not just a list of names, but a grading of those dogs, a guide to their genetic well-being, and some use of Dorn’s visionary scheme for assessing the whole dog. When are we going to stop valuing our precious breeds of dog on their appearance alone, when their temperament makes them a successful companion animal and their quality of life depends on their genetic pedigree? Surely, if we honestly seek better breeds, better dogs, and wish to contribute to a breed during our lifetime, we should be campaigning now for truly comprehensive pedigree-form information.

Perhaps highly significant statements such as “No animal is well-bred unless it is good in itself,” “Never does pedigree information become more important than information on the dog itself,” “Some men show pedigrees; I show dogs,” and “A good dog makes a pedigree good, and not the other way” need to be given greater impact. Becoming a fancier’s dog need not be immediately associated with deterioration, but be an acknowledgement that the breed is best-bred – and has wide-ranging thoroughly comprehensive kennel club certification to indicate that. Quality assurance is the name of this game.

Endoscopy means “looking inside.” To do this, you need an opening such as the mouth, nose or urethral opening to put a scope into. Artificial openings can also be made: for example, if you go into the chest, it is a thoracosopy; in the abdomen, it’s a laparoscopy; arthroscopy is exploration of a joint.

Gorodetsky has many endoscopes and an array of forceps he can pass through special channels in the endoscope. These baskets, snares, ‘alligators,’ tripods and nets are designed to retrieve objects. The scope allows him to see how to move the tools to accomplish that task.

The most common condition Gorodetsky deals with is an ingested foreign body. If it is in the stomach, he has about a 95-per-cent chance of being able to remove it. If the foreign body has passed into the intestine, the success rate falls.

Because a radiograph or ultrasound only rarely tells him exactly what he’s facing, Gorodetsky almost never knows what he’s going to pull out. Among the hundreds of objects he has recovered are a two-carat diamond ring, coins, needles, rocks, balls, bottle caps, underwear, pieces of shoes, an intact Kong® toy, collars and leashes, Mr. Potato Head’s tongue, the tip of a garden hose, leg of a rubber chicken, belts, even a toupee and an intact light bulb.

He was called when a Rottweiler ate an entire tray of party food. This became an endurance test as Gorodetsky fished out 28 10-centimetre-long toothpicks from among the sandwiches they were eaten with.

Fish hooks are a regular foreign body. Sometimes, fishing line hanging from the mouth points to a problem inside.

Gorodetsky has also removed several animals. A rubber ducky was retrieved after being in the stomach for a few weeks. Interestingly, rubber exposed to stomach acid becomes hard as a rock. He was able to remove it, but the dog also ate some flat rubber figurines that had to come out surgically. A plush toy ferret stuck in another dog’s stomach came out easily.

Barbecue season brings on its own hazards, including the standard steak bones and corncobs. One adventuresome dog ate a barbecue brush. Gorodetsky was able to entice the wiry tool to come back up the oesophagus.

Endoscopy is also used to investigate chronic problems such as vomiting, diarrhea, coughing and sneezing. The endoscope allows Gorodetsky to see inside and take samples.

A dog with chronic nasal signs – sneezing, nasal discharge or a foul odour – can have his entire nose examined. Gorodetsky may find a tumour and confirm it by taking a biopsy. Other times, fungal infections might be discovered, or plant material is found and pulled out.

Gorodetsky took several pieces of twig out of a Pug’s nose. When you consider the size of the nasal entrance in a Pug, it’s hard to imagine how it got up there, but it did.

He first checks for a foreign body in dogs with chronic vomiting, but the next things to look for are ulcers and inflammatory bowel disease. Ulcers can be seen, but for IBD, biopsies are needed to pin it down. Similarly, dogs with diarrhea can have a colonoscopy. Biopsy samples usually lead to a diagnosis.

Endoscopy is a great way to get a diagnosis in small-breed dogs with suspected tracheal collapse. A stent can be inserted to open the airway and allow easier breathing.

Endoscopes can save dogs from having to go through invasive surgery, and achieve a diagnosis when other routes might fail. Their use is going to become more common.

Find the sunny spot on the carpet and lie in it. It feels good.

Stretch when you get up.

Lie in the shade on the cool green grass because it feels good.

Lean on someone you love.

Get out and walk.

Chase a Frisbee now and then.

These are all good things. Good for them, good for us. Interestingly, nobody taught a dog this stuff. They just naturally understand that some things are more important than others. Dogs get it.

Probably three or four times a day, more if I encourage him, my own dog will stand at the screen door that leads out into our backyard. He will remain there, vibrating like a taut cello string, whining in nearly uncontrollable anticipation until someone opens the door. Once released, he sprints, tongue flying from the corner of his grinning mouth, to the back of the yard where he saw a squirrel… once.

It doesn’t seem to matter that the squirrel is never there. It doesn’t really seem to matter that a squirrel may not have ever been there. For him it’s all about what might be. The potential of the moment.

Understand that once he has flung himself to the back of the yard and then done an equally exuberant circuit of every other known or possible squirrel hideout within the confines of our third-of-an-acre lot, he never, ever returns downhearted. He certainly never returns with a squirrel and on most – if not every – fruitless foray, he doesn’t even lay eyes on one of the dog-savvy little rodents. But that doesn’t matter. He’s still the picture of joy. He never beats himself up for having been fooled again, or even for starting what everyone else could plainly see was a ridiculous waste of time. He doesn’t do any of those uniquely human things.

No, without fail he comes bounding back into the house, tail wagging in furious delight, hackles well up with adrenaline. And I know that, could he speak, he would say every single time, “Man, that was fun! Wasn’t that fun? Let’s do that again tomorrow.” And then he’s off to the couch or that sunny spot on the carpet. Happy as a clam.
What a wonderful way to go through life. Always expecting to see the squirrel. Always completely and thoroughly absorbed with the ‘what if?’, the ‘maybe.’ The potential of the moment.

Perhaps dogs have a much keener sense of time than we give them credit for. They may well be acutely aware that they’ve got only 10 or 12 or 15 good years on this earth. It’s understandable, then, that they don’t wish to waste a single second of it in worry or despair or self-recrimination.

Sometimes I think we humans have traded perspective for longevity. How many of us get up each morning expecting to see the squirrel? Expecting fun? Expecting the very best from the day? For that matter, when was the last time you showed another member of your family how over the moon in love with them you were when they walked through the door? When was the last time you had a really good snooze on the couch in the middle of the day? When was the last time you lay down on the grass? Caught a Frisbee? Went for a swim? Played tag…

Listen to your dogs… they’ve got it all figured out.

One of Cawsey’s main responsibilities was patrolling the local Canadian Pacific Railway yards, clearing hobos out of box cars and off the railway’s property. Working alone at night, he often brought his own dog along for protection and companionship. It turned out the dog came in handy, leaping into box cars and flushing out trespassers with ease. Cawsey knew that dogs were being used in Europe and the United States to assist officers on patrol, so he purchased a male German Shepherd Dog with an eye to training it for police work. He named the dog Dale of Cawsalta – “Caws” for Cawsey and “alta” for Alberta.

Fifty kilometres away in the town of Brooks, Alta., Capt. Ernest Harwich, an army officer who had worked with military dogs in Russia and Hungary, was operating a breeding and training kennel. Like Cawsey, he knew how a dog could assist an officer in his duties.

Cawsey paid Harwich out of his own pocket to train ‘Dale,’ and the dog soon learned to locate and retrieve hidden or dropped objects; search for suspects and bark without attacking; capture and hold fleeing suspects; escort and guard prisoners; and protect his handler.

From the beginning, Dale showed an aptitude for the job. He could pick up trails that had gone cold, recapture prisoners who tried to run, and would place himself protectively between Cawsey and any threat. The dog also displayed an uncanny instinct for tactical thinking – when guarding a house, for example, he wouldn’t stand out front where he’d be an easy target.

Instead, he would leap to the roof of a garage or shed, where he could keep an eye on things in relative safety. Confronted by the four-legged lawman, many suspects opted to confess their crimes and surrender rather than try to outmanoeuvre the dog.

Dale’s skills did not go unnoticed by senior officers and in October 1933, with the endorsement of Cawsey’s supervisor, Insp. Ernest W. Bavin, the RCMP consented to undertake a police dog program on a trial basis – the first program of its kind in Canada.

Capt. Harwich was engaged as a civilian dog trainer, but with the country in the depths of the Depression, the service wasn’t prepared to purchase Dale outright. Instead, they offered Cawsey a daily stipend to cover the dog’s expenses.

“My father accepted [their] offer of 25 cents per day and agreed to make himself and Dale available for duty anywhere in ‘K’ Division (Alberta),” recounted Sgt. Cawsey’s son, Mr. Justice Robert A. Cawsey, in a speech given at the unit’s 50th-anniversary celebration. “He also submitted his out-of-pocket expenses: cost of Dale – $75; training – $50; feed during training – $15; tuition in learning to handle the dog – $25.”

Dale wasted no time proving he could earn his keep. One month into the trial, he tracked a car thief for five miles in foul weather, leading police straight to the shack where the suspect was hiding. The dog’s reputation as a crack cop spread and news of his accomplishments was frequently lauded in the daily papers. But the case for which he was best known – the one that cemented the future of the RCMP police dog service – unfolded one August afternoon in 1935, on a farm north of Calgary.

It was just after lunchtime that summer afternoon when 2-1/2-year-old Eileen Simpson, wearing nothing but a thin summer dress, wandered away from her family’s farm near Carstairs, Alta. By mid-afternoon, the weather had turned cold and it was pouring rain.

Neighbours from miles around had flocked to the farm to join the search. By nightfall, some 200 volunteers had scoured the muddy countryside, but there was no sign of the little girl. Hope was fading fast as darkness fell, and the RCMP called in Dale. Shortly after midnight, Sgt. Cawsey and his dog, accompanied by two other officers, left Calgary en route for the Simpson family’s farm.

Not long after they got underway, the officers came upon a suspicious-looking vehicle by the side of the road and, upon closer examination, found it was loaded with stolen goods. There was no sign of the driver, so Dale was put to work. The dog quickly picked up the thief’s trail, tracking him and his accomplice a mile and a half in the pitch dark and locating evidence along the way. It turned out the suspect, who had an extensive criminal record, had been on a shoplifting spree in Calgary earlier in the day. The arrest was made and the two constables returned to the detachment with their prisoners, while Cawsey and Dale carried on to join the search in Carstairs.

Arriving as the sun came up the next morning, Cawsey found the farm swarming with people. The morning was cold and wet, and the ground had been trampled to such an extent that Dale had no chance of picking up little Eileen’s track. So, as the search parties fanned out over the fields once again, Cawsey decided to cover the area that had been searched the previous day, hoping to find something that had been overlooked.

Despite being fatigued from the previous night’s search and long drive, the team searched for two hours as morning broke over the fields. Finding nothing of significance, Cawsey and his dog began making their way toward a nearby wooded area when Dale suddenly perked up. Leaving his exhausted handler in his wake, the big Shepherd flew across the field and disappeared among the wheat. When his insistent barking rang out moments later, Cawsey knew Dale had found Eileen. When they caught up to him, officers found the dog licking the face of the little girl, who was semiconscious and hypothermic but still alive.

News of Dale’s heroic rescue made headlines across the country and helped persuade the RCMP to make the police dog service official. On October 15, 1935, Comm. James MacBrien authorized a $200 disbursement to purchase Dale from Sgt. Cawsey, making the dog a bona fide member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, regimental number K-470.

At a time when labour unrest prompted rioting, and farmers burned their wheat for fuel because they had no money to buy coal, people were hungry for good news – and Dale supplied it in spades. On April 26, 1936, The Washington Post featured Dale as its Dog of the Week. “When the Mounties lose a criminal’s trail, they put Dale on his scent,” Capt. Harwich told the paper. “In a man-hunt, it is Dale’s job to locate the criminal, disarm him, if necessary, and guard him until the constables arrive. He will attack only if the criminal shows fight or attempts to escape. If the man is quiet, however, Dale lies down peacefully and keeps guard. He is actually so gentle that the smallest child can pet him without fear.” Dale was also awarded a Diploma of Honor by the Chicago magazine Dog World for “distinctive and meritorious service” for his part in rescuing a 16-month-old baby in a blinding rainstorm, and received a Humane Society Certificate for saving a drowning girl.

By 1937, the worst of the Depression was over and the RCMP established its first training centre at Calgary. Cawsey was appointed non-commissioned officer in charge of the program and by 1939 there were 13 dogs stationed in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario,
New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. In his 1939-40 year-end report, Insp. Bavin noted, “As the interest in the use of dogs increases, more and more demand will be made for their services…. it is certain that this increase will make it necessary to make further purchases and intensify our training.”

Ten years old and suffering from health problems, Dale was retired from active duty and returned to live with the Cawsey family. The Ottawa Citizen, reporting on his retirement, proclaimed, “When on duty his canine brain was constantly at work and some of the mental feats he performed were, for a dog, nothing short of marvellous.” One of his last official details was searching box cars and buildings in preparation for the arrival of the royal train carrying King George VI and Queen Elizabeth during their 1939 visit to Canada.

Dale died on September 6, 1941, and news of his passing was carried in papers across North America. The headline in the Calgary Herald proclaimed “Canada’s greatest canine policeman is dead,” and his obituary in the RCMP Quarterly eulogized him as the best canine policeman in Canada.

In 2010, the RCMP Police Dog Service celebrates its 75th anniversary – it is the longest continually running police dog service in North America.

With sincere thanks to retired RCMP member Joe Healy for his assistance in tracking down and providing reference material regarding the history of the RCMP Police Dog Service.

Getting the show’s entry form to its destination before the advertised closing day and hour is crucial. Miss the deadline by even a few minutes and you’re not entered. That’s the rule. Exhibitors know the deadline is firm.

Given the importance of this basic step, I never understand why submissions are frequently left until the last possible moment. At least 30 per cent of the total entries may arrive within 24 hours of the closing, with some hand-delivered to the door or sent electronically in the final five minutes.

So the day after a closing when I hear our fax machine grinding away, I don’t expect it to be an entry, and it isn’t – at least, not an official one. It’s a piece of paper bearing the registered names of two dogs, the owner’s name, and the date of an upcoming show. There’s nothing else. No registration numbers, breeders’ names, birthdates, sires or dams as required.

Suddenly the phone rings.

“My son has just faxed my entries and I’m phoning to confirm,” I’m told.

“Well,” I try to break the news gently. “I’m afraid I can’t accept these. First of all, entries closed yesterday. But even if they hadn’t, these aren’t official entry forms and they’re missing required information.”

“Oh, but you have to accept them. I’m in the hospital.” She begins to cry and I feel terrible. I’m not quite as sympathetic when I learn that she’s had the premium list for more than a month, and has been hospitalized for only two days. But she is adamant that because she was bedridden on the day of closing she is entitled to exemption from the rules. “Please,” she sobs. “I can get you the other information tomorrow after I’m discharged,” she pleads. “Is there no room for compassion in your rules?” she shouts.
“I’m really sorry,” I say, but I don’t think she believes me.

Telephone conversations take up a large part of a show secretary’s workday – answering questions, trying repeatedly to obtain premium-list information from show-giving clubs, explaining regulations, confirming the arrival of entries and clarifying indecipherable data. The latter is particularly time consuming.

Inaccuracies jeopardize the tabulation of a dog’s achievements. Despite the notation most show secretaries have on their official entry forms to “Please type or print clearly,” those who actually comply stand out as exceptions. It makes for a great guessing game.

“Earlene, can you figure this one out?” I wander across the hall to my cohort and secretary. “Is it ‘Bountiful’ or ‘Beautiful’? ‘Gilded Delilah’ or ‘Girlish Delight’?” We peer at the scribbles, ink blotches and dabs of correction fluid. We pour over old catalogues and hope to locate a previous entry. “Maybe we should phone the owner.” We have a Problem File full of such items and cannot possibly take the time to follow up every one by telephone. So we guess, and sometimes we’re wrong.

Exhibitors are pretty conscientious about checking the published information on the day of the event. Errors are pointed out and we dutifully record the corrections. Sometimes I have to bite my tongue when someone takes a verbal strip off me even though I’ve done the best I can with what I had to work with. One incident was particularly nasty.

“You guys have screwed up again,” a ruddy-faced man said and threw the show catalogue onto the table in front of me. “If I lose today’s win because of your *%$#@* incompetence I’ll expect you to refund my entry fees.”

“You won’t lose your win,” I reply. “I’ll make sure the correct data is submitted with the results. Let me get your entry form and we’ll see what happened.”

“What happened is that you can’t type,” he storms, making sure everyone nearby can hear.

I carefully review his entry form. It isn’t my style to embarrass an exhibitor, so I simply lay it on the table and point to the data that exactly matches what is in the catalogue. The mistake was his.

“You’d do well to check your facts before mouthing off,” I say quietly. He stares at it briefly, then abruptly walks away. I look at Earlene in shock. “I can’t believe I said that!” She’s grinning. She has always accused me of being too patient.

“Atta girl!” she says, with a thumbs-up gesture.

Not many encounters are unpleasant. Some are quite funny. Late one Friday morning I was getting ready to take a group-judging sheet to a ring when a harried young mother rushed up to the desk for her armband. She had an infant on one hip and a toddler clinging to her coat, a canvas tote bag flapping from one arm and her Shih Tzu puppy bouncing at the end of its lead. Plopping the infant on the desk in front of me and shoving the toddler in the direction of a chair behind our desk, she grabbed the armband and left on the run with her dog.

“I’m late! I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she called back to me. I sent the group sheet with my assistant and babysat for a challenging half-hour.

There are some who feel the position of show secretary is prestigious – we run the show and rub shoulders with the elite of the dog show world. Others see it as merely a clerk’s position, the bottom of the heap of show officials. Neither is correct. It is the business of providing a unique service – being a liaison between clubs, show officials and exhibitors, and working in concert with everyone to ensure a smooth-running event.

The process involves diplomacy and patience, a fair number of giggles and grimaces, and an occasional biting of the tongue!

Dogs are social eaters, so changes in their surroundings may put them off their food temporarily. A dog that has lost a member of the pack (human, canine, even possibly feline) through death, or circumstances such as a teen going off to college, may be less interested in food while adjusting to the change. Temporary absences such as business trips can have the same effect.

Changes in the feeding routine can also result in inappetance. If circumstances dictate that someone other than the accustomed person is doing the feeding, the dog may object. If the dog has always eaten in the presence of the family but schedule changes now have you dishing out the food and dashing out the door, the dog may miss the company.

Weather can affect appetite. If it’s markedly warmer than usual, eating less or even skipping a meal can be a normal response. And “warmer” is relative – if your temperatures usually stay in the teens (Celsius), then mid-20s may be enough to affect your dog’s appetite.

Changes in the food itself can also cause sudden refusals. This includes not just the owner deciding to try a new food, but the food manufacturer changing the formulation.

Package labels do not always reflect such changes (according to U.S. regulations, manufacturers have several months to use up existing packaging), so if you suspect a problem, you may have to call the manufacturer.

If you open a new package of food and your dog refuses to eat it, there may be a problem with the food. It could be mouldy or spoiled in some other way, and might not be safe to eat. Take the food back to the store and get another package, from a different batch (batch numbers are included on the packaging).

Pain can certainly put a dog off his or her food. Dental pain is a major culprit, so check for broken or diseased teeth or infected gums. Ear infections can also make eating painful. And even general body pain can decrease appetite.

Of course, a variety of diseases can lead to lack of appetite. Kidney disease is a prime culprit. Cancer (and its treatment) can cause anorexia. Failure to eat plus additional symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy or fever is cause for a veterinary checkup.

Geriatric dogs can have additional problems. Canine cognitive dysfunction, akin to human Alzheimer’s, may leave a dog unable to find his food bowl, or not sure what to do once he gets there.

Puppies can refuse to eat because of teething pain. Offering soft food may help. Older adolescents sometimes skip meals and, if you have been feeding three or four times a day, this may be your cue to cut out the refused meal.

If your dog stops eating or reduces intake, but a veterinary check shows no medical issues, the dog isn’t in immediate danger. As long as he’s drinking, there won’t be serious metabolic consequences for several days.

You can try several things to improve the situation.

Heating food can release more aroma and may entice a dog to eat. Offering other foods, even human foods, may spike interest (although don’t do this the first time a dog refuses food or you could create a dog that will hold out for better options). You can also try feeding by hand – sometimes this encourages a dog to eat. If the problem persists, your veterinarian can prescribe an appetite stimulant.

Eating feces – coprophagia – is a behaviour humans find extremely repulsive, whether a dog consumes his own, another dog’s, or another animal’s. No clear reason for such behaviour is known. Though it is natural in certain circumstances – bitches regularly keep the den clean by eating their offsprings’ waste, and young puppies experiment with eating all sorts of things – most times it’s an unpleasant aberration.

Some people espouse the idea that it’s an indication of faulty nutrition. Supposedly, there is a great quantity of undigested nourishment or some vitamin or mineral is in such short supply that the dog is driven to “re-eat” the food to get more of the nutrients. This theory doesn’t enjoy any scientific backing.

There is one medical condition that could be the culprit. If a dog is underweight, develops a ravenous appetite, and suddenly begins eating his own stool, he may be suffering a pancreatic enzyme deficiency. Because his pancreas is not putting out the appropriate enzymes, his stool actually does have a lot of food value because he’s not digesting it. This is a medical problem requiring a veterinary solution.

But in most cases, behaviourists agree that coprophagia is a form of compulsive disorder. They have not seen much success with the often-suggested remedies of sprinkling hot sauce on the stools or feeding the dog meat tenderizer or commercial products purported to make the feces unpalatable. Instead, they suggest environmental management – take the dog out on leash to defecate, bring him back in, then go out and clean up. But, with dog doors or multiple dogs, this can be well-nigh impossible. Antiobsessional medication may be a last resort.

Cheryl S. Smith is an award-winning writer and certified pet nutrition consultant who has attended and addressed many nutrition conferences. She and ‘Nestle,’ a Border Collie mix, are enjoying their hobby, finding letterboxes while out on wonderful hikes.

dogsincanada.com/ask-an-expert
Ask Cheryl Smith a nutrition question.

Photo: Mixed breed courtesy Marcia Leeder

Yes, leash-free time is important, especially for time-starved owners whose idea of a dog walk is going to the video store and back. But running amok is not the answer, especially when dogs run the risk of disturbing ecologically sensitive areas.

According to David Lawrie, Program Director of Citizen Scientists at the Rouge Valley Conservation Centre in Toronto, off-leash dogs, which love to follow their noses off the beaten track, can place a huge stress on the internal areas of parkland where the delicate, scarcer plants grow. Owners often follow their four-legged explorers, creating a “mini trail” for future dogs and their owners to discover. Before you know it, there is a virtual expressway into these fragile areas.

According to Lawrie, two species of birds in the Rouge Valley, the Ruffed Grouse and the Ovenbird, build nests on the ground, making them easy prey for off-leash dogs.

Reptiles, which often bask in the sun, will also find themselves being stalked. So what’s the problem? Isn’t the chase just as much a part of nature as anything else?

As Lawrie argues, the issue is the volume of use: one dog urinating on trees, trampling on plants, chasing ducks and digging isn’t a problem. But when you have hundreds of dogs and their owners doing that same thing over the course of a week, then you’re in trouble. It’s not just ducks that suffer. Any animal that is being chased, or simply disturbed multiple times a day, could become stressed and suffer from reproductive and feeding issues. In fact, some species won’t attempt to nest where there is even the slightest disturbance, let alone where a four-legged predator is running willy-nilly.

Will the interests of environmentalists and dog owners always be at odds with one another? No, but according to John Cleary, Co-Chair of the High Park K9 Committee in Toronto, four things are required for off-leash areas and conservation efforts to co-exist:

• Infrastructure
• Education
• Stewardship
• Enforcement

A big part of education, Cleary argues, is social awareness. Everyone wants green space, no one wants his or her park to lose its important flora and fauna. We need to educate dog owners on the importance of respecting the boundaries of off-leash areas.

At the same time, we need to create generous, attractive off-leash space that adequately contains inquisitive dogs and their owners. In Toronto’s High Park, fencing that runs along the off-leash trail has helped to clearly define that space.

A big part of stewardship comes down to the responsibility of dog owners. According to Cleary, we need to think about parks not just as something to use, but as something we should all take pride in. Together, we can work toward solutions that give dogs ample off-leash areas while recognizing the need for sustainability and preservation.

There are two types of inappropriate urination – submissive and anxious.

If your dog is urinating inappropriately, the first thing to do is take him to his veterinarian to rule out any physical problem. If health problems have been ruled out, you’re dealing with a behaviour issue.

Sometimes people are confused by the terms submissive urination and anxious urination. There is a difference between the two.

Submissive urination happens when a dog or puppy is showing another animal or a human that he’s respectful and doesn’t want to be hurt, or is anxious about something or someone. The puppy might be timid or shy.

This behaviour can happen during an altercation or greeting between two dogs. It can be interpreted as a sign of respect to the other dog. Puppies have been known to roll over on their back and pee in the air in submission to other dogs.

You may have an overly sensitive dog, or one who has been mistreated in the past.

As the dog becomes more confident, this behaviour should lessen. He needs socialization with other dogs and an opportunity to learn new skills.

Obedience classes and dog sports will help him develop confidence. Always work with a positive trainer so that you don’t make him even more fearful.

Another point to note is that you should never loom over any dog or puppy, for any reason. Doing so can trigger submissive urination. The dog sees being loomed over as being dominated, so it can result in problem behaviour.

In some very submissive dogs it may take years to see a lessening of this behaviour. It takes time to build confidence in a dog.

Anxious urination, sometimes called excitement urination, is most commonly seen in dogs whose owner leaves them for an extended period of time (for example, the owner goes off to work for the day) and the dog is so happy to see the owner at the end of the day that he pees from excitement. It can also happen when visitors arrive and make a fuss over the dog.

It seems like a huge problem to the owner, but actually has an easy fix.

If your dog pees whenever you come home, think about the way that you typically arrive. I’ll bet he’s waiting at the door, all wiggles and kisses and so happy to see you. You’re just as happy to see him and fuss over him, gushing about what a wonderful dog he is and how much you’ve missed him.

Sound familiar? Therein lies the real problem: your excitement at seeing him is exacerbating the problem.

Here’s how to handle the situation. When you come home, walk into the house, put down the bags, sort through the mail. Notice anything? You’ve ignored the dog. This is exactly right. Give him a few minutes to calm down while you settle things in the house. Then you can pat him and quietly tell him how good he is. Don’t make a huge fuss or you’ll be in danger of triggering an episode of anxious urination. Then put his leash on and take him out for a walk. Let him know how good he is when he goes in the appropriate place. That is when you make a fuss! Back in the house, all is calm again.

Don’t yell at him for accidents, just clean up and be sure to use something that breaks down enzymes. You don’t want to simply cover the odour – you want to be sure that he can’t
smell it.

If the problem occurs when visitors come to your house, tell your friends in advance that you are having this problem and enlist their help.

When your friend arrives, have her either knock on the door or ring the doorbell. Explain to your friend beforehand that the dog should be ignored at first. It’s a very good idea to have your dog sit as you answer the door. This gives the dog something to do while your guests arrive and you are greeting them.

Allow the dog to approach your friend and be greeted. The greeting should be quiet and calm. You can repeat this process once or twice more that day.

Invite another friend to help the next day. The same friend can return, but a series of different people will prove more helpful.

The repetition of the calm, delayed greeting will help the dog easily learn that there is no need for anxiety. To help this along, you may want to buy a dog appeasing pheromones (DAP) plug-in to put in the entry hall of your home.

The DAP will help to calm your dog. With or without the DAP plug-in you will need to do the proper training.

It won’t take your dog long to learn that waiting calmly for a polite greeting will give him the attention he wants. You’ll both feel better about it and so will your guests.

Starbright Passionxtrodinair UDX, AgX, TDX (‘Passion’), handled by Ikena Hilmayer, cruised to a third win at Bytown Dog Obedience Club’s HIT of HITs.

The team placed first in the Open class, and then, with exquisite heelwork, took the final runoff. With the best score from either the Open or Utility Class, Ikena and Passion were also awarded the perpetual trophy in memory of Border Collie Am. OTCh. & Can. MOTCh. Whistlejack’s Justin Time UDX, ADC, CGC.

Eligibility in the HIT of HITs is a High in Trial in Canada the previous year with a minimum score of 195 in Novice or Open and 193 in Utility. Last year, to shorten the event, BDOC reduced the number of entries and eliminated the two-minute warm-up.

As the HIT attracts more than the maximum number of competitors, another change was made this year to make competitor determination more equitable. In the past, the spots went to entries as they came. As virtually all entries were sent by email, there was growing concern that different types of Internet service could disadvantage some people. So, this year, entries were submitted between January 1 and 31, with a draw held on February 29 to identify the competitors.

Teams perform under the scrutiny of three judges; each judge designs and calls the routine for one class. Karen Anderson from Minnesota was responsible for the Utility class; Phyllis Broderick from New Jersey assessed the Open class; and Marie-Johanne Cloutier from Montreal judged Novice. The final heeling routine and stays were designed and called by Gail Wormington, also from Montreal – not a judge, but a well-known and respected member of the obedience community. The judges individually score each team: the class winners are determined by lowest total points lost. These three teams then compete in a final heeling runoff to determine the grand winner.

One exercise is eliminated from each class, and the order of the exercises may be altered. The major difference in the Novice routine was that the Recall was set up diagonally across the ring and followed the Heel On Leash and Figure Eight. The routine ended with the Heel Free exercise. The Open routine varied significantly from traditional order, beginning with the Broad Jump, followed by the Figure Eight, then Heel Free, Drop On Recall and ending with the Retrieve Over High Jump.

In the Novice stays, the dogs were set up in a straight line, alternate dogs facing in the opposite direction. The Open dogs watched their handlers walk away from two straight lines staggered three feet in front or behind the dog on either side. The Utility class followed CKC order, but included a jaw-dropping heeling pattern in the Signal Exercise. It was so intricate, in fact, the judge told the competitors there would be some “difficult doodling” and to listen very carefully.

All teams were impressive, demonstrating that their HITs in Utility were well deserved. When the classes were over, Marie Sawford and her Border Collie OTCh. The Mighty Quinn (‘Quinn’) from Novice, and Tracy Lyn Thompson and her Golden Retriever MOTCh. Dannebrog Tracy’s Dilemma (‘Tyra’) from Utility, joined Ikena and Passion in the final runoff. Congratulations to you all, and thanks for thrilling performances.

Insider’s report

I had my own passionate moment this year. For the first time, my Sheltie OTCh. Hunterbraes Jade Enchantress CGN (‘Jade’) and I were competitors, and BDOC asked me to describe the experience.

It’s hard to put into words, but here are a few: waiting, anticipation, excitement, exhilaration, and emotion. Waiting to submit an entry, to know if we were in, waiting for the big night, and waiting to be called down to the arena. Anticipation peaked in the sequester room, culminating in delicious adrenalin excitement as we headed toward the ring. Finally, when we had finished our routine, doing better than I ever expected, the feeling of exhilaration was almost overwhelming.

But I think the most wonderful experience was later, emotionally reflecting on the intense connection I had with my magnificent little partner.

Not knowing the routine ahead of time, I had to concentrate intensely on taking directions from the judge and giving direction to my dog. I don’t recall seeing a single face in the crowd, or even a judge’s face. All I saw was Jade – I was finally giving her the kind of attention she gives me all the time.

Those who have had the experience know what I am talking about. Those who haven’t yet had the experience, may your opportunity come soon. It is a thrill of a lifetime!

For the fourth time, Belgian Tervuren GMOTCh. Starbright Passionxtrodinair TDX, AgX, AgNJ, AgNJS has won Bytown Dog Obedience Club’s High in Trial of High in Trials (HIT of HITS), tying the record previously held by the Border Collie Am. OTCh. & Can. MOTCh. Whistlejack’s Justin Time. Once again, with the best score from either the Open or Utility Class, Ikena Hilmayer and Passion were also awarded the perpetual trophy in memory of ‘Justin.’

Passion has her own personal record; she is the only dog to have won the HIT from all three classes: Novice in 2005, Utility in 2007 and Open in both 2008 and 2009. Her partner, Ikena Hilmayer, is setting impressive records herself, being the first handler to have two dogs in the final runoff for High in Trial. Her Schipperke, Ebonorth Forever in Blue Jeans (‘Levi’), took the Novice class. The Utility class was won by a splendid Golden Retriever, MOTCh. Goldencol Moonlight Seranade (‘Sera’), and her handler, Irene Mullan. The results of the final runoff couldn’t have been closer, but Passion took the trophy by half a point with a sensational 1.5 total points lost.

Passion and Sera not only shared the limelight on Saturday night, they shared a birthday earlier in the week. Passion turned eight and Sera turned 11, just days before the HIT of HITS.

It was an emotional moment for good friends Ikena and Irene as the emcee informed the audience of the birthdays and announced that both dogs were going into ‘active’ retirement. While serious obedience competition won’t be in their future, Irene informed me that she and Sera will be enjoying Rally Obedience and tracking. And, somehow, I wouldn’t be surprised if Passion and Ikena took another try at the HIT. After all, records are made to be broken.

Teams with a HIT in Canada the previous year, with a minimum score of 195 in Novice or Open and 193 in Utility, perform under the scrutiny of three judges, who individually score each team: the class winners are determined by lowest total points lost (TPL). Each judge designs and calls the routine for one class. The judges this year, a most congenial, compassionate and capable trio, were Michelle Armitage from Ottawa, who was responsible for the Novice Class; Robert J. Squires from Webster, N.Y., for the Open routine; and Michael J. Woods, from St. John’s, Nfld., for the Utility routine. The Novice and Open stays and the final heeling routine were designed and called by Kim Cooper, a well-known and respected member of the dog-performance community in Ottawa.

Because the HIT of HITS isn’t a CKC-sanctioned event, judges can take artistic licence with the routines. Some differences this year included both the Novice and Open classes beginning with what are normally the final exercises, the Recall and the Broad Jump.

The Utility class, on the other hand, ended with what is normally the first exercise, the Seek Back. As well, it was a year of diagonals; the Novice Recall, the Open Drop on Recall and Utility Scent Discrimination were all performed on the diagonal. Even some of the jumps were set up diagonally. As usual, the heel-ing patterns were challenging and a thrill both to per-form and to watch.

A new award was handed out this year: The People’s Choice Award. Spectators had the opportunity to vote for their favourite team. The winner was Labrador Retriever ‘Riley,’ who at breakneck speed in the Drop on Recall decided to take a detour over the high jump. On a rather urgent command from his handler, he managed to drop, avoiding the broad jump that was next in his path, then smartly executed a perfect front. The performance brought down the house.

Giving thanks

This year marked the 15th anniversary of the HIT of HITS, and a well-deserved tribute was made to founder and devotee Barb Jeffrey, by the BDOC board of directors. Over the years, Barb has been the chair of HIT, the chief ring steward, ring steward and a competitor. Whatever her role, she always manages to put her mark on the annual event. To honour and thank Barb, the HIT of HITS trophy is now the BDOC Barb Jeffrey HIT of HITS Trophy.

By the way, ‘Jade’ and I had the pleasure of competing again this year, in the Utility class, and it was every bit as thrilling as last year. On behalf of all competitors, I want to thank Barb, BDOC, the judges and the many volunteers for another superb evening. See you next year!

Starbright Passionxtrodinair UDX, AgX, TDX (‘Passion’), handled by Ikena Hilmayer, cruised to a third win at Bytown Dog Obedience Club’s HIT of HITs.

The team placed first in the Open class, and then, with exquisite heelwork, took the final runoff. With the best score from either the Open or Utility Class, Ikena and Passion were also awarded the perpetual trophy in memory of Border Collie Am. OTCh. & Can. MOTCh. Whistlejack’s Justin Time UDX, ADC, CGC.

Eligibility in the HIT of HITs is a High in Trial in Canada the previous year with a minimum score of 195 in Novice or Open and 193 in Utility. Last year, to shorten the event, BDOC reduced the number of entries and eliminated the two-minute warm-up.

As the HIT attracts more than the maximum number of competitors, another change was made this year to make competitor determination more equitable. In the past, the spots went to entries as they came. As virtually all entries were sent by email, there was growing concern that different types of Internet service could disadvantage some people. So, this year, entries were submitted between January 1 and 31, with a draw held on February 29 to identify the competitors.

Teams perform under the scrutiny of three judges; each judge designs and calls the routine for one class. Karen Anderson from Minnesota was responsible for the Utility class; Phyllis Broderick from New Jersey assessed the Open class; and Marie-Johanne Cloutier from Montreal judged Novice. The final heeling routine and stays were designed and called by Gail Wormington, also from Montreal – not a judge, but a well-known and respected member of the obedience community. The judges individually score each team: the class winners are determined by lowest total points lost. These three teams then compete in a final heeling runoff to determine the grand winner.

One exercise is eliminated from each class, and the order of the exercises may be altered. The major difference in the Novice routine was that the Recall was set up diagonally across the ring and followed the Heel On Leash and Figure Eight. The routine ended with the Heel Free exercise. The Open routine varied significantly from traditional order, beginning with the Broad Jump, followed by the Figure Eight, then Heel Free, Drop On Recall and ending with the Retrieve Over High Jump.

In the Novice stays, the dogs were set up in a straight line, alternate dogs facing in the opposite direction. The Open dogs watched their handlers walk away from two straight lines staggered three feet in front or behind the dog on either side. The Utility class followed CKC order, but included a jaw-dropping heeling pattern in the Signal Exercise. It was so intricate, in fact, the judge told the competitors there would be some “difficult doodling” and to listen very carefully.

All teams were impressive, demonstrating that their HITs in Utility were well deserved. When the classes were over, Marie Sawford and her Border Collie OTCh. The Mighty Quinn (‘Quinn’) from Novice, and Tracy Lyn Thompson and her Golden Retriever MOTCh. Dannebrog Tracy’s Dilemma (‘Tyra’) from Utility, joined Ikena and Passion in the final runoff. Congratulations to you all, and thanks for thrilling performances.

Insider’s report

I had my own passionate moment this year. For the first time, my Sheltie OTCh. Hunterbraes Jade Enchantress CGN (‘Jade’) and I were competitors, and BDOC asked me to describe the experience.

It’s hard to put into words, but here are a few: waiting, anticipation, excitement, exhilaration, and emotion. Waiting to submit an entry, to know if we were in, waiting for the big night, and waiting to be called down to the arena. Anticipation peaked in the sequester room, culminating in delicious adrenalin excitement as we headed toward the ring. Finally, when we had finished our routine, doing better than I ever expected, the feeling of exhilaration was almost overwhelming.

But I think the most wonderful experience was later, emotionally reflecting on the intense connection I had with my magnificent little partner.

Not knowing the routine ahead of time, I had to concentrate intensely on taking directions from the judge and giving direction to my dog. I don’t recall seeing a single face in the crowd, or even a judge’s face. All I saw was Jade – I was finally giving her the kind of attention she gives me all the time.

Those who have had the experience know what I am talking about. Those who haven’t yet had the experience, may your opportunity come soon. It is a thrill of a lifetime!

For the fourth time, Belgian Tervuren GMOTCh. Starbright Passionxtrodinair TDX, AgX, AgNJ, AgNJS has won Bytown Dog Obedience Club’s High in Trial of High in Trials (HIT of HITS), tying the record previously held by the Border Collie Am. OTCh. & Can. MOTCh. Whistlejack’s Justin Time. Once again, with the best score from either the Open or Utility Class, Ikena Hilmayer and Passion were also awarded the perpetual trophy in memory of ‘Justin.’

Passion has her own personal record; she is the only dog to have won the HIT from all three classes: Novice in 2005, Utility in 2007 and Open in both 2008 and 2009. Her partner, Ikena Hilmayer, is setting impressive records herself, being the first handler to have two dogs in the final runoff for High in Trial. Her Schipperke, Ebonorth Forever in Blue Jeans (‘Levi’), took the Novice class. The Utility class was won by a splendid Golden Retriever, MOTCh. Goldencol Moonlight Seranade (‘Sera’), and her handler, Irene Mullan. The results of the final runoff couldn’t have been closer, but Passion took the trophy by half a point with a sensational 1.5 total points lost.

Passion and Sera not only shared the limelight on Saturday night, they shared a birthday earlier in the week. Passion turned eight and Sera turned 11, just days before the HIT of HITS.

It was an emotional moment for good friends Ikena and Irene as the emcee informed the audience of the birthdays and announced that both dogs were going into ‘active’ retirement. While serious obedience competition won’t be in their future, Irene informed me that she and Sera will be enjoying Rally Obedience and tracking. And, somehow, I wouldn’t be surprised if Passion and Ikena took another try at the HIT. After all, records are made to be broken.

Teams with a HIT in Canada the previous year, with a minimum score of 195 in Novice or Open and 193 in Utility, perform under the scrutiny of three judges, who individually score each team: the class winners are determined by lowest total points lost (TPL). Each judge designs and calls the routine for one class. The judges this year, a most congenial, compassionate and capable trio, were Michelle Armitage from Ottawa, who was responsible for the Novice Class; Robert J. Squires from Webster, N.Y., for the Open routine; and Michael J. Woods, from St. John’s, Nfld., for the Utility routine. The Novice and Open stays and the final heeling routine were designed and called by Kim Cooper, a well-known and respected member of the dog-performance community in Ottawa.

Because the HIT of HITS isn’t a CKC-sanctioned event, judges can take artistic licence with the routines. Some differences this year included both the Novice and Open classes beginning with what are normally the final exercises, the Recall and the Broad Jump.

The Utility class, on the other hand, ended with what is normally the first exercise, the Seek Back. As well, it was a year of diagonals; the Novice Recall, the Open Drop on Recall and Utility Scent Discrimination were all performed on the diagonal. Even some of the jumps were set up diagonally. As usual, the heel-ing patterns were challenging and a thrill both to per-form and to watch.

A new award was handed out this year: The People’s Choice Award. Spectators had the opportunity to vote for their favourite team. The winner was Labrador Retriever ‘Riley,’ who at breakneck speed in the Drop on Recall decided to take a detour over the high jump. On a rather urgent command from his handler, he managed to drop, avoiding the broad jump that was next in his path, then smartly executed a perfect front. The performance brought down the house.

Giving thanks

This year marked the 15th anniversary of the HIT of HITS, and a well-deserved tribute was made to founder and devotee Barb Jeffrey, by the BDOC board of directors. Over the years, Barb has been the chair of HIT, the chief ring steward, ring steward and a competitor. Whatever her role, she always manages to put her mark on the annual event. To honour and thank Barb, the HIT of HITS trophy is now the BDOC Barb Jeffrey HIT of HITS Trophy.

By the way, ‘Jade’ and I had the pleasure of competing again this year, in the Utility class, and it was every bit as thrilling as last year. On behalf of all competitors, I want to thank Barb, BDOC, the judges and the many volunteers for another superb evening. See you next year!

A few years back, a friend talked a half-dozen of us die-hard obedience types into trying out field work. So we loaded a bunch of our hairy show dogs into a couple of cars and headed out to “the bush” (Ontario). It all looked so easy that first day, as we learned the beginner level for retrievers consists of only two single retrieves on land and two single retrieves in the water. Yes, they have to pick up dead birds, but there are always gloves for the squeamish (handlers, that is).

Of course, field work is pretty much confined to the Sporting group (and Standard Poodles), so it won’t apply to everyone, but even if you don’t plan to try it yourself, it might be worth a look. At best, you’ll find new friends and an exciting and challenging new sport. At worst, you’ll spend a day with dogs and doggy people in the open air (hopefully a warm sunny day with no bugs).

It is a whole different world in the field, where drive and persistence are far more important than heel position. That dog who loses a bundle of points for lagging in the obedience ring will most likely drag you to the line (the starting point in the field), hysterical with excitement.

Unfortunately, it is also true that the dog that scores perfect 40s in heeling will be dragging you to the line as well, but the good news is that he understands the difference and will continue to heel well in an obedience venue. The bad news is that field work won’t fix your lagging in the ring, either.

Many handlers have discovered that field lines can give us wonderful obedience dogs. Gone are the days when breeders could palm off the puppies with less show potential as “obedience prospects.” Obedience people are better educated now; they’re looking for biddable dogs that have drive, energy and love to work.

Obedience and field work actually complement each other. Though off-leash control is obviously a requirement, you can always start puppies or young dogs on a long line if you’re worried they may head for the next county. Or if you’re looking for a new challenge once your dog has retired from competitive obedience, it’s never too late to start, provided your dog is in good health. Once they catch on to the game, most dogs love it.

These activities are worth trying even if your dog doesn’t come from field lines; many show dogs have surprisingly strong instincts. As in all dog sports, the entry-level classes are not too difficult. Of course, it helps if you have someone around who knows what they’re doing, but usually it’s possible to find someone who can at least get you started. We were told that it is feasible to earn a WC (Working Certificate, the first level for Retrievers) by training only once a week, and this turned out to be true. (Of course, as we did every-thing wrong, it took most of us longer than one season to do it, but I’m sure most of you would be much brighter than we were.)

You don’t need much equipment to start and you don’t have to wear camouflage. You also won’t need a knee brace – for unlike agility, where the handler has to tear around the ring directing the dog – in field work, the handler is expected to stay at the line while the dog does all the work.

When our little group first started, we made every mistake possible. We had no equipment, and it took us forever to scrounge up a dead pigeon, but we persevered on our own (with occasional long-distance advice from a few helpful field types) and our dogs did eventually earn their WC.

Believe me, if we could do it, anyone can. We didn’t have a gun, or anything that would make any noise, so at one of our infamous sessions we tried popping balloons to get a sound. This is very difficult to do, especially if you also have to throw your bumper immediately afterwards.

Plus, how many balloons can you hide behind a bush? Fortunately, we quickly figured out that you can buy cap guns at a dollar store, so we were spared the sight of the field types rolling around on the ground had we ever shown up at training with the balloons.

It was all worth it in the end. As beginners, we had lower expectations than the seasoned field handlers, so when our dogs learned something new it was much more exciting than a normal obedience success. The first time ‘Hayley’ brought back her duck, I was practically jumping up and down on shore. (Actually, I believe I was doing a victory dance, with the theme from Rocky playing in my head.)

Obedience can still be your first love, but you can use your field work as a reward for both you and your dog. Get out there this summer with your dog, your bumpers, your boots and your bug spray. If you thought it was fun to watch a “real” field dog doing his job, believe me, it will take your breath away to see your “couch potato” flying across a field, doing what he was bred to do.

For the performance dog, water becomes even more essential. Research has shown that 60 per cent of heat dissipated by dogs when they exercise comes through water evaporation in the respiratory tract. More is lost via salivating, urinating and defecating. The Drs.

Foster and Smith web site calculates that a pet dog needs to consume water in amounts 2-1/2 times her daily food consumption. A gallon of water weighs eight pounds, so you can figure from there. Based on their estimates, a large dog eating two pounds of food would require five pounds of water (slightly over half a gallon.) Exercise can increase the need two or three times above this, so a large performance dog might require 10 to 15 pounds of water, or nearly two gallons maximum.

Looking at it another way, an Iams study found that working sled dogs required two ounces of water per day for each pound of body weight.

Extrapolating from that, Martin Coffman, a Sporting Dog veterinarian, estimates that a bird dog running a trial for three hours will lose a quart of water. The water loss, combined with the elevated temperature due to exertion, can compromise performance to a considerable degree. Joe Wakshlag, D.V.M., Ph.D., D.A.C.V.N., of Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine, cites several older studies that found that a dog should drink one millilitre of water for every kcal of food ingested.

Elevated temperature has long been a concern among handlers of performance dogs. Labrador Retrievers in particular appear prone to exercise-induced hyperthermia, often registering temperatures of 106 or 107°F immediately following exercise. Coffman recorded temperatures of 104°F in his bird dogs even on cool days. This isn’t a serious concern as long as the dog’s temperature drops back to a normal 101 to 102°F soon after exercise stops. If the dog is dehydrated, accomplishing this heat reduction becomes more difficult. Water is also necessary to remove the by-products produced by energy metabolism, so it impacts longer-term recovery as well.

In some sports – agility, flyball, freestyle – you may have multiple performances throughout the day, but each run lasts no more than a few minutes. So between performances, you have plenty of opportunity to cool down and rehydrate your dog.

Other sports – sled dog racing, field stakes – go on for hours at a stretch. Sled dogs will often snatch a mouthful of snow as they run, thereby ingesting some water. And their typical high-fat diet results in twice as much water being produced as a by-product of metabolism. But Arleigh Reynolds, D.V.M., Ph.D., D.A.C.V.N., sled dog racer and Purina researcher, still recommends stopping every 10 to 15 minutes and allowing each dog to drink a small amount of water, if possible.

Some field events are hands-off – handlers are not allowed to physically interact with their dogs. In that case, you need to depend on water being available to the dog in the field area or rely on the dog’s conditioning and stamina to get through the entire performance without rehydrating.

Handlers encourage their dogs to drink deeply two or three hours before a competition, and offer a smaller amount once they finish.

Even when you can offer water to your dog, some dogs are so focused on the task at hand that they may refuse to drink. You may be able to entice them by flavouring the water with Jell-O, broth or canned dog food.

Reynolds suggests using a spray bottle to squirt water directly into the dog’s mouth, and Wakshlag recommends carrying a little jug on your belt at all times so you can offer clean water.

Some dogs, on the other hand, really tank up when given the opportunity, and this potentially presents its own set of problems. The Military Working Dog Program handbook advises, “Do not let the dog overdrink. He should not consume more than one cup of water until he is calm and his temperature returns to normal.”

Handlers have been concerned that overdrinking would lead to vomiting or torsion (twisting of the stomach – a life-threatening condition). But studies have shown no relationship between recent drinking and the incidence of torsion. Wakshlag explains that water passes quickly through the gastrointestinal tract and doesn’t ferment, so it doesn’t appear to cause problems, whereas food not only stays in the GI tract longer, it draws water into the stomach, and can bulk up to three times its original size.

There’s also an (unproven) theory that if a dog fills up on cool water, then vomits it up, it will actually help to cool the dog down, as the water absorbs heat while it is in the dog.

Until these concerns are proved or disproved, it is probably best to offer small amounts of water at a time. Once exercise is completed, Wakshlag notes that it’s common to offer about 1-1/2 litres of water. More is held off until the evening meal is given, when the dog is naturally inclined to feel thirsty because the body needs water for digestion.

Finally, Reynolds notes that because dogs do not sweat as a primary method of thermoregulation, they do not lose electrolytes as humans do during exercise. So they receive no benefit from electrolyte replacement drinks or supplements.

If natural water is available to your dog in the form of ponds or streams, you have further potential worries. Giardia was once called “backpackers disease” because it was encountered only in the backcountry. It has become far more prevalent, and even turns up in municipal water supplies. Giardia is a protozoan, spread through contact with contaminated water or infected feces. It can be passed among cattle, deer, dogs, humans and a variety of other species. Dogs suffering giardia most commonly have recurring diarrhea.

Diagnosis can be difficult, with a series of three zinc sulfate flotation tests being the most reliable tool. Treatment is available.

A second worry, particularly with stagnant water, is leptospirosis. Rats using a pool of stagnant water can infect it with the bacteria. There are vaccines against leptospirosis, but they don’t protect against all strains and are the vaccines most often implicated in unwanted side effects.

Finally, lakes and ponds, particularly those receiving fertilizer runoff, can suffer a ‘bloom’ of toxic blue-green algae. Drinking this water can kill a dog within an hour, so this is a situation to be completely avoided. Blue-green algae is actually a bacteria, and appears as a paint sheen on the surface of the water rather than the chunky slimy green material you probably think of when algae is mentioned. It is an ongoing problem in the Pacific Northwest.

The long-hair trait has been part of the breed for a long, long time. Since it’s a recessive (hidden) trait, it can remain concealed for generations. Contrary to what you would think, short coat is dominant over long coat in Weimaraners, so it is possible to have a short-coated carrier of the long-hair gene and not know it.

We found a long-hair German import male to breed to our short-coated female, resulting in puppies that all carried the long-hair trait but were short coated. Often, the only clue that a short-coated Weimaraner is a long-hair carrier is that the coat is thicker and they have more hair on their bellies. Many short-coated Weimaraners are almost bald on their bellies, leaving them vulnerable to injury and frostbite.

We then bred one of the short-coat/long-hair-cross offspring back to another long-hair. Of the eight puppies, half were long-hair. The only problem was that at three days of age when you should dock tails on the short coats, you couldn’t tell which where long-hair and which weren’t. After waiting a few more days and consulting with a more experienced breeder, we were able to decide which to dock.

Having dealt with two short-coat/long-hair litters now, we recommend researching the pedigrees for long-hair carriers, then looking at the puppies for all the little clues and waiting an extra day before docking. As well, breeders now have another tool available – Veterinary Diagnostics Center has a genetic test for coat type and will do rush tests for puppies. It’s important to look at pedigrees of breeding dogs to determine if there’s a chance the parents might carry the LH trait, then get them tested so that you know for sure.

Meanwhile, as Weimaraner Association of Canada members, we started lobbying for a change to the breed standard in Canada. It had seemed odd that you could show long-hairs all over the world except in North America. As members of the Weimaraner Club of America, we had seen WCA members try, and fail, to change the standard in the U.S. Unclear vote wording and other factors were the downfall there, so in Canada the goal was to thoroughly educate the membership before attempting to change the standard to be the same as the country of origin’s – Germany.

The new standard removed long hair as a “very serious fault” and described the long-hair coat as a separate variety. After 10 years of debate, education of members and consultation with the CKC, the new standard came into effect on July 1, 2007.

While this should have been a happy time, it wasn’t. The Weimaraner Association of Canada had been given assurances all along by the CKC that the long-hair would be shown separately from the short-hair. Breeders were concerned that the long-hairs, with their coat and long tail, looked so different from the short-coated Weims that some judges may have issues judging them together. With CKC assurances that they could be shown separately, WAC members voted to change the standard.

Unfortunately, one month before the WAC’s first national specialty that would include the long-hairs, the CKC informed the host-club secretary that the long-hairs could have their own class, not a separate variety, and only at specialties. At regular shows, they would be shown in the same classes as the short-hairs. Out of respect to the WAC members, we and others pulled our long-hairs from the specialty. It was a huge disappointment for all. Since then, several more WAC members have acquired quality long-hairs and started showing them. The first long-hair to gain a Canadian championship was an Australian import.

Surprisingly, the biggest challenge breeders face is finding homes for the long-haired puppies. People just don’t know they exist. When making a breed choice, they often choose Weims for their short coat. This means long waits for homes for long-hair puppies and, unfortunately, some people producing poor-quality long-hairs marketed as “rare.”

Long-hairs have a longer, soft topcoat and an undercoat. Coat length is similar to that of a field-bred setter with some feathering on the back of the legs and a plume on the tail. They shed twice a year. Like most coated breeds, dogs do not have their full coat until two or three years of age.
Older puppies look short-coated except for their ears. The quality of the coat varies in similar degrees to the short coat’s. A very fine, cottony long coat “brings back the forest” and is not ideal for a hunting dog.

Coat care is not difficult; regularly trimming the feet reduces the amount of mud brought into the house. Grooming for show is limited deliberately by the new standard. The WAC wanted the long-hair to remain a natural, serviceable hunting dog that requires minimal grooming. Neatening of feet and ears is all that’s required.

You won’t see many long-hairs in the conformation ring. Most people buy them for pets or hunting dogs.

You may see some long-hairs with short tails. In developing the revised standard, the WAC took into account the difficulty of identifying a long-hair in a three-day-old litter and decided that a docked tail on a long-hair is a minor fault.

Tail carriage and length are not well addressed in either the Canadian or FCI standard, so there’s a lot of variation. The long tail has some curve to it, like a sickle, and when a dog is very excited, the tail will curve up over its back. Incorrect tail set is more noticeable in a long-hair due to the length.

We and other responsible long-hair owners and breeders will continue to show our dogs under the less-than-ideal conditions dictated by the CKC. We feel that it’s important for the public to be aware of the long-hair variety and for breeders to realize the benefits of keeping the long-hair trait in the Weimaraner breed. The WAC will continue to work with the CKC to move toward having the long-hair as a separate variety similar to the Collies (Rough and Smooth), Chihuahuas (Long and Short Coats) and Dachshunds (six varieties).

The next time you see a grey dog with long hair at a dog show, don’t just assume that some yahoo has brought their crossbred into the building. Go and say hi to the long-hairs – they have been waiting a long time to come out of the closet and into the show ring.

An inherited myopathy that has received a lot of press is centronuclear myopathy (CNM) of Labrador Retrievers. It has also been referred to as Labrador Retriever hereditary myopathy, type 2 muscle fibre deficiency, and muscular myopathy.

CNM affects males and females and has been seen in dogs with black, yellow and chocolate coat colour. Age of onset varies from as early as six weeks of age to as late as seven months. Both early and late onset may occur in the same litter.

On average, most dogs afflicted with CNM develop symptoms at three to four months of age. The first signs are weakness, an abnormal gait and posture, and decreased exercise tolerance.

Puppies with CNM are often spotted by their low head posture and neck flexed downward. The legs take short, stilted strides, and the back legs may ‘bunny-hop’ together. Exercise aggravates the symptoms; some dogs even collapse on their front legs.

The only sign in mildly affected puppies may be less desire to play than their littermates. In contrast, severely affected dogs may be able to run for only 20 metres. They improve somewhat with rest, but signs recur with exercise.

Affected dogs have a cow-hocked stance, dropped carpi (wrists), and splayed toes. Muscles begin to atrophy, especially those of the upper forelimb and head. Symptoms are more evident in cold weather and are reversed with warmth.

Megaesophagus is a potentially fatal consequence. The muscles of the esophagus sometimes become so weak they cannot propel food to the stomach. The puppy then aspirates (inhales) the food, developing life-threatening pneumonia.

This myopathy does not cause inflammation in the muscle, so palpation does not generate pain. Routine blood tests are usually normal. Tendon reflexes (such as the knee jerk) are absent in affected dogs because the muscles are too weak to react. An electromyogram (EMG), which records the electrical activity in muscles, can reveal abnormalities, but this requires specialized equipment available at only a few referral centers.

Microscopic evaluation of a muscle biopsy, a costly and invasive test, used to be the only way to definitively diagnose CNM, but now there is a gene test. Done with either a blood test or a cheek swab (labradorcnm.com), it tells us if dogs have two copies (homozygous), one copy (heterozygous), or no copies (are free) of the gene mutation that causes CNM.

Dogs that exhibit symptoms of CNM are homozygous for the ailment – they have received one copy of the gene from each parent. Dogs that have only one copy of the CNM mutation are clinically normal, but if bred, they pass the mutation on to approximately half of their offspring.

The clinical signs of CNM stabilize between six months and one year of age and don╒t progress further. If signs are mild, there may be limited improvement in exercise tolerance. Affected dogs are not suitable for work, but can sometimes make it as house pets. Exposure to cold temperatures or exercise can make them dramatically worse and should be avoided. Lifespan can be normal for these dogs, unless they develop megaesophagus.

There is no treatment for CNM. Diazepam (Valium) may help, as well as anabolic steroids and L-carnitine (the latter two are anecdotal only).

In the April 2008 issue of Canadian Veterinary Journal, a ‘new’ form of myopathy was described in a young chocolate Labrador Retriever, a five-month-old pup that had been taken to the veterinarian with a three-week history of progressive lameness.

The puppy was extremely underweight (12.7 kilograms), walked with a choppy stride, and collapsed after taking a few steps. Tests and blood work could not pin down a cause, so a congenital myopathy or neuropathy was suspected. Once the puppy was unable to stand and his condition worsened, he was euthanized.

On a post mortem, severe muscle atrophy was noted affecting every muscle examined. A test for CNM was negative and the disease was found to share pathologic characteristics (via muscle biopsy) with an inherited myopathy identified in Great Danes.

This past summer, an additional litter with affected male puppies was identified, and researchers at the University of Saskatchewan and the University of California are in the process of determining the genetic defect causing this disorder.

This myopathy is inherited as an X-linked trait, so that only male puppies are clinically affected. Females from litters with affected puppies may be carriers.

This myopathy most commonly strikes Golden Retrievers, but has also been seen in Labrador Retrievers, Belgian Shepherd Dogs, Miniature Schnauzers, Irish Terriers, Pembroke Welsh Corgis, German Short-haired Pointers, Brittany Spaniels, Rottweilers, Samoyeds, Wire-haired Fox Terriers, Alaskan Malamutes and Rat Terriers.

Called canine X-linked muscular dystrophy (CXMD), this myopathy that turns up in male dogs is carried and transmitted by females that don’t show symptoms. It is a non-inflammatory myopathy triggered by an absence of dystrophin, a protein that forms the skeleton of muscle cells.

CXMD tends to strike very early in life or even right after birth. Some pups are stunted by weaning time. The males within a litter can show a wide range in severity of symptoms. They may have a bunny-hopping gait, elbows that ‘wing out’ and, interestingly, difficulty opening the mouth. As it progresses, they can’t tolerate exercise, their hocks and carpi fall down, and there is extreme atrophy of the muscles. By six months of age, the condition stabilizes and does not progress. Some develop difficulty swallowing and megaesophagus may develop. Heart failure has been known to occur.

This condition can be diagnosed with a muscle biopsy. There is no effective treatment.

If a dog shows evidence of a muscle problem or exercise intolerance, a thorough examination should be done to rule out heart defects, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), lung disease and joint problems.

If a muscle problem is suspected, further testing is needed to define the disease. In some cases, this may include a gene test (e.g., for CNM) or a muscle biopsy.

Dogs with inherited myopathies should not be bred. As well, their parents and littermates are poor candidates for breeding unless gene tests can show they are clear for the defect. We are likely to recognize more myopathies in the future as specific testing for more disorders becomes available.

So why don’t we see more ‘non-obedience’ breeds in obedience? Are we so caught up with attaining a GMOTCh. that we all have to go for the ‘performance’ breeds? Are the owners of the so-called non-obedience breeds too intimidated to even try?

We all dote on our dogs, irrespective of their obedience potential, and we know that obedience (or at least some semblance of control) is the basis for all the other dog sports. So I think more of us should get out there and show the world it can be done. With a Scottie, with a Basenji, with a Shih Tzu.

Some people are already out there. A Borzoi was Top Obedience Dog in Canada in 1982. I saw that team, and they were spectacular. I’ve seen Newfoundlands, Norfolk Terriers, Irish Setters, Beagles, Whippets, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Bloodhounds and many others in the ring. Qualifying. Some with pretty impressive scores. Some even beating out the Australian Shepherds and Golden Retrievers.

I have trained and instructed many non-obedience breeds (including two Harriers of my own), and here are a few of the things I have learned:

The first step is to open your mind to the possibility that you can succeed. Ignore the naysayers, pick up your leash and get started.

It is not the method that necessarily has to change, so don’t limit yourself by thinking that you can’t do something with a particular breed. All dogs are different, no matter the breed. Adapt your methods based on the actual dog you are training.

Non-performance breeds are often more independent than the performance breeds, and this tends to make them harder to motivate, and also less tolerant of handler/trainer errors. So you have to think more when you train.

One of the most important points is knowing what makes your dog tick. What turns him on? Is it food? A tennis ball or rope toy? For some dogs, it might even be ending the session! But whatever it is, you need to find it and you need to learn how to make it work for you.

I have noticed that dogs that aren’t naturally geared to love obedience (which probably includes a huge percentage of the dog population) don’t usually have the patience to repeat exercises over and over. So make your point quickly, and either switch to another exercise or end the session. Also, if your dog already understands an exercise and gives you an adequate response (according to your goals for that dog), don’t keep asking him to repeat it. Stop right there and celebrate. Generally speaking, short sessions are best.

Try not to make excuses for your dog, as this will tend to make you approach problems in a negative manner. When you run into a problem, try not to get discouraged. See if you can figure out what is going on in your dog’s mind and what would make him decide it is in his best interests to do it your way. You may have to get creative, as chances are neither “Do it my way or else,” nor “Please, please, please do it my way,” will be successful as a game plan. If your dog is giving you the poor-little-me look, try just grabbing the collar and rushing off to the next exercise with an aren’t-we-having-fun attitude. This is no time to be sulky. The handler’s attitude will very much affect the dog’s, so think and act in a positive manner always.

The more difficult the goal, the greater the sense of pride and accomplishment when it’s attained. Whatever level you achieve – and you may surprise yourself – you will become a much better trainer, and the skills you learn with a difficult dog will make your job all the easier the next time around.

So come out and join the fun. At worst, you and your dog will both use your minds and learn something together. At best, you will make many new friends, and you might just discover a whole new world.

Whatever the reason for their fear, they have a right to it. But there can be times when you need to try and change that attitude. For example, if your workplace allows dogs but your cubicle neighbour is afraid, or if your neighbour is afraid to come out of the house if your dog’s in the yard, or even more extreme, if you’re in a serious relationship with someone who fears your beloved pet.

Here are some strategies you can use to help someone get over their fear and come to understand the wonderful nature of dogs.

It’s much harder to be afraid of a dog that’s lying down and exposing his belly. You can teach this as a command, or just ask your dog to lie down and then start scratching the inside of the back leg – a lot of dogs will roll onto their side or back so you can do even more scratching.

Teaching your dog some tricks is also a great idea. Having your dog respond to your cues demonstrates that you have control, and besides, tricks are cute. Some good options include balance a cookie, say your prayers, wave, and weave through legs. (See The Trick Is in the Training, 2nd edition, for instructions for these and many more tricks.)

The person can keep some distance from the dog and cue the dog to sit, down, stand or do tricks. You can signal the dog if need be. But let the fearful person feel that they are controlling the dog’s actions. It should help instill the belief that they, not the dog, are in control of the situation.

This can be tricky, but if the person is willing to listen, it may help achieve a breakthrough. You can point out some of the many ways dogs assist humankind: leading the blind, increasingly helping autistic children to relate better with other humans, finding lost children and elderly. Emphasize that if dogs were so hazardous to be around, they wouldn’t be used in programs with disadvantaged children or the fragile elderly.

If the person is willing to talk about why they are afraid of dogs, you may be able to explain an incident they describe. In a fair number of cases, if a bite occurred, it was from a puppy that simply didn’t know any better and was playing with a human in the same manner he would play with a littermate.

Dog-fearful people are generally more willing to approach the end that doesn’t bite. So target the dog’s head to you, take a light grip on the collar, and encourage the fearful person to reach out and pat or scratch the dog’s butt. If your dog happens to have a sleek, glossy coat, the person may be surprised and pleased with the feel of it, and a little more willing to try further interaction.

Better understanding of canine body language can help to dispel fear, so point out how a happy, friendly, non-threatening dog looks. Use your own dog as a model. Point out the relaxed, possibly open, mouth that almost seems to be smiling, the even eyebrows (not drawn up or down at either side), the general loose, relaxed state of the body. Have your dog do a play bow if you have it on cue or if your dog will respond to your own version of the bow.

Changing someone’s fearful attitude is difficult and takes time. While you are attempting it, have empathy for how they feel. Take things slow, don’t do anything to set back your cause, such as let your dog jump on them. Try all of these approaches, and you just may be able to create a new fan of dogs.

Nonetheless, at my first few dog shows I struggled to find my number, find my ring, find my bait, find the judging schedule (and try to interpret it), find my nerve and finally find myself entering the right ring, at the right time, in the right class.

As a new and diligent member of the CKC I took it upon myself to familiarize myself with our code of ethics and other important rules and polices. Imagine my delight and surprise when I came upon the last statement in the members portion of the CKC code, “All members of the CKC will undertake the task of educating and encouraging all newcomers to the world of purebred dogs no matter their interest – pet, owner, exhibitor or breeder.” Well, this was a relief.

Understandably I was a little apprehensive about how I would be received in the conformation world and uncertain about show people and the environment in general. I had heard rumors and gossip over the years about conformation showing being a dog eat dog world, where I’d be eaten up and spit out by the pros. But I was really encouraged when I found the positive statement on embracing newcomers; it helped me conquer my fears, ignore rumors and proceed with my showing plans.

I’ve been shown kindness, compassion and caring by complete strangers in the conformation show arena in the last six months. I have not only been warmly welcomed but embraced, educated and encouraged.

It has been this newbie’s experience that the conformation showing world is full of many different people, with different life experiences, different methodologies and differing opinions. But, despite all these differences, they all have something in common: they are passionate people who each have something unique to offer.

I feared a hostile, competitive and unfriendly environment. Nothing could be further from the truth. I’ll admit that conformation showing has its share of the politics involved in all sports, but overall I have found that fairness, camaraderie and ethical people have reigned supreme and set the tone for this activity.

With the help of my new friends and acquaintances, my Dachshund ‘Merriweather’ finished her Canadian Championship at the ripe old age of eight months with her greenhorn handler smiling ear to ear. I feel honoured and privileged to be a part of that community and am a better person for it. I know that someday when I win my first Best in Show I will share my triumph with all those who helped me along the way and who have taught me what true conformation sportsmanship is all about: hard work, support, faith, hope and, of course, the love of dogs.

People who do Reiki are called practitioners (versus healers) because they don’t use their own energy to offer healing. They take energy from the universe around them and channel it to others that need healing. They say they can feel energy moving through their hands to the patient.

Reiki is used to maintain health, heal illness and injuries, and ease the transition between life and death. Healing does not always mean a physical cure. It could mean a spiritual rebalancing before passing on.

Practitioners use five elements to perform Reiki – precepts, breathing techniques, healing treatments, symbols and mantras, as well as a Reiju (spiritual blessing) from their teachers.

If you want to find a Reiki practitioner for your dog, you can ask an alternative veterinarian for a referral, talk to others who may have used one, or search the Internet. But, before you go to a Reiki session, it helps to understand what the practitioner will be doing. This assists you in working with them for the best results.

Sessions should take place in a location familiar to your dog, such as a small room. The idea is to let your dog move around freely, unrestrained. The practitioner sits on a chair or a cushion on the floor.

The session lasts 30 to 60 minutes and must be undisturbed. It usually begins with a few moments of meditation or hands-on healing. The practitioner then asks the patient, either verbally or in the mind, if he or she wants to receive a Reiki treatment. They tell the dog it is up to them if they want it, and also tell them that they can determine how much Reiki they receive.

Initially, the practitioner stays five to 10 feet away from the dog. Once the dog is comfortable, building trust and confidence, he may push certain areas of his body against the practitioner’s hands. This shows the focus for healing and where the practitioner should direct energy flow.

Signs that a dog is accepting treatment are eye contact, pushing the body into the hands, lying down or falling asleep, deep breaths, and yawns. If a dog does not want treatment, he will move away as far as possible, avoid eye contact and be agitated. The key is to never force a Reiki treatment.

There is no agreed-upon theory on how Reiki works. It is an unproven treatment and there is a profound lack of studies in animals that delve into its benefits. However, there is a growing interest in applying it in both the human and animal fields.

He sits for hours mouthing the shoe (or one of a number), laying his big head on it, gently pawing it. He doesn’t bite it or rip it or eat it. In fact, the shoe seldom even feels wet when we finally grab it to put it on a shelf. If we approach him while he has it, he utters a low gravelly growl and glances suspiciously, while his tail metronomes wildly. Occasionally, he mouths one of 13 rubber or leather toys we have actually bought for him expressly for that purpose.

We allow this behaviour because it is cute to us and unspeakably joyful for him. He has not abused the privilege by destroying one of our shoes or, more importantly, that of a visitor. This hobby also occupies him and minimizes the time he spends tormenting the older dog – an aging yellow Lab with bad hips – into a play fight.

We all wonder how we can improve ourselves by being more like our dogs. After all, our dogs are nearly perfect creatures that can do what we can’t – give unconditional love so easily, and unabashedly enjoy behaviour that would embarrass us. So I must ask: Why does the boy dog do it other than for the obvious fact that the shoe harbours the smell of his beloved human, my wife? And what is the human analogy of a dog mouthing a dirty old running shoe for hours on end? It’s not a moot point or simply an academic question – I really want to know so I can introduce this simple measure of comfort into my over-complicated life.

I guess the most literal and direct example would be humans mouthing stuff – smoking cigarettes or a pipe, chewing gum, maybe even biting their nails. Some people chew pens. For little children, maybe thumb-sucking is a close cousin to a dog mouthing a shoe. Perhaps the ultimate example would be the “sucky blanket,” which inherits the child’s smell due to continuous slobbering and caressing.

All of these are generally considered undesirable habits. I guess the parallel between dogs and children has been drawn before – unconditional love, not being ashamed by behaviour that embarrasses adults. So maybe that answers the question for me. The secret to being the happiest person you can be is to simply remain as child-like in as many ways as possible, for as long as possible.

Jennifer Febel, D.V.M., practice manager at Smith Veterinary Hospital in Thornhill, Ont., recognized the problem in her own practice and decided to try doing something innovative about it.

She started the Chub Club for the practice’s overweight dogs and cats and their owners. “We felt it’s such a big problem that’s under the radar right now, we thought it would be a good idea to help out.” The original concept was based on Weight Watchers®, with regular group meetings and weigh-ins. But Febel notes, “That wasn’t working very well. Our clientele are very busy. Getting something that fits their lifestyle is a challenge. But there’s a lot of interest in the Chub Club concept. People want their pets to be healthy.”

Of course, there’s a lot more involved than the pets. Febel points out that when she starts talking about a pet being overweight and people go home and look in the mirror, it tends to bring out their own insecurities.

And she acknowledges that “Inevitably, you’ll have the case of the spouse who likes to give treats under the table.”

So it is in large part a social problem, with an intricate intertwining of human-human and human-dog relationships. Acknowledging this social aspect, the Chub Club is looking at using Facebook to conduct an online forum. Enrollees in the program will be able to post messages or questions and receive comments and answers. The Chub Club also offers counselling sessions at no charge. Though questions can certainly be asked and answered in the sessions, Febel notes that often, “You’ll have one person from the family come in really excited about it and they’re looking for tips on how to get the rest of the family on board.” The team offers to talk to the other family members and try to carefully educate them on the importance of slimming the pet down for its health.

The Chub Club officially began about one year ago, but it’s still a work in progress. One thing that has been a constant is the welcome packet given to owners when they sign up. It includes information on possible diets, the concept of fat as an organ, and encouragement that they have taken a great first step. They are urged to schedule a consultation, at no charge, to get a base weight on their dog and observe a body condition scoring. The consultant can tailor a program based on the diet the owner prefers to feed, or recommend a weight-loss diet with which they’ve had success. They can set up a schedule for monthly weigh-ins at the clinic. They also ease owners’ worries. “Often, it’s owner perception more than reality,” Febel says. “The owner feels the dog is not eating as enthusiastically.”

The program is starting to show some success. Febel points out that because the early program didn’t suit the needs of clients and had to be revised, they’re just now reaching six months of working on the problem with some Chub Club members. “It should take about six months for significant weight loss,” Febel says. “Now we’re talking with them about how to maintain the lifestyle going forward.”

Someday you may see a Chub Club near you – Febel is working with representatives from nutrition companies on ideas and funding on a much larger scale.

Support such as some version of the Chub Club is essential. Study after study has revealed problems with owner compliance. Butterwick et al. found that two out of 32 owners did not return after an initial consultation for weight loss. Gentry reported that of a group of 20 dogs that started on a weight-loss program, five failed to complete it. Yaissle showed a drop-out rate of 25 per cent due to poor owner compliance. Suggested strategies for improving compliance included incentives such as a one-time fee for a limited period, having a scale at the clinic available for drop-ins, and taking before and after pictures of the dog.

On a related weight-loss topic, Lisa Freeman, D.V.M., Ph.D., D.A.C.V.N., of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, and co-author Deborah Linder, D.V.M., conducted a survey of commercially available weight-management diets, published in the January 1, 2010, issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

They looked at 44 canine diets, both dry and canned, and found that dry food ranged from 217 to 440 kilocalories (kcal) per cup and canned ranged form 189 to 398 kcal per can. That’s a wide variation, but even more concerning were the feeding guidelines.

Following the recommended package feeding instructions would result in a caloric intake of anywhere from 0.73 to 1.47 times resting energy requirements (based on a hypothetical body weight of 36.5 kilograms or 80 pounds). With many of the surveyed labels, following the package guidelines would not only not result in any weight loss, but would actually promote weight gain. Freeman points out that though under federal guidelines, pet foods labelled “light” or “low-calorie” must not surpass a maximum kilocalories per kilogram restriction, over half the foods surveyed did, in fact, exceed the maximum.

The study concluded that this variability “could contribute to challenges of achieving successful weight loss in pets.”

In order to add some spice, television producers often add conflict, either among the participants themselves, or between the show’s main characters and the people they’re attempting to teach. Let’s face it, this is why most people watch.

The problem is that mere snippets of information can be harmful. If we see a TV trainer use a key sound to communicate information to the dog, then try to emulate that sound, we have to figure out, on our own, how the sound was taught to the dog in order to get the correct response. We all know that to be learned, a word or sound needs to be followed by a consequence (positive or negative).

How many of us have watched a cooking show simply because of the chef? I would watch Jamie Oliver if he were reading the phone book, with no intention of ever cooking what he demonstrates. It’s the same with TV trainers – they need to be a larger than life so we’ll stop at their show when we’re clicking through channels.
If the TV trainer seems charming, turn down the sound and watch the dogs’ expressions and actions. It’s easy to argue that some of these dogs are hard-core offenders, but I would counter by suggesting that perhaps these dogs shouldn’t be dealt with on television. Is this simply for our entertainment? It’s like watching a hoarding show – we just can’t look away.

If the trainer is confrontational, why do we watch? And a better question would be, why would we attempt this on our own dog?

It is becoming common for trainers and owners to bash the trainers on television. I agree that some of them can be over the top, but there are also dog-training shows that are respectful of the dogs, the people and the audience. We should seek these out and show our support.

Meanwhile, it’s up to us to pick out what we can and can’t use in our own homes. The fallout in the training community is that owners are taking the information on TV and applying it to their own dogs without a full explanation of the why’s and how’s.

They will not get the instant results seen on TV, and frustration sets in. They are often disillusioned when calling on a local trainer for help, as the process needed to change their dog’s behaviour will take more work and commitment than what they saw on television.

Of course, the other area of concern for trainers in the trenches is self-diagnosis. Dogs have a multitude of temperaments and personalities, the same as people. What may work for a dog on TV may not work on the dog at home. In fact, the TV trainer’s solution may cause additional stress to both the dog and owner.

While learning how to teach Sit, Down, Stand and Come from watching it on the tube can be fine, it’s important to find someone locally who can guide you in any behavioural issues. The trainer should see your dog through their professional eyes, and give you constructive feedback as you progress.
TV is a one-way street. You can’t ask questions and no answers are given specifically for your situation. By getting involved with an experienced, professional trainer in your area, you will do the best you can for your dog.

The other interesting point about reality TV is that it usually has to keep raising the bar. Once we’ve watched someone eat bugs and worms, it’s no longer shocking or interesting. We can only hope this doesn’t happen with reality TV training. But let’s face it, ratings are important to the network and sponsors.

Educational shows should be informative and clear enough to give it a try. Some reality TV shows do educate and inform. One that comes to mind involves a nanny who helps families cope with over-zealous children. There is a lot to be learned in that show.

The key person doesn’t lose sight of why she is there, doesn’t lose her patience or her respect for the families, and the lessons taught are explained well enough for those at home to be able to accomplish their goals.

In fact, many of the lessons can be modified, to teach our dogs in the same manner – with consistency, fairness and clear consequences that do no harm.

To sum up, let’s be careful what we follow. When considering a trainer, make sure the methods being taught are respectful and motivational. Make sure the dogs are working in an upbeat manner and that the people around the dogs are not being degraded. Don’t let marketing cloud your view.

It is fair, I believe, to describe the Labrador Retriever as the sporting dog of the 20th century, since their development as a breed, popularity and prowess is undisputed. It is probably just as fair to describe the Curly-coated Retriever as the oldest and most underrated breed of retriever. Their qualities are well known to their owners, but are usually untapped by the majority of shooting men. Yet there is something very masculine about the Curly. They are a fussless breed and a very individual one, protected from mongrelization by their astrakhan coats. I once spent a happy day judging working tests just for this breed and found much to admire in their character.

The Flat-coated Retriever I have long admired and when I was younger mourned their absence from the shooting field. It has been good to see a small renaissance of their working qualities. They were once every gamekeeper’s first choice. Combining handsomeness with intelligence, they have never been spoiled by over-popularity.

Writing in the 19th century, ‘Idstone,’ who was a gun dog authority in his day, described one with these words: “He was as black as a raven – blue-black – not a very large dog, but wide over the back and loins, with limbs like a lion, and a thick, glossy, long, silky coat which parted down the back, a long sagacious head, full of character, and clean as a setter’s in the manner of coat. His ears were small, and so close to his head that they were hidden in his feathered neck. His eye was neither more nor less than a human one. I never saw a bad expression in it.” An enchanting description, richly deserved.

James Wentworth-Day, a demanding dog man if there ever was one, referred to a Flat-coat in these words: “But Black Bess… was my father’s dog, a magnificent flat-coat who shone in the sun like a raven’s wing, who walked the grass with the gait of a queen. She was all good looks, good breeding and good heart.” These words came back to me some years ago, firstly when watching Ch. Shargleam Blackcap win Best in Show at Crufts, and again when seeing FTCh. Werrion Redwing of Collyers at work in the field. Here were two happy, handsome dogs in contrasting circumstances, really selling their breed.

Wentworth-Day also admired the character of the Chesapeake Bay Retriever: “Their impression of power is quite remarkable. They give one the feeling of immense resources of energy, of great reservoirs of knowledge, of tolerance of disposition, obstinacy of purpose, and tenacity of principle. They are responsive, and they have a lot of quiet good sense.”

They would certainly be my first choice as a wildfowling companion. At the turn of the last century, ‘Wildfowler,’ a much-respected gun dog authority, spelled out the requirements for a successful wildfowling dog: “The dog has to learn so many more things than other breeds of dogs. He must stay ready for fighting, remain still in a punt, he must never open under the strongest temptation, never jump up, never be excited, obey signs implicitly, hunt when told and keep to heel when ordered… be tender-mouthed, very keen-nosed, strong-constitutioned, plucky, swim for ever, and stand hard winters with equanimity. A dog who does all these things well clearly is a valuable dog.” Clearly! List the dogs you would prefer not to share a punt with!

But whether wildfowling or winning the hearts of the dog-owning community, the Labrador is the retriever most people choose. In 1912, 281 were registered in Britain; in 1922, 916; and by the 1950s there were 4,000 registered with The Kennel Club each year. In recent years, their popularity has known no bounds: 25,000 a year in the early 1990s and over 45,000 nowadays. Being Britain’s most popular breed has not been all joy, but their wide use outside the show ring indicates their versatility and skill. I have used them as tracking dogs in the jungle and overseen their use as explosives detectors and body seekers; they have rarely disappointed me. This breed wants to work and yet so many are purchased by people who just want a pet and seem unembarrassed by a bored unhappy dog.

In the shooting field, the Lab rules the roost. Of the 106 dogs entered for field trials in Britain in 1908, 62 were Flat-coats, 39 Labradors, three Curlies and two were inter-bred retrievers. The Flat-coats won two firsts, five seconds, eight thirds and three fourths; the Labradors won six firsts, two seconds, one third and one fourth. Five years later, Labradors won 20 firsts, 17 seconds, 19 thirds and 10 fourths, whereas Flat-coats won one first, two seconds, three thirds and one fourth, a quite astonishing performance in a field where change is not welcome.

Retrievers as recognized breeds are only around 150 years old, probably starting in the 1850s as a wavy-coated dog, allegedly from a cross between the Newfoundland dog and the setter. At the time, the celebrated ‘Stonehenge’ wrote: “The large black retriever is known by his resemblance to the small Newfoundland and Setter, between which two he is bred, and the forms of which he partakes of in nearly equal proportions.” In these times when the Newfoundland, once called “the great retriever,” is bred to look like a mountain dog, it’s easy to overlook their true heritage.

In his valuable work Dog Breaking of 1876, the renowned Gen. Hutchinson gave this opinion: “It is usually allowed that, as a general rule, the best land retrievers are bred from a cross between the Setter and the Newfoundland, or the strong Spaniel and the Newfoundland… the far slighter dog reared by the settlers on the coast, a dog that is quite as fond of water as of land….” This “far slighter dog” indicates the variety of type found in the early imports from Newfoundland.

Studying yellow Labradors going through a working test a few years ago, their action in pursuit of ground scent reminded me of another breed at work and I couldn’t place it. Then it dawned on me that they were working the cover exactly as a foxhound would. I believe that foxhound blood was used with Labradors in the north of England in the 1940s, not to improve scenting, but appearance.

In The Dog of 1872, ‘Idstone’ wrote that the smooth-coated retriever “tracked his game like a Bloodhound.” In 1860, ‘Stonehenge’ referred to a retriever of Lord Fitzwilliam’s that was by a Bloodhound out of a Mastiff. I see many hound-like actions in the Labrador at work in the field, perhaps because I am now looking out for it. But it is interesting that a year ago, Bill Williamson of Staffordshire bred two black-and-tan Labrador pups from a yellow/black mating, with DNA proof of pure breeding. A Swedish breeder has reported mismarked pups in a purebred litter, some being black with fawn, some with brindling, some chocolate and tan. The gene pool never lies!

The popularity of the Golden and Labrador retrievers, however, has not been without its drawbacks. We seem to be losing that appealing ‘soft’ eye in the Labrador and the striking red-gold coat of the Golden. I see more overweight Labradors than any other breed and far too many with untypical heads and hard eyes. There are worrying frequencies of unacceptable temperament in both these distinguished breeds. I am disappointed in the quality of coat on specimens I see at shows. A dense, waterproof coat is simply essential in such a breed.

The retrievers must be retained as working breeds, their conformation, character and commitment perpetuated with that in mind. Retrievers were developed in a hard school, their precious physical and mental qualities handed on to us to be safeguarded in our lifetime as a matter of honour.

We owe it to this charming and valuable group of breeds that the contributions we make as fanciers be in their best long-term interests. Long may we enjoy our reliable retrievers!

‘Chance,’ a nine-year-old Dalmatian mix, is a loyal and obedient family dog with an incredibly strong sense of responsibility. At the end of last year, his family found out first-hand just how devoted he is to protecting those he loves.

In December 2009, Veronica Fraser and her seven-year-old autistic son James Delorey were playing in their backyard with Chance. Veronica was watching James and Chance when she was temporarily distracted. When she returned moments later, they were nowhere in sight.

The family backyard leads into a densely wooded area and brook. Veronica immediately started searching the area, but despite her urgent search, she could not find James. Panicked, Veronica ran home and alerted her family and the police that James was missing. Veronica, terrified about what had happened to her son, was comforted by the fact that she knew Chance was with him; she knew that he wouldn’t leave him alone. The search continued long into the night.

By the morning, a snowstorm hit the region. There was still no sign of James or Chance. Hundreds of people within the community were helping with the search, now in blizzard-like conditions.

Two days after James’ disappearance, Chance suddenly emerged from the woods. Search and rescue teams followed Chance’s footprints in the snow and were led to James, who was suffering from severe hypothermia. He was unconscious but still alive. He was rushed to the hospital where medical teams worked to stabilize him. Officials attributed his survival to Chance staying by his side, keeping him warm.

Sadly, James succumbed to the hypothermia and passed away later that day. Both his family and Chance were devastated. Although James is no longer with them, his family is indebted to Chance for being his guardian angel. Chance not only kept James alive until he could be found, but he is also the reason Veronica was able to say goodbye to her son. Without Chance, James Delorey would never have been reunited with his family.

‘Patty’ is a five-year-old Border Collie mix who came to live on the Jensen family farm when her previous owner was no longer able to care for her. The Jensens had no idea that Patty would thank them for their generosity by saving one of them.

One day in May 2009, Patty joined her owner, Kai Jensen, and his son Allan as they prepared to plant their yearly crop. Allan did one last safety walk to make sure his father and Patty were at a safe distance from the air seeder before hopping into the tractor cab and starting the machine.

Before Allan closed the cab door to drive away, something strange caught his eye. Patty was frantically jumping and barking furiously at the six-foot-high door. Allan stared down at Patty as she started running in anxious circles beside the tractor; her actions were so uncharacteristic that Allan began to feel something was terribly wrong.

Stopping the tractor, Allan jumped out of the cab and followed Patty as she raced behind the machine to reveal Kai lying crushed behind the 6,000 lb air seeder. Allan pulled his cell phone from his pocket to call 911. The paramedics were able to rush him to the hospital where he began a two-month journey towards recovery.

If you ask the Jensens about the accident today, they’ll attribute Kai’s life to Patty’s intuition. In a scenario where every second counted, Patty didn’t waste a moment getting help.

‘Gepetto’ is a quiet, mellow cat, which is why his actions in early December 2009 caught Phyllis Sjogren�