The Dog Days Blog

Fibre in dog food

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 08:04:10 -0500

January 22, 2010, By Cheryl S. Smith, ARTICLE, NUTRITION

If you've spent more than a few minutes reading about nutrition for dogs, you know that the subject of dietary fibre is a controversial one. In fact, the jury still seems to be out on some of the topics related to fibre, such as increasing the feeling of being satiated during a weight-loss program, but other areas are on more solid ground.

Just what is fibre, exactly?

For the purposes of discussing nutrition, fibre is a specific type of carbo-hydrate, one that is insoluble (not easily digestible). Soluble (easily digestible) carbohydrates can be a source of energy in the diet, but insoluble carbohydrates fibre are not broken down by the enzymes in the small intestine and thus do not provide any usable energy. They may, however, have other benefits.

Fibre in dog foods comes mainly from the cell walls of plants or grains included in the food. Sources might include corn and corn by-products, beet pulp, bran, apple or tomato pomace, pectin, rice hulls, soybean hulls or peanut hulls.

These obviously do not sound like foods that wild canines would be eating, so why are they in dog food? On a practical level, the process of extrusion for manufacturing dry dog food requires a binding agent, and carbohydrates, whether soluble or insoluble, fill that need. But research has shown that low levels of fibre also provide some benefits to the dog.

What fibre does in the diet

Just as it does in humans, fibre can help ease symptoms of both diarrhea and constipation. Fibre provides bulk to the contents in the intestine, and has the ability to hold onto water. So it works to absorb the extra water in loose stools, and to provide water to help prevent constipation. This also helps slow nutrients that are travelling through the intestinal tract too quickly and speed up those that are taking too long.

Iams claims their research shows that crude fibre levels should be between 1.4 and 3.5 per cent for maximal nutrient digestibility. Joe Bartges, D.V.M., Ph.D., Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition, points out, however, that crude fibre (the numbers shown on the dog food packaging) is only a rough, and generally low, estimate of the actual fibre in the diet. Overprocessing can also alter the amount and type of fibre. So numbers can be misleading.

Still, Bartges agrees with Iams that fibre can have a variety of beneficial effects. Fibre can help manage diabetes, play a role as an antioxidant and help prevent cancer. The moderation of both diarrhea and constipation has already been mentioned. Fibre can also promote colon health by virtue of its fermentability.

The lining of the gastrointestinal tract renews itself rapidly, and much of the energy for this constant renewal comes from short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which are produced by bacterial fermentation of fibre. Iams research showed that a moderately fermentable fibre provided the optimum nutrition for the GI tract without causing diarrhea. Their publication Topics in Practical Nutrition (Vol. 4, No. 2, June 1994) provided the following table of fibre characteristics.

Fibre	Solubility	Fermentability
Beet pulp	low	moderate
Cellulose	low	low
Rice bran	low	moderate
Gum Arabic	high	moderate
Pectin	low	high
Guar gum	high	high
Locust bean gum	high	low
Xanthan gum	high	moderate

So both beet pulp and rice bran offered the low solubility and moderate fermentability their studies indicated as the best choice.

More is not better

Humans seem to have a tendency to think that if a little is good, more is better, but this definitely isn't the case with fibre. Some weight-reduction dog foods rely on greatly increased fibre content to bulk up' the food and decrease caloric content per serving. The dog has no choice about ingesting fewer calories, but studies have shown that the increased fibre does not help the dog feel less hungry.

Investigation continues on this subject. Higher fibre levels can result in a variety of unwanted side effects such as increased stool volume, loose stools and more flatulence. A potential effect owners can't see directly is decreased digestibility of the nutrients in the food.

Fibre and disease

One of the most-studied diseases in relation to fibre is diabetes. In a small study of dogs with insulin-dependent diabetes, researchers found that a high-fibre diet using only insoluble fibre resulted in significantly lower mean and maximum blood-glucose concentrations. High-fibre diets have been a component of treatment of diabetic dogs for some time.

But dietary fibre can also contribute to improved nitrogen metabolism in dogs with renal dysfunction, through regulation of transit time. There is increasing evidence that fibre fermentation contributes to overall intestinal health, helping to avoid megacolon, colitis and irritable bowel syndrome. Fibre binds to potentially carcinogenic bile acids and may thus play a role in preventing colon cancer.

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.

Illustration: Wes Tyrell

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

This article originally appeared in the August 2009 edition of Dogs in Canada. Subscribe now and never miss an article

January 2010 is Train Your Dog Month

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 12:24:53 -0500

APDT (US) has announced that January 2010 is to be Train Your Dog Month this is the perfect time as new resolutions are being thought about and lots of new dogs are in new homes. Let's try to keep all dogs in their homes by getting everyone off on the right paw for the new year.

So for the next 31 days Pet Central will blog a month-long real world manners program so that every day you will have a ready to go training plan for each day.

Don't worry if you miss some exercises or even some days you will be able to catch up. And of course the program will be available for you to continue with. At the end we will give you some exercises and other resources to work on with so that 2010 will become the year for your and your K9 companion.

Obviously this will be general so remember that your dog is an individual. Puppies will need intensive but gentle socialisation built into their training plans as well as things like toilet training so please don't forget about those.
Check out DogStar Daily for excellent puppy (and adult) training and socialisaiton resources.

Prepare for Train Your Dog Month:

It all starts on New Year's Day but this can be a tough day; afterall most new years resolutions are doomed to failure, lets at least get past day 1!

New Year's Day is a day for lazing around and often recovering from too much fun the night before so in preparation have plenty of yummy stuffed Kong toys in the freezer ready to occupy lively pups. Think of all that left over turkey perfect for adding to Kongs!

In fact, as part of training programs I usually recomend that pet owners ditch the dog bowls and always keep stuffed Kongs at hand. Any food that your dog doesn't get for good behaviour can be fed from a Kong during down times or alone times.

Exercise your dog early on New Year's Eve so as to avoid being out and about in case of fireworks and festivities and so that your dog is nice and tired during the evenings celebrations.
Check out Casey Lomonaco's guide to holiday success for dog owners.

Training Mix:

Cut up some of your dog's favourite treats such as hotdogs, chicken, turkey, ham, cheese, Cheerios cereal etc. anything that your dog thinks is really yummy.

Add your dog's daily ration of regular kibble (slightly reduced because you have added some yummies) and mix in a ZipLoc bag. Store in the fridge and allow the smells mix so kibble becomes extra attractive to your dog.

Make sure that the treats are teeny tiny, soft and really tasty this means that they will be eaten quickly and the dog won't fill up and get sick of them.

Pet Central's Plan for Train Your Dog Month:

Did you know that you can train your dog while you wait for the kettle to boil for your cup of tea, or duringt he ad break of your favourite TV show? We are going to work on the essential basic exercises and teach them within your and your dog's daily life.

I will include links to resources that give step by step instruction on teaching each exercise for you to use where required.

We will work on each exercise right from the beginning through to adding distraction, getting rid of lures and starting to wean off food rewards.

Each day will give step by step for the days' exercises, how to build training in to everyday goings on, how to get the entire family (and friends) involved, tools needed and training locations.

The most important part is to have fun with your family, dog included dog training should not be a chore for dog or for trainer. Dog training should be part of your every day activities and should involve the entire family.

That's what Train Your Dog Month is all about so let's get ready with our new training resolution on Jan 1st 2010.

Happy Training!

As posted: http://petcentralpawsitivepetcare.wordpress.com

Humane Society Starts Training Dogs

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 19:06:04 -0500

Pets can be a lot like children. You love them, but sometimes they just don't do what you want them to do. Unlike your children, however, they won't ever reach the age where they understand the meaning of the words coming out of your mouth.

To help dog owners teach their pets how to sit, stay and be good, the Suffolk Humane Society will begin hosting training classes Jan. 18.

A primary reason people turn dogs in to shelters is because the dog isn't behaving well, said Kay Hurley of the Suffolk Humane Society. Dog are dogs. Most desperately want to please us, but they don't understand what we expect. It's up to us to communicate to the dogs what we want them to do and teach them how to do it.

Suffolk Humane Society will offer two dog obedience classes for four weeks, each on Monday nights. Classes will be held from 6:307:30 p.m. and 7:458:45 p.m. at the Magnolia Ruritan Club building. The cost is $50 per dog, or $40 with proof of adoption.

It's been in the works for several months, since the trainers approached us with the idea, Hurley said.

Vanessa Vance, who has a dog adopted from a shelter, and Paula Dayton are members of the Suffolk Humane Society and members at the Merrimac Dog Training Club in Hampton. Hurley said they were the ones who approached the shelter about conducting the classes free of charge. All proceeds will go to the Suffolk Humane Shelter.

Out hope is that in the long run this will decrease the number of animals turned in to the shelters, Hurley said. We want to strengthen the bond between people and their pets. When you work with them, you will develop a better relationship with them.

As Posted: www.suffolknewsherald.com

Things to Know Before You Get a New Dog

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:09:27 -0500

Many readers may either be giving or receiving a pet for Christmas this year, and as I have mentioned before, this is a wonderful time to adopt a pet if you have the time to properly bond with that animal.

When giving a pet as a gift make certain that the recipient really wants this animal because after the holiday magic dissipates, it is that person who will be left with the responsibility of daily care, and medical expenses. And if you are the recipient of a pet that you desire then congratulations!

Countless new pets arrive as Christmas gifts, and I meet my share of these special packages during the weeks following the holidays. At the first exam I try to convey to new owners the importance of annual health maintenance, vaccinations, routine deworming, proper training, socialization, and good nutrition.

Juvenile animals that get the right start live longer, healthier and happier lives.

n First, it is best that puppies and kittens stay with their littermates and mother for at least 8 to 10 weeks. This early time of socialization is critical and helps lessen the chance of serious behavior issues. Puppies and kittens that have been handled from birth to twelve weeks of age are more likely to be outgoing and unafraid.

n Petproof your home. Puppies and kittens love to play and run, they also like to investigate new objects by chewing and tasting. These young animals can be a danger to themselves and should always be supervised. If you plan to be away or out of view, confine the animal in a safe room or crate.

n Exercise is important for an animal's mental and physical development and is crucial in helping to eliminate behavior problems. Many issues arise from boredom or an animal's natural curiosity. Plan constructive playtime and other activities that provide mental stimulus; playing alone in a yard is not adequate.

n Invest in your dog's training. The type of crate, bedding and toys you buy may seem paramount when you first bring your dog home but proper training is the most valuable dollar spent. Find a training method that works for you and your dog; be consistent and persistent because dogs quickly learn who is in control and how to manipulate situations. Since most dogs live an average of twelve years, adoption is a long-term and serious commitment. A well-trained dog will bring his owner many years of joy.

n Read and learn as much as you can about your new pet. Visit your local library or bookstore and educate yourself on training, breed dispositions, husbandry, feeding, and medical care. The more you know, the better able you will be to respond to your animal's needs.

n And lastly, establish a relationship early on with a veterinarian you feel comfortable with and trust. Chances are you may come to know this doctor better than your own. Merry Christmas to you and your pets and may you have a happy, safe, and healthy new year.

As Posted At: www.knoxnews.com

Take Time to Step Back From Training

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:18:45 -0500

My dog Scout is a Husky/Hound cross. He is a VERY smart dog but he is also very high energy, or as I like to joke, has a case of HDS. Hyper-Dog-Syndrome. Don't get me wrong he is the best dog I have ever had. He is also very well trained, although still has along way to go. I got him when he was about 5 months old. He was sort of a rescue. A local women who owned a Dog Training School in Waterford Ontario had taken him in to foster him and was searching for his "Forever Home", before her and her family fell even more in love with him and his amazing personality and added him as dog number 4 to their pack.

I live alone now after many years of marriage... That is a long story, so don't ask, and was thinking about getting a dog to create a little noise in the house and make me feel like I was not alone. So without boring you with the details, along came Scout. I was told right then, on the day I picked him up, that if you put 2 solid years dog training into your pup, you will have a great companion for many years to come. So I started down the road of dog training. Scout is smart and learns very quickly. Sometime I may need to take a break from training a certain task if he just is not picking something up, to return to it a month or so later when it always seems to just click for him.

What I learned yesterday as a couple friends of mine and I were walking our dogs off leash through a forest trail system was this. Even though we pride ourselves on how well our dogs are trained, and how well they perform in day to day life, sometimes the best lessons they learn, come from moments of silence as we walk side by side through a winter forest. I look down at Scout, tail relaxed and gently wagging from side to side, head held high, tongue hanging to the side with the biggest doggy smile I have ever seen on him, after running back to me after being just out of sight, circling around behind me and putting himself into the perfect heal position without me saying a word. Breaking formation only for a second to lick my hand as it gently swings at my side, as if to say... for a human you are pretty ok.... What lesson did I learn you may ask? Well it is simple. sometimes the best command you can give your furry friend is no command at all. a gental scratch behind the ear and a smile is all it takes for them to understand what it is your are trying to translate into doggy language.... and roughly translated that would be. Hey Scout, for a dog, you are pretty ok yourself.. no go enjoy being a dog.

Happy Tails: Hilarious book, serious message

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:32:37 -0500

I can't think of another time I've laughed out loud while reading a dog training book. In fact, I'm quite sure it never happened before. Books on training one's dog are informative, yes. Useful, yes. Skill-building, yes. But not hilarious.

Well, I have discovered a book that breaks the mold, and this week I want to share it with you. It's called Don't Dump the Dog by Randy Grim.

Grim is an over-the-top neurotic (a leading character in the book is his long-suffering therapist, Dr. Gupta), who passionately believes that dogs which we often carelessly allow to reproduce have a right to and deserve loving, nurturing homes, each and every one of them.

To that end, he founded a no-kill shelter called Stray Rescue in St. Louis, Mo. The experience has given him an all-too-comprehensive knowledge of the stupid reasons people give for abandoning the creatures who are supposed to be their best friends.

Now, stupid is a very judgmental word to use on my fellow man. But Grim uses it frequently, and in almost every case described in the Don't Dump the Dog, I agree with him wholeheartedly. People give up on their dogs too easily.

I am not in the rescue trenches like Grim or the good souls who operate the shelter at Yamhill County Dog Control. But I can't tell you the number of times I've had to comfort a child because his or her parents are taking the family dog to the pound because it pees in the house, chews their things, runs away or the one that really gets me grinding my teeth in fury I didn't take care of it. (This from a grade-school-age child!)

Are we a society so immersed in technology that we think dogs should come with computer applications like Be Housebroken and Don't Bark, to be downloaded for the instant actualization of a well-trained pet. Well, as Tony Soprano might say, Fuggedaboudit!

Dogs are flesh-and-blood creatures, just like us. They don't know good behavior from bad unless we teach them, and we have to teach them in a way that they can learn. There are few behavioral problems in dogs that can't be remedied with a little skill, time and patience from people.

For example, let's take the problem behavior of urinating in the house, which seems to be a common excuse for abandoning a dog. Grim uses the hilarious story of his own misadventures in housetraining to illustrate that, even against insurmountable odds, any dog can be housebroken.

His first experience in rescuing dogs came about when a very malnourished, very pregnant dog followed him home. After some mental debate, he took the moral high ground and let her into his house. Shortly thereafter, the stray, whom he named Bonnie, delivered 13 pups, all alive and well in spite of their mom's lack of nutrition.

She soon develops mastitis and is unable to nurse, so Grim becomes the surrogate mother of this enormous brood, bottle-feeding them around the clock for six weeks, until they are ready to be weaned. At which point, all 13 are ready to start housetraining (although he points out that puppies really don't have reliable bowel or bladder control until 12 weeks of housetraining).

Now, I am no stranger to the challenges of housetraining. It requires constant vigilance, enormous self-discipline (on the part of the human, not the dog) and endless patience. But I can't imagine what it would be like to attempt to housebreak even two dogs at a time, let alone 13.

Here is the schedule Grim describes for housebreaking a 6-week-old puppy:

1. Take her out first thing in the morning.
2. Playtime.
3. Outside.
4. Breakfast in crate.
5. Have a mimosa.
6. Outside.
7. Playtime.
8. Have a cigarette, even if you don't smoke. Trust me on this one.
9. Outside.
10. Lunch in crate.
11. Have a Bloody Mary.
12. Outside.
13. Playtime.
14. Outside.
15. Eat an entire box of chocolate truffles.
16. Dinner in crate.
17. Take Valium. Call neighbor or pharmacy for supply. Tell them it's an emergency.

I can't honestly say that housebreaking my dogs has ever driven me to drink, smoke or abuse prescription drugs (although the box of chocolates sounds like a very reasonable coping technique), but the point is made. To have the dog you want, you are going to have to make some sacrifices, and the dog is not only worthy of some self-sacrifice, it's his right. Adopting a dog is not a whim; it's a commitment.

Grim goes about solving other common behavior problems: barking, biting, submissive urinating, escaping the yard, even coprophagia (read the book). For each one, he describes his own experiences with his own rescue dogs and shares some practical advice for dealing with yours, all in a humorous way.

I hope you read and enjoy this book as much as I did, and come away with the same motto: Don't dump the dog!

Nancy Carlson uses her two therapy dogs, Menehune and Fezziwig, in her grade-school counseling program. She has an enduring interest in the bond between humans and animals.

As posted on:www.newsregister.com

Matching an Officer to his Perfect Partner

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:32:28 -0500

They picked a night with no moon, so it was extra dark.

It was cool, too, being November. They were in an unfamiliar, lightless industrial park somewhere in Massachusetts, and honestly, the pair had no idea where they were going.

Merrimack Police officer Greg Walters and his new partner had by that point been training hard for eight weeks at a boot camp, of sorts, for new teams of handlers and their police dogs. They had been working on control, obedience, agility, evidence searches, bringing down bad guys and, of course, searches which is what Walters and the dog were doing in the industrial park that night.

But this exercise was particularly tricky. Another handler had laid down their track, unlike the start of training, when Walters laid his own. There were no flashlights allowed, so even if he could have seen footprints, Walters wouldn't really know where to look.

To find the decoy the training term for a bad guy in the darkness somewhere, all Walters had to read was a black, 30-foot leash. And all the dog had was a trusty nose.

Walters gave him the search command and waited for the telltale sign that his dog picked up the human scent: a head snap, hunched shoulders, a nose tracing the ground.

Off they went, trotting, the K-9 pulling strong and steady. The tension on the leash was tight, telling Walters his dog was onto the scent.

They crossed the terrain, grass and pavement, where plenty of cars and people had mingled earlier in the day, making it easy to confuse scents.

Walters trained his ears, listening for the dog's breath: fast and even when he's on track, less so when he's off. Walters can feel slack in the leash, which means the dog isn't pulling as confidently.

His head popped up. He sniffed the air. He circled the officer. The dog's nose worked some more, and rediscovered the scent.

Walters again saw the head snap, the leash tightened and they were off again.

After about 15 minutes and 300 yards, the dog nosed his way right to the decoy. It was a milestone moment in their training. Walters showered his partner with praise.

It was a huge confidence boost for myself, knowing to trust the dog, Walters said in describing that search. Even though I'm more intelligent than he is, sometimes I wonder. He's definitely a partner, and he's also a buddy.

So far, he hasn't let me down on anything.

Great fit'

Last year, when the Merrimack Police Department put out a call for canine handlers, Walters jumped at the chance.

I like dogs, and I know it was something the department needed, said Walters, a five-year veteran of the department. And I go by the theory that if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

He was also attracted to the idea of being first into a building during a search or finding someone who has been lost.

Department leaders picked Walters for his even-keeled temper, local address and projected dedication to the training and partnership, which is a lot of work, Chief Michael Milligan said.

It's taking your work home with you almost every day, and we felt he'd be a great fit for it, Milligan said.

While department leaders worked on fundraising, Walters read up on police dogs and chatted up other local K-9 officers.

Then, this summer, he and Capt. Michael Dudash went to Massachusetts to pick the dog, which had been with Compatible Canine Dog Training in Brookline.

Troy Caisey, the Boston Police Department's K-9 trainer, said a good police dog will have stamina; obedience skills; a good prey drive, which is a desire to chase; and a good fight drive, described as the aggression and courage to face down and apprehend a threat.

Those chosen for police training are generally the Olympic athletes of German shepherds, a popular breed for the job because of these skills and their insatiable desire to please.

Caisey tests all the dogs he trains and helps match them to handlers who enroll in the certification program. He presented Walters one K-9, and then another called D-O-G (which his early handlers playfully pronounced with a fancy French accent.)

Walters liked him, the second one, a 14-month-old, South African-bred shepherd with classic brown and tan coloring, deep sable eyes, perked ears and 70 pounds of lean muscle.

He was inspired by the dog's energy, liked that he could jump high, that he showed courage and that he was happy-go-lucky, Walters said.

In pairing Walters and D-O-G, Caisey saw that they were both eager to do the job, but at the same time, calm about it.

It was a match.

Walters took D-O-G home and introduced him to his wife and two young children.

They went for walks as a family. A good sign: The dog wasn't spooked by his new surroundings or his new pack.

For the first three weeks, Walters didn't work on any commands or exercises with the dog. It was strictly bonding time: feed him, walk him, brush him.

The pair worked on a routine. The dog would get out of his crate, Walters would leash him and pet him, and they'd head out for a swing around the neighborhood, along a busy street, near the train tracks or in the woods.

On those first summer nights, D-O-G would sleep in a large pen in Walters' yard, fitted with a concrete pad. He ate a healthy diet of raw chicken.

The dog seemed to feel at home.

Then came an important step: What to really name D-O-G.

Walters toyed with some options. He wanted a name kids would like, but nothing along the lines of Fluffy.

He thought about Mack, for Merrimack, but then a colleague who knew of Walters' military background as a gunnery sergeant in the Marines suggested the nickname for that position: Gunny.

The colleague, who also had a military background, recalled his own gunny sergeant had been two particular things: loved and feared.

In that case, for Walters' police dog, it seemed a perfect fit.

Like the military'

The new partners began their 14-week training course in the Boston area in September.

They traveled each day in a Ford Expedition newly and specially outfitted for the dog. Aluminum grids cover the windows. The back seats have been removed, and a rubber floor pad helps with traction and insulation. An automatic cooling system kicks in when the interior gets hot, tripping a fan, the windows and an alarm.

Gunny's various collars and leashes are neatly organized in an oversized black bin, along with Walters' protective training gear. The handler keeps holstered a remote door opener in case he's in trouble and needs to unleash his partner.

During training, Walters and the 11 other handlers in the class traveled to farm fields, industrial parks, schools and manufacturing plants in Danvers, Bridgewater, Bellingham, Dartmouth and Arlington, Mass., along with a 90-acre estate loaned to the Boston Police in Jamaica Plain for basic K-9 training.

One of the most important first steps was to establish the hierarchy. Walters is Gunny's first and only boss ever.

This distinction is important for safety, and also why, for the time being, Walters limits Gunny's socialization with his family and keeps the dog on a routine.

Some departments allow handlers to keep the dogs on as family pets when they aren't on the road, Walters said, but it can confuse the dog's focus.

He's a working dog, Walters said. I have to be clear about what's expected. I'd love to have him with me watching TV or reading, but I know it will make him a less effective police dog.

Training, at first, is always a bit rough, Caisey said.

The first two weeks, I can't stand it, he said, only half joking. The handlers don't know what's going on. The dogs almost bite me.

Obedience, for example, was a wrestling match at first, Walters said. As he learned the commands and signals given in traditional German and Czech Gunny went in opposite directions or didn't pay attention.

During article searches when dogs sniff out specific objects Gunny, for some reason, refused to pick up anything made of metal.

It also took the entire class more than two hours to complete the agility course.

But by week four or five, Caisey said, the teams begin to come along.

It's kind of like the military, Caisey said. We break you down, then build you back up.

Handlers serve as decoys for one another, Caisey said, to teach officers what a future perpetrator may experience.

For the dogs, the entire training program is about repetition and reward, Caisey said. The main idea is that with every successful track, find and apprehension, the handler praises the dog profusely. The dog always wins. And a team always tries to end an activity after a successful run, which the dog will remember the next time he's at work.

All of these strategies build confidence, Caisey said, to boost the dog so it will go in the dark alleys and tight places where we can't go.

Good work rewarded

On the morning of a training day during week 12, Walters fiddled in the back of the SUV, looking for the appropriate gear. Gunny sat up in the back, ears poised, tail wagging, eyes expectant.

He knows something's coming, Walters said.

This was going to be a day of fundamentals for all the handlers and K-9s.

Walters and Gunny headed to a nearby field on the Jamaica Plain estate for some quick tracking.

In his first weeks of training, Gunny learned to follow human scent on Walters' command. Walters would dig deep footprints into the ground and drop a nickel-size piece of hot dog in each print which caused Gunny to associate the human scent with treats. With each step Gunny tracked, he would be rewarded.

As Gunny practiced, Walters began extending the tracks, making less deliberate prints and spacing out the hot dogs. And then the tracks got longer, winding, crossing stretches of pavement or leading into wooded areas.

Sometimes, at the end, there was a treat, such as a toy. In later weeks, the prize was a decoy, posing as a wanted person.

When the team is successful which is now very frequent Walters gives him a parade at the end: bombarding Gunny with good boy! praise and lots of head scratching.

All this is play, Walters said.

Essentially, catching a tennis ball is just as pleasing as tracking a bad guy, because it's all associated with positive encouragement. Gunny is smart, Walters said, but he can't tell if a situation is urgent or dangerous.

As Walters puts it, Gunny doesn't know if it's bad guy or Nana.

Later in the afternoon, the teams practiced apprehension work, which is about dealing with uncooperative or highly threatening people.

It would make anyone have second thoughts about robbing a bank, because it involves unleashing a dog for a bite to bring the robber down.

A police dog's bite isn't to be messed with, as a K-9 can register up to 450 pounds of force with a single sinking of the teeth.

Gunny, for instance, crushes chicken bones up like they're potato chips.

I stress control, Caisey said. You can't have a misbehaving dog as a police dog.

During apprehension training exercises, the dogs are revved up into fight mode, barking ferociously and lunging like prizefighters at a decoy positioned about 40 yards away as their handler hollers the standard greeting.

For Walters, it would be, Merrimack Police K-9! Come out with your hands up!

Gunny leaped wildly, excited for the bite which to him is a reward in this situation. When unleashed, Gunny flew across the field and dove at Francis Holder an experienced handler from Compatible Canine clamping onto the man's upper chest.

Gunny's body swung easily around as Holder cushioned the blow to save Gunny from blunt impact. Walters trotted behind, praised his dog and encouraged him to keep his hold reinforcement of the team effort.

The dog has to know I'm there, praising him, while beating the bad guy at the same time, Walters said.

Holder, the unfortunate victim of every apprehension that day, called Gunny's performance awesome and an impressive improvement from two weeks before.

Gunny had what the trainers consider a good bite. The dogs are trained to bite with a full mouth, so that the result is four bite marks and a bruise in the center. The idea is not to shred the perpetrator, but to bite once, solidly, and hold until the handler gets there.

Caisey pointed out that the majority of police dog work is in building searches, tracking, narcotics investigation and evidence recovery. Apprehension, or the biting, makes up about 5 percent of any working dog's load.

Most people give up with the barking, Caisey said.

Ready for debut

With two weeks of training to go, Walters and Gunny were preparing for certification testing at the end of December. If all goes well, they'll hit the road in Merrimack on Saturday.

Gunny had gotten over his issue with metal objects and could pick up flashlights, weapons anything he finds during article searches.

On the agility course, he bounded over a series of short walls, leaped through a hole resembling a window, treaded up and down wooded slats shaped like giant letter A's, climbed across chain-link fences and finally, hopped through a junky car door. It took him about four minutes.

After wrapping up for the day, Walters and Gunny loaded into the SUV and headed for home, Gunny resting quietly in the back.

His breath isn't the best, but he has a great nose, Walters said of his partner.

On a typical night, they would return home, maybe go for a quick walk and then get ready for dinner which isn't served on a silver platter.

Walters often takes Gunny to the backyard or a nearby park, lays a track and works Gunny on the trail. Chow time is the prize, along with Gunny's favorite: tug-of-war with a chew toy.

Someday, when Gunny retires, he can live the good life, Walters said. That will include couch time and vigorous affection from anyone who crosses his path.

Oh, yes. And table scraps.

Karen Lovett can be reached at 594-6402 or klovett@nashuatelegraph.com.

As posted on:http://www.nashuatelegraph.com

Furry, Four-Legged Hero

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 15:50:31 -0500

GIG HARBOR It's not unusual for young people to get so attached to their pets, they go everywhere together. But for Liam Kelly, his 17-month-old dog, Max, is not simply a pet. Max is a hero.

The pair are inseparable they go together to school, movie theater or grocery store. And Max is always on alert. Liam has Type 1 diabetes, and if his blood sugar levels go too high or too low, Max will not stop until the 15-year-old takes care of the fluctuation.

Having Max gives me that feeling of being safe and being secure, knowing that if I don't feel something, he'll smell that. He'll be able to tell me before anything catastrophic can happen, Liam said. He's saved my life multiple times.

Liam is a student at Gig Harbor High School, and he's been able to participate in athletics and other activities. Assistant Principal Brian Tovey said having a service dog on campus has been fairly seamless and he was impressed to see Max in action when he reacted to one of Liam's glucose-level fluctuations.

This is a care where we have a student with a very unique need and a very unique way to address that need. We're able to make it work really, it's a testament to the training of the dog and our staff and students who recognize this is a big deal, but it's really not once you step back and look at the bigger situation, he said.

Liam was diagnosed with Type 1 juvenile diabetes as a seventh grader. We were shocked to hear the news, a tragedy, said his mother, Lisa Kelly. I'd never seen the words life-threatening' next to somebody in my families before.

After hospitalization, Liam had to receive injections six times a day and for more than a year has been using a pump. Every time he eats, he has to calculate the amount of carbohydrates and the amount of insulin it would take to cover those carbs, in addition to the regular insulin dose. It's not fun, every meal is an equation, she said. You're always balancing too high and too low.

In February 2008, Kelly attended a conference about children with diabetes and witnessed a woman's service dog reacting to the keynote speaker, whose blood sugar turned out to be very high. She was determined to get a dog like that for her son.

After a deal fell through for a dog from Texas, Kelly's brother-in-law approached an old school friend, Ron Pace, for help. Pace owns Canyon Crest Canine Training Center in Tacoma and has trained dogs for 30 years for numerous government agencies.

This was new, Pace said. It was a challenge I thought, OK, if you guys are willing to have the patience with me to learn on this, it will be a learning experience for all of us, I'll go ahead and give it a shot.

He said training a dog like Max is a matter of defining the smell the dog needs to locate, then reinforcing the behavior. In Liam's case, Max needs to be able to smell two separate scents, one for low blood sugar and one for high.

Pace, who charges thousands of dollars for a training program, donated the time to find and train the dog. Max has been with Liam for nine months now, and Kelly said he's been incredible as a medical alert dog as well as a companion.

It's unbelievable, Pace said. After 30-some years of doing all this stuff, it's just really brought me back into a whole new, life-changing experience to be able to help people like that. He's been inspired to train new dogs, and his son, who didn't have an interest in dog training before, was also inspired, and is helping full-time.

Liam Kelly said his endeavor has really been a team effort, and is thankful not only for his family but also the staff at Gig Harbor High School and his friends as well as football team teammates, who helped him become adjusted. I couldn't have done it without all of them, he said.

Early dog training 'crucial'

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:41:23 -0500

Ethical Insurance shoppers have been advised to start on dog training early by an expert.

Certified applied animal behaviourist Dr Suzanne Hetts told the San Jose Mercury news that time must be invested in the early days of ownership to reap maximum rewards.

"Help your puppy do the right thing. You won't get the chance to redo or undo behaviours learned during this formative time," she added.

Plenty of play time with the family and the right toys and equipment can also boost the experience of dog training, Dr Hetts noted.

Owners should not shy away from investing a bit of money as well into obedience and socialisation classes, which she pointed out could be advantageous in the long run.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' experts advise building a foundation of trust and positive association before punishing misdeeds.

It is only if the puppy makes a happy connection to contact with the owner that a reprimand will be understood as something it has done and not a reflection of the person's feelings towards it.

Sourec:http://www.animalfriends.org.uk/dog_news/early_dog_training_crucial_19507180.html

Dog Events Change This Time of Year

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:09:18 -0500

As an active dog owner this time of year can be tough.

By "Active Dog Owner" I don't just mean that my dog Scout is a dog that likes to run and play. Of course that is also true, in fact I take him for an off leash walk for at least an hour each day, a time for Scout to just be a dog. What I also mean is that I take an active roll in the activities that Scout and I perform as a team. Activities like agility, flyball, rally-Obedience, as well as being an active member of Canine performance team at a local Dog School (Canadian Canine College in Waterford, Ontario).

When I say this time of year can be tough, what I mean is that allot of he summer events that we enjoy are finishing up for the season. In fact even the practices for the performance team have wrapped up until after the Christmas holidays. After that most events move inside for the cold months. I have however, heard of a new dog sport called ski-jorning. This is an event that may just be perfect for Scout and I as Scout is a Husky mix. In this sport your dog wears a dog slead type harness and attaches to the handler that is wearing Cross Country Skies and as a team they ski.

I guess I will have to check The Dog Days Directory for some Ski-Jorning events and classes near me. :)