A Perfect Storm Follow-Up

In the aftermath of what happened last week, I wanted to write a bit of a follow-up to A Perfect Storm. Had I known the blog would be Twittered, shared, posted by Whole Dog Journal and Victoria Stilwell, I would have spent a little more time on it. As it was written, it was only my early morning reaction with a complete lack of sleep and not enough coffee.  But, I think (I hope) I got my point across that we must learn from this incident, and I think people will. 

I have been playing phone/email tag with Victoria this weekend as she is in NYC reporting from Westminster.  I asked her to join forces with me to figure out a way to make good come of this, and help the people of Colorado understand their dogs better.  She is on board, so stay tuned for what we come up with.  I am extremely lucky to have her support!

Late last night,  I learned that Kyle’s injury is much more severe than was reported. She lost half her upper lip, had a 4-hour surgery, has 70 stitches, and has to have her mouth sewn shut to graft the skin of her lips and get the blood circulating again. Learning this made me gasp, and I shuttered at the thought of Kyle going through all this pain. I really feel for her. Her recovery will be long and painful, but I’m sure her smile will radiate as much as it did before,

Max is still in quarantine, and not much has been reported about him. 9News interviewed the head of Animal Control, and he said Max will likely be released back to his owner once his 10-day quarantine is over. The quarantine is standard procedure for any serious dog bite, as they need to make sure Max doesn’t have rabies. As I said in my previous post, I highly doubt Max will be euthanized, and I know a lot of people are concerned about that. However, given the severity and level of his bite, I imagine the judge will order strict rules for him, and Max’s life will never be the same.

I know my anger towards Mr. Robinson really came through in the blog. Those who know me, know I don’t mince words or beat around the bush, especially when a dog's welfare is at stake. While some may think I rushed to judgment, I know that the anger is because of my experience and knowledge of how dog bites happen, and that they are highly preventable. Humans put dogs in situations that set them up to fail, and that is what happened to Max from the start. I have worked with thousands of dog owners who don’t know any better and consistently have much higher expectations for their dog than their dog can attain.   I struggle with this daily in my private practice, and am constantly explaining to people how their actions allowed the dog to bite...  yet many of them blame the dog.

My frustration is out of sadness for the dogs who have to suffer from humans’ mistakes. Mistakes that can be prevented if dog owners make better choices regarding their dogs and stop anthropomorphizing. Dogs will be dogs, and it is up to us to protect and advocate for them.

For the foreseeable future, my blogs will begin focusing on different dog body language characteristics and how to interpret them. You can also start watching your dogs when they are in your living room… What do their faces tell you? What are their bodies doing that could let you know what is going on in their mind?

• When you go to pet her over the head, does she shy away and yawn?
• When you hug your dog, does he lick his lips?
• When you go to put the leash on, does she slink over to you like she’s in trouble and lift her paw?
• When he has a bone, and you walk by, does he turn his eyes but not his head?

Stay tuned for explanations of these behaviors, and more.   To begin, Click Here for Turid Rugaas' descriptions of several calming signals.  Familiarize yourself and practice interpreting them with your dogs whenever you can. 

Kari Bastyr, MS, VSPDT
Denver, Co.
http://www.wagandtrain.com/

A Perfect Storm

By now, you have probably seen the footage of the dog rescued from the reservoir on Tuesday. It was a very happy ending for an unfortunate circumstance caused by the dog’s owner. Max, a Dogo Argentino (Argentine Mastiff), was probably out for an afternoon walk and Michael Robinson, Max’s owner let him off leash *hoping* he would stay close. Clearly, Max had not been taught a 100% solid recall, so Max didn’t listen to Michael calling him when he spotted a coyote. Max chased the coyote on to the ice and they both fell through. After several minutes, the coyote drowned, but firefighters arrived just in time to inch their way out on to the ice to save Max. Max was very happy to see the firefighter (you can see from the video) as he swam directly toward his rescuer in a desperate attempt to get out of the freezing water. The firefighter risked his life to save Max, and it cost taxpayers thousands of dollars, I’m sure. This entire scenario, and the death of a coyote, could have been entirely prevented had Max’s owner kept him on the leash, and not *hoped* he would listen. In my opinion, this was an extremely stupid and narcissistic decision on Michael’s part. Max should never have been off leash, especially since he wasn’t up to date on his vaccinations. On a side note, a dog actually did drown on Wednesday (the day after Max’s rescue) because another foolish owner let their dog off leash without a 100% solidly trained recall, with distractions. Aren’t we supposed to keep our dogs from harm and be their advocate and voice? When I saw the footage I was so angry. And, later I found out, instead of taking Max directly to the vet, Michael brought Max home and invited camera crews inside to film him. How does this make sense?

Fast forward to Wednesday morning. I sat down to check my email and have a cup of coffee with 9News on, my morning ritual. I hear that an upcoming segment will have the dog who was rescued from the reservoir LIVE in studio to reunite him with his rescuer. The first thing I thought was “What? This dog has just been rescued from almost dying 12 hours ago, and now he’s going to be in the studio instead of sleeping in?” I had a bad feeling from that moment. I knew Max had to be recovering from trauma, and was probably very tired and stressed from swimming to save his life for an hour, and it probably wouldn’t go well. I never expected what I saw next.

Before I go any further, let me say that I have watched Kyle Dyer since I moved to Denver in 2001. I have met her in studio, we have talked about dogs when I have been there for interviews, and she even interviewed me once for a story. It is extremely evident how much she loves animals. She does stories from the Zoo, and she is has been a passionate advocate for them. She would never put a dog in jeopardy.  I really like her, and she is always happy and upbeat.  She just lights up when you talk to her.  The last time I was in studio, she was sitting behind the news desk and asked me for my card for her own dog during commerical.  I can't remember what the issue was, but it was very clear that she loved him and probably would have talked my ear off about him if she didnt have to go back on air.  She is lovely!

But, she is just like my clients who call me for help. People love their animals and don’t know that dog body language is very important. So many kids and people are bitten by people who just don’t understand because they love dogs SO much they can’t help but treat them like little kids in fuzzy coats. People hug and kiss dogs all the time. This is how bites happen.

During the interview, Max was very stressed from the start. He was blinking, licking his lips, turning his head…I think he even yawned. It was clear from the get-go that he just wanted to be at home sleeping on his pillow. I also saw Michael, Max’s owner, do a couple of leash tugs to try and get his attention. Guess what happens when a stressed dog gets his leash jerked? Adrenaline and fear. So, Max was already stressed, tired, and giving off every warning sign his body could possibly engage in, and add leash jerks on top of it and he was like a bomb ready to go off. It reminds me of a great blog called ‘Dog Bites are like Tetris’. Aggression, behavior, and bites do not happen out of the blue. They are context- specific and only happen when the context is right. Things build and build and then BOOM. All the while, the dog is trying to tell us “I’m not a threat” “I’m scared and I don’t want you to come any closer” “I’m about to bite you!” This is why people say “My dog is so good 99% percent of the time- He loves everybody! But he bit my uncle, the vet, and the mailman”. Honest to god, I hear this every day. People just don’t understand that dogs don’t want to bite, but they don’t have a choice because we constantly set them up to fail. And then, when they are aggressive we correct them for it, only to increase the likelihood of the dog being aggressive again. Makes absolutely NO sense.

But I digress.

What I saw next on the TV was both terrifying and heartbreaking to watch at the same time. As Kyle got down on her knees, Max started to show his teeth, probably out of fear. He was already adrenalized and all the warning signs he was giving (lip licks, blinking, head turns, whale eye, etc) weren’t working so he growled. Unfortunately, Kyle didn’t hear or see that Max was about to bite. I yelled at the TV screen “Kyle back off!”, not that she could hear me. Then he lunged and bit her lip. This bite was completely predictable and preventable and no one stopped it. It was a Perfect Storm of events that came to a head with disastrous results. It was entirely the humans’ fault (mostly Max’s owner, as he did not advocate for Max one iota to begin with, and certainly not by bringing him on TV 16 hours after being rescued from drowning), not Max’s.

This occurs every day, multiple times a day in homes across the world. I get calls for help daily from parents whose dog bit their child because the child was chasing down the dog and trying to hug her. Or, the person who got bit because they were trying to be ‘dominant’ and Alpha Roll the dog, sending the dog into a defensive outrage trying to protect himself. It is ALL preventable if people would just stop, look, and listen to what their dogs are saying. But people are know-it-alls and continue to set their dog’s up to fail.

And that is why I am writing about this. This entire ordeal must be used as an educational opportunity going forward. People MUST learn that dogs are trying to warn us when they are feeling uncomfortable, but in our hurried ways, with our benevolent attitudes, and narcissist feelings, we don’t even pay attention.

Before I go on, let me say something about the actual bite. If you saw the footage, you will see that Kyle is directly in Max’s face, loving on him and trying to kiss him. Her face is right where his teeth are. Yes, he lunged and bit her, but it was a warning bite. If he had meant to maul her, he would have. He was trying to warn her because every other warning sign he was giving was ignored, so the next step is a snap. It’s the natural progression in dog language, and people don’t see the behaviors. From what I understand, the bite was on Kyle’s lip and she had to have reconstructive surgery. In my professional opinion, it was probably a Level 3 or 4 bite. That is a severe bite, and means he has zero bite inhibition. Not good, but it was a warning bite, not an ‘I’m going to kill you bite”. He didn’t hang on. He didn’t try and rip her face off. At the same time, you have to understand that Max was stressed, tired, traumatized, under lights, around strangers, watching motorized cameras rolling around like robots (they even freak ME out when I am in the studio), and his owner was popping on his leash for whatever reason (clearly a way that he has used in the past to try and ‘train’ Max). Max was stressed beyond belief.

Going forward, I would like everyone to take a step back and think about all the things your dog is trying to tell you. Do away with everything you ‘think’ you know about dogs, everything you have learned from your dogs growing up, and everything you try to do to ‘make’ your dogs listen. Watch and learn because your dog is trying to tell you things every single second. So many people think they know how to train dogs. I assure you, they don’t. Even so-called trainers think they know how to train dogs, yet give hard leash tugs, scruff shakes, and throw things at the dog to startle. When is it going to stop?
Like I said, this was a perfect storm of events that culminated in an awful outcome. Kyle is in the hospital, Max is in quarantine, and people are playing the blame game. Yes, Kyle shouldn’t have been in Max’s face, but why was Max there in the first place? Why was Max off leash at the reservoir, and why didn’t Michael have a reliable recall before he let him off leash? That in itself makes me furious, especially because someone else did it the next day and the dog actually died. Why are people so stupid?

Believe me, I am no saint. I swear like a sailor and I have road rage to rival anyone, but I know you shouldn’t stick a knife in the toaster, that you should treat your neighbor like you want to be treated, that you shouldn’t let your dog off leash near ice and you don’t use leash tugs or force to ‘be dominant’ Duh! (refer to The Myth of Dominance) I know that dogs are emotional beings, and while they deserve our love and kindness, they also deserve our effort to get to know how they communicate with us.

I really hope Kyle is okay, both physically and emotionally. Getting severely bitten is traumatizing, to say the least. I doubt it will decrease her love of animals, and I imagine she will still be a passionate advocate for them, maybe more so. I even imagine she will take this opportunity and educate people on the dangers of stressing a dog out or getting in his space. I hope 9News changes it’s policies regarding animals in the studio. I hope Michael Robinson realizes that his decision to let Max off leash was not in his best interest,  and really tries to do right by him when he gets out of quarantine. And I hope nothing bad happens to Max. According to the Colorado Dog Bite Law, Mr. Robinson is criminally liable for the bite itself, and he was ticketed for having his dog off-leash and no proof of vaccinations or license. He will have to go to court, and a judge will decide Max’s fate. Based on my experience with dog bite cases, it is highly unlikely that Max will be euthanized, and I would be very surprised if that happened. But Michael will be fined a lot of money, have to pay restitution (unless 9News pays for it), will need to get behavioral help for Max, and probably more insurance for him.

I hope, from the bottom of my heart, that this entire incident from start to finish will open everyone’s eyes about what dogs are trying to tell us. I also hope that people will stop thinking that we are better than dogs and they need to be ‘trained’ with leash jerks, neck jabs, shock collars, etc. And I really hope that Max will find peace after his 10 days in jail. This will forever change him, but it doesn’t have to be in vain.

Oh, and please, EVERYONE give your dogs an extra treat and 'I Love You' tonight.  We are very lucky to have such wonderful creatures in our lives and you should never take that for granted. 

Kari Bastyr, MS, VSPDT
http://www.wagandtrain.com/

© Copyright Wag & Train Animal Behavior Specialists, LLC  2012.  All Rights Reserved

Note:  It was originally reported that Max wasnt current on his vaccinations. According to a recent statement by the Robinson's, that is not true.   
Also, my goal is not to offend, but to educate based on what happened.  My apologies to those who do not appreciate my bluntness.  

My Favorite Training Tool: The Gentle Leader

The Gentle Leader Headcollar

The Gentle Leader was designed to work with a dog's pack instincts, helping to communicate with your dog in a way he immediately understands. The pressure applied to the nose is can be very calming, as is the pressure on the back of the neck, which simluates the mother dog gently mouthing a puppy telling him to stop the behavior. After your dog has become accustomed to the collar, he will immediately understand what you want since you are communicating in his language. It is NOT a muzzle!
My Dog Hates It!
A lot of people have told me over the years that they have tried the Gentle Leader but their dogs "hated it". Well, of course they do, because they aren't in control anymore-You are! The more they hate it, the more they need it. Most dogs will fight it but 99 % of them will 'give in' within minutes because our dogs are looking for a leader, and by using the Gentle Leader, you are telling them that good things happen when they calm down 
The best thing about the Gentle Leader is that it doesn't cause pain or fear like other training tools can. If fit properly by a trained professional, it will allow you to create a happy, secure bond with your dog and make walks more enjoyable. Additionally, if you have a dog with behavior problems, it will assist in re-conditioning those behaviors without pain - making life better for you as well as your dog.
The Gentle Leader straps will resemble a "V" for "Victory"!, not an "L" for "Loser."
The Neck Strap MUST 1-Be positioned as high on the neck as possible, directly behind the ears and touching the base of the skull in back, and above the Adam's apple in front. 2- Not be able to rotate around neck. 3- Fit very snugly at top of neck so that you can barely squeeze only one finger underneath. This is the MOST important part of the entire fitting process! It is different than other collars you may be used to, but does not cause discomfort to your dog. Please resist the temptation to make the Neck Strap loose - if you loosen it, either your dog will be able to paw the Nose Loop off, or you will wind up making the Nose Loop too tight or the Nose Loop will rotate causing discomfort.
The Nose Loop should:
• Be loose and comfortable so that your dog can freely open his mouth (even fetch a ball!).
• Be able to move freely from just in front of eyes to beginning of the fleshy (wet) part of nose.
• Rest behind the corners of mouth.
• Not be so loose that it can be pulled off over the nose (after snap clamp is adjusted).


FITTING STEP BY STEP
Throughout the fitting process and during initial use of the Gentle Leader, motivate and encourage your dog with praise and special tasty treats. If your dog is especially wiggly, have someone help you by feeding treats while you fit and adjust.
1. Attach leash to Control Ring. (Fig. A)
2. Open Neck Strap and hold one end in each hand. Nose Loop and leash should hang down, like the letter (T). (Fig. B)
3. Prefit Neck Strap high on the neck touching base of skull in back, with Center Bar Ring in the niche just above the Adam's apple in front. Center Bar Ring should be parallel to neck, not the underside of jawbone. (Fig. C-1) Neck Strap must be snug so that only one finger can squeeze under it. Gently grasp skin at back of neck and pull downward toward shoulders, while at the same time holding Neck Strap against base of skull. Tighten if needed. (Fig. C-2)
4. Take Neck Strap off your dog. Slide Adjustable Snap Clamp down to Control Ring (as in Fig. A).
5. Pull Nose Loop up through Center Bar Ring. (Fig. D)
6. With dog at your side, in front of you, or between your legs, hold Nose Loop open. Reach under dog's head to slip Nose Loop onto base of muzzle (Fig. E-1), and give a treat to keep him occupied. Snap Neck Strap high on neck at its prefitted position. (Fig E-2) (Some people find that taking a few moments to gently "massage" their dog's muzzle and cheeks prior to putting on the Nose Loop may help him more quickly accept the new sensation.)
7. Make final adjustment to Nose Loop. It should be behind corners of mouth and loose enough to pull forward to fleshy part of nose, but not so loose that it can be pulled entirely off muzzle. Slide snap clamp up or down to adjust (Fig. F-1). With thumb and index finger, pinch Nose Loop underneath snap clamp, temporarily holding it from moving. Test size of Nose Loop by pulling it forward as far as it will go (Fig. F-2). When it touches the beginning of the fleshy part of the nose, but is not so loose that you can pull it off, close the snap clamp by pressing down on the tab - you'll hear a snap as it locks.
When your dog has reached full growth, you can remove any excess length of Neck Strap. With the Gentle Leader® off your dog, cut the end of the strap with scissors and use a match or lighter flame to seal the cut edge and prevent fraying.


Thin Nose Loop or Thick?
Several of the national and local pet store chains sell the Gentle Leader, but most of the staff do not know how to fit it, or which kind is most appropriate for which dog. Plus, they only sell the 'thin' nose loop kind (5/8"). I prefer to fit the 'thick' nose loop (3/4") on larger dogs, especially those with broad noses like labs and shepherds. If you are using a Gentle Leader for your dog and it is wearing off the hair on his nose, or causing sores, try switching to a ¾" nose loop. You may also try wrapping some moleskin or fleece around the nose loop to decrease friction.  Quality Paws in Denver sells the 5/8-inch Gentle Leader for our clients. 


Acclimating Your Dog to the Gentle Leader
It’s very important that you acclimate your dog slowly to the Gentle Leader. The neck strap is a pressure point that reminds your dog of the pressure the mother dog puts on the back of the neck when she picks up the puppies in the litter. The nose strap reminds your dog of the Alpha dog as it’s similar to the pressure a higher ranking dog may use as a correction. Therefore, when your dog first experiences the Gentle Leader, he may think the mother dog and Alpha dog are sitting on his head! As long as you associate really positive things with the Gentle Leader, and never take it off when you’re dog is struggling, he or she will begin to enjoy having it on as it means walks and treats.
Always put the Gentle Leader on with a leash attached. If your dog fights it immediately when you put it on, GENTLY lift up on the leash at a constant rate towards the sky until your dog settles down and stops struggling. As soon as your dog relaxes, immediately loosen the gentle pressure on the leash so there is a ‘J’ in the leash, and praise and treat. Please DO NOT tug, jerk, or pull on the leash like you would with a choke chain correction. When lifting up on the leash, you only want to apply gentle pressure to the head collar so your dog will ‘give in’.
In the beginning, put the collar on your dog several times a day for 2-3 minutes, give him treats, throw a toy, feed him, etc while he has it on. At the end of the 3 minutes, if he is not struggling, take the Gentle Leader off. Never take it off if your dog is struggling, because that is a reward for struggling. Gradually increase the amount of time he wears it in the house, and then begin putting it on at the end of your walks when he is tired. Increase the amount of time he wears it towards the end of the walk until you are actually putting it on in the beginning. If your dog tries to rub his nose on your leg, or sweep his head through the grass, don’t let him. Lift up on the leash as stated above, and then loosen the leash and praise when he stops. Above all, make the time he has the Gentle Leader on FUN!
If your dog continues to fight it, make sure it is fit properly. If your dog’s nose begins to chafe, make sure it is fit properly, change to a thick nose strap collar, or add some moleskin to the nose strap.
For photos, click here
http://www.wagandtrain.com/Portals/1/pdf/How%20to%20fit%20a%20Gentle%20Leader2.pdf

We Made It!

After three months of auditions and interviews, we finally made it!

Our final phone interview was last Wednesday with Victoria herself... Victoria Stilwell, that is!
We have been chosen to be a part of her Positively Dog Training team and are so honored!
This means wonderful things for Wag & Train, but also for dogs in general.  Not only do we get to be a part of her shows and marketing campaign, but we are going to help get the message out that force and fear are not necesary.  We are going to strive to educate dog owners on the importance of positive dog training, and we have Victoria to back us all the way.

Stay tuned for some exciting things to come!

Oh- and our new website is up, too!
http://www.wagandtrain.com/

IAABC Conference

The Wag & Train crew are all back from Rhode Island where we attended the IAABC Conference.  It was an exciting line-up!  We learned lots of valuable information about cats and dogs and met Victoria Stillwell, too- one of the greatest highlights of my career.  We also met up with Dr. Dodman again and bugged him for another photo op. 

Steve Dale, Brenda Aloff, and Bob Bailey were also there, among others.  We also enjoyed the East Coast seafood with our fair share of oysters and lobsters...yum!

Can't wait for the next one!



Dr. Dodman...Again

I just got back from a wonderful weekend in Boulder, where I attended a 2-day lecture by Dr. Nicholas Dodman.  I have written about him before- he is my idol!
He wrote the Well-Adjusted Dog.  I learned even more about canine and feline behavior modification and pharmacology, and look forward to putting my new knowledge in to practice. 

Here is a photo from yesterday...

Kitty Love

Below is a link to a video of a client's Great Dane, Amos.  Amos is the second Dane for Sigrid and her husband, as they lost their first Dane tragically to bloat at age 2.  His name was Riddick, he was a black mantle, and he was loved and adored by all.  When Riddick had been gone for a few weeks, Sigrid felt the need to get another Dane as her life was too empty without a gentle giant.  her husband travels a lot, mainly to Africa, and is gone for weeks at a time- so things get lonely around the house! She looked on the DDFL website and saw Amos.  Needless to say, Amos had a new family that day. 
Amos has been through both levels of my classes and passed with flying colors, although he does have a bit of a stubborn streak as most teenagers do.  Amos is very much like his big brother, so much so that it took me about a month to stop calling him Riddick!  Amos is as gentle as they come.
Last month, Sigrid and her husband adopted again from the DDFl, but this time she is of the feline variety, and not a giant at all.  However, it is very clear that Amos knows who's boss!  This is their ritual in the morning.
Enjoy! 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6VoqYt4DFQ