Often the illness and death of a pet is sudden and choices must be made very quickly. Other times, old age or illness is drawn out and you may have ample time to relish in the companionship of your pet before difficult decisions must be made.

At 12 years of age, it became apparent that my beloved Giant Schnauzer, Craigen, was rapidly losing weight.  Initial blood tests suggested that Cushings Disease might be the cause. Because I had just been laid-off from my job, I was unable to financially support a complete diagnosis and the expensive chemotherapy treatment that likely would have been recommended. I discussed options with my veterinarian and decided to treat one clear symptom, a thyroid deficiency. I was convinced that the low thyroid levels were leading to her uncharacteristic short temper. With thyroid medication, Craigen regained her sweet, ornery disposition, but she did not completely regain her health. Although she was eating well, she continued losing weight and as she became weaker, eventually became incontinent. It was clear that old age and disease were affecting her.

I became determined to provide Craigen, and myself, with as many good experiences as possible during her remaining time with me. We continued to play her favorite game, fetch, but as her eyesight and energy waned, I modified the game to make it much easier for her to catch return the ball. In addition, we visited every park that I knew she had enjoyed in her younger, healthier days. We took long walks and spent a lot of quality time together. I was actually happy to be unemployed so that I could devote more time to her. As her illness progressed, I became increasingly protective of her, knowing that some dogs instinctively attack animals showing signs of illness or weakness. This was especially important because Craigen didn’t act as if she was ill. True to her working dog instincts, she naturally wanted to correct rude behavior in other dogs. Although her corrections were always appropriate and never violent, younger dogs began to challenge her. Initially our walks included other dog friends, but later excursions provided me with one-on-one time with my best friend. Towards the end of her illness, our walks were centered closer to home. We often slowly explored a wooded ravine just two blocks from my house that I knew she enjoyed. Some days, she let me know that a walk around the block was all she could manage. The sympathetic smiles of my neighbors made those walks very poignant.

I am grateful that I knew ahead of time that my girl was fading and that I was able to provide her with some lovely experiences during her last year with me. In addition, the quality time that I was able to spend with her has provided many great memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Because I knew that Craigen was very uncomfortable and scared at our veterinarian’s office, I located another veterinarian that made home visits in preparation for her final walk across the rainbow bridge.

The OSU School of Veterinary Medicine has a number of services available to pet parents who are coping with the potential loss of a companion animal including bereavement counselors, support groups, websites, books and articles. Phone (614) 247-8607 or email honoringthebond@osu.edu for more information. A helpful fact sheet for your own planning and decision making is available at vet.osu.edu/honoringthebond

In my next article, I will discuss making the difficult decision…how to know when it is time to say goodbye

As a life-long dog owner and animal lover, I’ve been saddened many times by the loss of a great pet to old age or illness. Every pet is special, and I’ve learned many important lessons from each one of them. Sometimes a pet is so wonderful that we allot them a very important place in our lives, and in our hearts. In dog circles, we often refer to that once-in-a-lifetime connection as our ‘heart dog.’

Patricia McConnel, a certified applied animal behaviorist and dog trainer once wrote, about her soul mate dog, Luke: “I imagine Luke’s death to be as if someone took all the oxygen out of the air and expected me to live without it.” In late January of this year, she wrote a post in her blog, http://www.theotherendoftheleash.com about the passing of her beloved dog Lassie. She wrote of Hemingway, who challenged his friends to a short story contest, which he won with these six words: For Sale. Baby Shoes. Never Worn. In turn, McConnel chose six words that summarized what Lassie meant to her: French Vanilla. Ice Cream. Summer Day. She also challenged her readers to write their own short stories about the dogs they have loved and lost. There have been over a hundred short stories left in response to her post so far.

Reading that post and the readers’ comments has shown me how to say why my blog has been silent for so long…

On April 10, 2009, I said goodbye to my best friend, my heart dog, Craigen.

Craigen was nearly 14 years old, a great age for a Giant Schnauzer. Her life enriched mine in countless ways. It’s taken me over a year to write about losing her. And still it brings tears to my eyes.

My six words for Craigen are: Sneaky kisses. Ornery girl. Play ball!

Because I know only too well how difficult the loss of a beloved pet can be, I plan to write a series of entries about how to deal with it. In my next few articles I will discuss planning ahead, difficult decisions, and coping with loss.

This blog has been silent for too long!

I am attending the BlogPaws conference www.blogpaws.com this weekend at the Westin Great Southern Hotel in Columbus, Ohio. Over 250 pet lovers from around the world have gathered to network and learn how to use social media to further our common goal of improving the lives of animals. It’s a great opportunity for me to meet many of the talented pet bloggers that I’ve come to know and respect through their work, especially their blogs and tweets. I will be using the information I learn at tomorrow’s workshops to re-launch the PositivePup.com blog.

When Morgen gets especially nippy, I sometimes use her crate as a time-out zone. This does not mean that I put her in her crate as punishment. In fact, it is more useful to think of it as redirecting her energy and activity.

When she is being nippy, or she is chewing on something inappropriate, I make a game out of directing her into her crate, shutting the door and then releasing her again. I vary the amount of time she is in the crate from a few seconds to a few minutes. As soon as she is released, I direct her to appropriate toys. If she goes back to mouthing me or my furniture, we begin the crate game again.

Just a few short sessions of time-out training have greatly reduced Morgen’s chewing on inappropriate objects and her nippy behavior. Constantly redirecting her to her own toys has taught her to seek them out when she feels the need to chew.

The first meeting of WOOF (Worthington Organized Off-leash Friends) is set for March 30 at 7 p.m. at the Old Worthington Library, 620 High St.

As reported in ThisWeek News: WOOF is working with the city of Worthington to develop an off-leash dog park. I encourage all Worthington residents to attend the meeting and show your support or voice your concerns. I hope to see you there.

Many people fail at crate training simply by rushing the
process and leaving the pup shut in the crate for too long before it is ready.

According to Dr. Ian Dunbar on dogstardaily.com: “Puppies have a 45-minute bladder capacity at three weeks of age, 75-minute capacity at eight weeks, 90-minute capacity at twelve weeks and two-hour capacity at 18 weeks.”

This means that your eight week old puppy should not be left in the crate any longer than one hour between opportunities to relieve itself.

Similarly, many people leave their pup in the crate until it starts barking or whining and then, like the new mother who picks up her baby every time it cries, release the pup during it’s tantrum. They have just reinforced the pup for being noisy in the crate. The pup quickly learns to increase the volume and duration of it’s cries for your attention.

If your pup has developed this problem, go back to puppy steps. Encourage the dog to go into the crate and shut the door just long enough to deliver a treat through the bars. Open the door again BEFORE your pup begins to bark or whine. Gradually increase the amount of time that your pup is in the crate. If you’ve waited too long, and the pup gets noisy, turn your back on the crate and wait for the puppy to be quiet, even if only for a second. Quickly turn and praise the pup for figuring out that silence buys her freedom and then open the door and release her before she starts barking or whining again. These episodes will be stressful for both you and your pup so it is much better to try to avoid them. You will need to back up a couple steps in the training process and proceed at a pace that keeps your puppy comfortable.

Crate training a new puppy is something that shouldn’t be rushed. Ensuring that your pup comes to enjoy time in their special place can be complicated, but the effort is very worthwhile. This process may go more quickly with some pups than others. It is important to progress slowly so that your pup comes to see the crate as a rewarding and relaxing place to be. Rushing crate training can create problems with house training, barking or whining, and even worse, cause separation anxiety.

If you must leave your puppy unsupervised before they are completely comfortable in the crate, management is key.  Put her in a safe place, such as a bathroom or kitchen blocked off from the rest of the home with baby gates or an exercise pen. Ensure there is nothing harmful within reach that an inquisitive and teething puppy could get into. Provide bedding, pee pads and a small water dish.

Your crate should be just large enough for your puppy to lie down comfortably. Because pups don’t like to soil where they sleep, the crate can be an important house training tool. If it is too large, they may decide they can relieve themselves inside the crate. Unfortunately, that could be a disaster, with the pup learning some filthy habits and delaying the pup from learning to control their bladder.

Set up your crate so that it is located in an active area in the home, not isolated from people, pets and activities. Provide soft bedding so your pup will be comfortable resting in the crate. Then add some treats and teething toys. Create a ‘Hansel and Gretel trail’ of treats to lead your puppy to investigate the crate. Reward your pup for walking up and sniffing at the doorway. Toss treats in and encourage your pup to go after them. Praise and reward each time she put a paw, or even her nose, inside the crate. Once she has ventured inside, call her out and repeat the process. When she is comfortable venturing into the crate, you can try swinging the door shut, passing a treat through the bars and then immediately opening the door and calling her back out. Very gradually, just a few seconds at a time, increase the time the door is shut with your pup inside the crate.

Begin feeding your pup her meals inside the crate to create good associations with her personal den.

Look for more information on crate training with my next post.

As it turns out, even wolves are not Alpha anymore. I recently ran across an article published in International Wolf Magazine titled:”Whatever Happened to the Term Alpha Wolf,”  by L. David Mech, a research scientist who has studied wolves for over 50 years.  Mech writes that “Science has come to understand that wolf packs are family groups, formed the same way human families are formed. The wolf parents naturally guide their pups activities…The parents then, naturally fall into the leadership role.” There are no battles to gain the pack leader status, that naturally stays with the parent wolves.  Mech further states: “Given this natural history of wolf packs, there is no more reason to refer to the parent wolves as alphas than there would be to refer to the parents of a human family as the “alpha” pair.

Read the article for more information: http://tinyurl.com/cjerx4

Puppies, much like human toddlers, get extra energy as bedtime nears. It’s as if they’re trying to fight off sleep. Managing my puppy’s chewing and mouthing behaviors becomes even more challenging in the evening. Two things have been especially helpful: a teething toy and music.

In the early evening, Morgen gets a long walk or play session. Then as we get ready to settle in, I give her a teething toy. I simply soak a thick rope toy in water and freeze it. (You could also use chicken broth.) This frozen chew helps soothe her sore gums. It also distracts her from untying my shoes and nibbling on my fingers. Then I turn on the music. Morgen perks up her ears and looks at the speaker. She looks like she’s imitating the RCA Dog from the old ads. Then she lies down with a thump, resigned to letting sleep takeover.

The CD I play is titled “Through a Dog’s Ear, Music to Calm Your Canine Companion,” and it has been invaluable for getting Morgen to settle down in the evenings.  This musical gem has been proven to provide deep relaxation for 85% of dogs in households. Co-created by Joshua Leeds, an authority in the field of psychoacoustics—the study of the effects of music and sound on the human nervous system, and Dr. Susan Wagner, a board-certified veterinary neurologist, currently practicing and teaching veterinary integrative medicine as an adjunct assistant professor at The Ohio State University Veterinary College, the book and music series provide groundbreaking research and results.

Some of my clients have also found this book and CD useful in reducing stress that can lead to behavioral problems with their adult dogs.

You can find more information or order your own copy on their website at: http://www.throughadogsear.com/index.htm

While I enjoyed watching the Working Group dogs participate in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show this week, I was disturbed by the TV commentator’s recurring use of the phrase “Alpha Owner.”  As in, “That is not a good breed for beginners, those dogs really need an Alpha owner.”

“Alpha” is an often misused and misunderstood concept that has recently become a buzz word in the dog world. The term “Alpha” could be appropriately applied to a wolf pack leader, but is entirely inappropriate for man’s best friend. Dogs are many generations removed from their wild ancestors and their behavior now has little resemblance to that of the wolf.

The “Alpha” concept is responsible for out-dated and confrontational training methods that required a person to act as a dictator–demanding and enforcing compliance from a dog. What all dogs really need is benevolent leadership. Consistency, clear direction and ample rewards for good behavior are the way to earn the respect of a dog. It’s effective with even the most assertive working breeds, such as my Giant Schnauzers. After all, wouldn’t you prefer a working partnership with your constant companion?