Can Chiropractic Care Reduce Dog Aggression?

November 23, 2016 by Fanna Easter

Chiropractor for Dogs With Aggression

Dog Chiropractor — Wavebreakmedia/iStock

Dog aggression is a tough situation regardless of the cause. Pet owners scour the earth to find solutions for their dogs’ aggressive behavior, picking up each and every rock to find a magic cure or some positive nugget of hope that will bring peace. As a dog trainer, and someone who has shared her home with aggressive dogs, I completely understand the search for a solution.

With that said, I’ve recently discovered newer modalities that promise to reduce aggression and I’m intrigued. It seems regular chiropractic adjustments are helpful for certain causes of dog aggression. But it’s not a magic cure.

Dog Aggression Caused By Pain

Depending on the cause of your dog’s aggression, regular chiropractic adjustments from a qualified practitioner can help. Many dogs growl, lunge, snap and even bite because they’re in pain. So many times, we completely miss or ignore our dogs’ body language indicating that they’re suffering. Then, a well-meaning family member pats or walks next to our dogs and unfortunately they lunge, snap and bite.

Know the Signs

Since pain can cause aggression in dogs, it’s important to rule out disease or any abnormalities that may be causing your dog discomfort. If, at any time, your dog begins acting strangely, bring him or her to your veterinarian immediately. When dogs are in pain, their symptoms aren’t as obvious as limping, whining, whimpering and so forth.

Some suffering dogs will distance themselves from family members by hiding in another room. Because all dogs are different, some dogs will stiffen up as you reach out to pet them while some will turn away, leave the room or growl. When in doubt, check it out.

How a Dog Chiropractor Can Help

Chiropractic adjustments not only bring your dog’s body back into alignment, but they also allow energy to move better. While this may sound a bit “woo woo” to some, I’ve witnessed it work on myself and my dogs. Chiro adjustments provide great results for arthritis, chronic tummy issues, ligament strains, injuries, chronic illnesses and so forth.

Each chiropractic adjustment builds on itself, which means each adjustment is like taking a step forward in the right direction. Many dogs feel relief immediately during or after their first adjustment. Stella, my Bull Terrier, rams into walls like a small tank while playing. Our vet adjusted her neck and she was a totally different dog afterwards. She slept for 3 days, and her typical crankiness was gone!

Find a veterinary chiropractor here.

Can Chiro Adjustments Reduce Other Types of Aggression?

The simple answer is we don’t know yet. Some dog-to-dog aggression cases have benefited from regular chiropractic adjustments while others saw no change in behavior. Without solid research, it’s hard to say for sure. However, knowing that pain can cause dog aggression, I do believe regular adjustments can certainly help.

As I’ve dabbled in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), I’m pretty impressed with the results so far. Keeping an open mind to all modalities will most certainly benefit dogs and my clients, but I’m not quick to assume one thing can change everything.

It Takes a Combination Approach

As I’ve said before, I wish magic wands worked for dog behavior. If it were that simple, our local shelters would be empty. Be careful of quick-fix promises because they’re extremely rare. I believe a combination approach works best for changing dog behavior. Relieving your dog’s pain, or bringing his body into alignment will help, but it’s vital to teach your dog how to react differently around triggers too.

Regular chiropractic adjustments are certainly worth a try!

Dog Conditioners for Short, Medium & Long-Haired Dogs

November 22, 2016 by Fanna Easter

Dog Conditioner for Every Hair Length

Do you need to use conditioner on dogs? Yes, conditioning your dog’s fur is an important step in the grooming process regardless of hair length and type. Different coat types have specific conditioning needs, but all dogs need to moisturize their skin.

While using a dog conditioner isn’t dog training related, this question continues to pop up from my clients. Yes, I’m a dog trainer, but I’m also a licensed master cosmologist too, so I know a thing or two about hair and skin. 🙂 Let’s get started on how to best condition your dog’s fur and skin!

Do Short-Haired Dogs Need Conditioner?

Of course, but choose a light or leave-in dog conditioner. While short hair needs less moisture due to its short length and structure, every dog needs to regularly moisturize his or her skin. Think about it this way: Your skin gets dry during winter months because the weather changes and the climate gets dry, right? As a result, you slather on skin-conditioning lotions to relieve tightness and flakiness. As you can imagine, your dog’s skin needs moisture too.

Instead of choosing heavy conditioners rich with oils, choose lighter versions. However, don’t be fooled; diluting rich conditioners with water doesn’t work very well because as we all know oil and water don’t mix. Lighter conditioners contain silk proteins instead of heavy oils, which moisturizes skin without leaving a greasy feel. Instead of choosing a dog conditioner, try using a rich moisturizing shampoo instead.

Medium Fur Needs Conditioning Too

Medium-coated dogs, such as Golden Retrievers, Akitas, Australian Shepherds and Papillons, have different coat needs. Dogs with medium-length coats, or short body hair with long furnishings, require a combination conditioning approach. Medium hair has additional moisture needs due to its length and structure shape, and all dogs need regular skin conditioning too.

Using a conditioning shampoo for dogs to moisturize his skin is a great first step, but medium-coated dogs with longer furnishings will need additional conditioning and detangling. Spray-on conditioners are excellent for conditioning small areas and contain rich moisturizers that don’t leave a heavy residue.

During your dog’s regular bath, shampoo with a moisturizing shampoo and rinse. Now, massage a dollop of conditioner, or spray conditioner, onto your dog’s front and back leg furnishings and tail. Allow the conditioner to sit for a few minutes and rinse thoroughly. During weekly brushings, use a spray-on conditioner that detangles, yet adds additional moisture.

Long Coat Conditioning Recommendations

Dogs with long coats need regular conditioning treatments—that’s a given. Longer hair means that strands of hair are older because they’ve been growing for a while. Older hair is porous, which means there are more holes in the hair cuticle. Due to the cuticle gaps, porous hair sucks up moisture quickly and can absorb colors introduced from the environment.

As an example, we know bleached hair will turn a green tinge when repeatedly exposed to swimming pool water containing chlorine. The same thing happens when your dog’s porous hair is repeatedly exposed to urine, salve and even red dirt.

To keep longer and porous hair in check, it needs regular moisturizing. Choose dog conditioners containing oils that not only moisturize, but also don’t overdo it. Sometimes, heavy conditioners can weigh hair down and leave a greasy residue that attracts and collects dirt. Other times, too much moisture will cause porous hair to frizz. Look for conditioners containing oils, such as Aryan oil or humectants, which help hair retain its moisture.

Experiment

With so many dog hair conditioning options, it’s easy to get overwhelmed quickly. As a cosmetologist, I believe professional products that cost a bit more are worth it. My favorite brands are Nature’s Specialty, Espree and Chris Christenson’s products. You can order online or ask your groomer what products she recommends.

When using conditioners for dogs, remember a little goes a long way! Don’t forget to rinse, rinse and rinse again to remove any residue. 🙂

UP NEXT: Heavy Duty Dog Shampoo

4 Low-Impact Exercises for Dogs With Arthritis or Older Dogs

November 21, 2016 by Fanna Easter

Low-Impact Exercises for Dogs

Dogs need exercise and mental stimulation every day. Though, sometimes, an injury or chronic pain limits a dog’s activity level—almost grinding it to a halt. That’s when low-impact exercise for dogs is hugely beneficial. Below are several great exercise ideas for dogs!

1. Walking

Slow strolls are an excellent form of a low-impact dog exercise. Remember, walks should be nice and quiet until your dog heals or starts feeling better. Start with a 4 to 6-foot leash—keep retractable leashes at home—to control how fast your dog walks.

You should, of course, provide your dog plenty of opportunities to stop and sniff during walks. Sniff stops provide mental stimulation for your dog, but also provides a short break during walks, which may be needed. In the beginning, keep walks under 10 minutes. The following week, walk for 12 minutes and increase slowly. If, at any time, your dog starts limping or suffers from pain, stop walks immediately and consult your veterinarian again.

RELATED: Walking Two Dogs at Once Tips

2. Underwater Treadmill

Seriously, if I could install an underwater treadmill in my home, I would’ve done it yesterday! Underwater treadmills are filled with a predetermined amount of water based on a dog’s height and exercise needs. By adding water during walks, it not only adds a bit of resistance, but buoyancy as well.

Water buoyancy allows the dog’s body to float, yet still move underwater, which relieves pressure from joints and ligaments. Also, warm circulating water provides additional pain control.

Ask your veterinarian to refer you to a canine physical therapist because he or she will have access to underwater treadmills. Check out a few hydrotherapy tips, so your dog learns to love it! Yes, I’m still trying to figure out how to install one at home. 🙂

3. Swimming, If Your Dog Enjoys It

We all know swimming is an excellent low-impact exercise, but there are a few risks that come with it too. Swimming is a great choice for dogs that already love swimming. If your dog hates swimming, he will likely further injure himself struggling to get out of the water.

Think about it this way: If someone throws you into a pool, and you hate it, you swim for your life. Panicking in water causes overuse of muscles, ligaments and joints, which you’re trying to protect from further injury. Life vests won’t prevent your dog from freaking out in the pool either, unfortunately.

If your dog hates swimming, try walking your dog along the shallow end of a pond or lake. This provides resistance, yet is low-impact. Again, your dog must enjoy standing and walking in water for it to work. 🙂

4. Nose Work

I’m completely obsessed with Nose Work! Many years ago, I was introduced to the sport of Nose Work and I haven’t looked back. Not only is it a super fun activity for dogs, but they will blow your mind with their sniffing skills. Additionally, it’s a low-impact exercise for dogs too.

How to Set Up the Game

There are several elements of Nose Work, but I’m obsessed with the very beginning stages. At first, it’s important to teach dogs how to find hidden food in boxes. You’ll need 5-6 small and medium-sized boxes, super yummy treats, and your dog. Hide food in one box and set it down among the other boxes. Your dog will walk over and sniff around to find the hidden treats. This dog game never gets old for your dog, and it keeps his body moving and his mind sharp.

Remember, have fun and choose a low-impact exercise your dog loves!

Collar vs. Harness: Which Is Better For Your Dog?

November 18, 2016 by Fanna Easter

Collar vs. Harness

You see it every day. Pet owners pulling their dogs around on leash. Or better yet, you’ve watched dogs pull their pet owners for miles. All this force must go somewhere, and it’s usually applied to a dog’s fragile neck.

In a previous article, I discussed how collars can cause neck injuries in dogs, but I left out a valuable piece of information. Intentional and accidental collar jerks can cause more harm than previously stated. Plus, I forgot advice for small and medium sized dogs too. Shame on me!

So, here’s an updated addition to my previous article. 😉

The Answer

Should your dog wear a flat buckle collar or body harness? As a dog trainer, this decision is pretty easy. Allow me to explain why one piece of equipment causes more harm to your dog than the other.

Year in and year out, dogs are injured during walks while wearing a collar. While most pet owners try not to pull their dogs’ leashes, it still happens. Dog leashes are basically security lines to keep our dogs safe with us. Without leashes, dogs would run into oncoming traffic, chase other dogs, or basically run off and never be seen again. And it’s precisely that abrupt stopping-in-mid-walk motion that causes injury to your dog’s neck.

Think about it this way: If a car comes barreling down the road, you’ll suddenly stop your and your dog’s forward movement within nanoseconds. Yup, as you guessed it, these tiny start-and-stop leash movements can cause neck injury.

Collars Cause Injury

Collars can cause more harm than we previously thought. Before jumping into the specifics, it’s important to understand I’m discussing flat buckle or Martingale collars here. Choke and pinch collars cause considerably more injuries than flat collars, and it’s well documented. With that clarification, let’s discuss this further.

Interestingly, I had a great conversation with my holistic veterinarian who is certified in animal chiropractic care. He treats numerous neck, shoulder and forelimb injuries while completing chiropractic adjustments. Just by feeling the spinal area, our vet can tell if a dog is a leash puller. Honestly, I’m not shocked by his findings, but I was determined to find additional data and research.

Guess what? There’s really nothing to compare. Now, there’s substantial research proving choke chains cause issues, but little about flat buckle collars.

With that said, just watching a dog repeatedly strain against a flat collar makes my neck hurt because all that force goes somewhere. Even though there’s little scientific data collected so far, it’s pretty obvious that neck injuries can happen when dogs wear collars.

How to Choose the Right Dog Harness

Over the last 5 years or so, I’ve seen body harnesses become extremely popular. I believe that’s a good thing! While body harnesses will reduce direct pressure to a dog’s neck, they must be fitted correctly to prevent front-end damage too. Plus, not all body harnesses are alike.

Size

When choosing a body harness, make sure it’s completely adjustable around the neck and chest area. Many small dogs have a robust chest, so they don’t fit in a size small harness. Measure your dog beforehand and check the label’s fit measurements.

Construction

Look for body harnesses made with padded material that’s easily adjustable. Comfortable harnesses should sit around the top portion of your dog’s shoulder and not circle around his or her neck. Chest straps should fit snugly, yet not restrict your dog’s front leg movement. Many dog harnesses slide into your dog’s armpits, which is extremely painful during walks, so pay attention to how a body harness moves while your dog walks around wearing it.

Brand Recommendations

Like most pet owners, I appreciate brand recommendations for body harnesses. I recommend the Freedom Harness, Balance Harness and Ruffwear Harness. These are tried and true, completely adjustable, and won’t restrict your dog’s shoulder movement.

Should Collars Be Banned?

Of course not. Collars should carry your dog’s ID if he or she escapes. Microchip your dog, which is even better than ID tags. But don’t forget to remove your dog’s collar when left home alone or crated.

Body harnesses are best for all dogs. For strong-pulling dogs, I recommend front clip harnesses.

Leash Corrections & Leash Pops Don’t Work

November 16, 2016 by Fanna Easter

Dog Training: The Problem With Leash Corrections

Leash Corrections Don't Work — Smitt/iStock

Punishment is an extremely controversial subject, and highly debated between parents, grandparents and even dog trainers. Most pro or con debaters quickly take a position and fiercely argue why it’s the only option available. But I don’t think anyone really hears each other between the name-calling, finger-pointing, flaming social media posts and so on.

While I’m not a parenting expert, I’m certainly an expert in dog training. With that said, I’d like to explain why leash corrections are an issue. Leash corrections are when you pull on your dog’s leash to get him to do something. They’re also called leash pops.

Before firmly digging in and protesting, please take a moment to understand why leash corrections are bad. Seeing both sides makes for a well-rounded person. Allow me to explain why and show research proving leash pops do more harm than good.

Leash Corrections Don’t Teach Dogs Anything

When correcting your dog with a leash pop, you’re not really teaching your dog anything. Many years ago, I worked for a huge pet retailer where an older and very wise District Manager leader once said, “Anyone can tell someone what he or she did wrong, but a great leader teaches him or her what to do instead.”

That resonated with me on another level. I understood those principles from a dog training perspective, but to watch a proven leader teach his team how to excel in every situation using his motto was extremely powerful.

Physical or verbal corrections will destroy your relationship with your dog. I’ve personally witnessed how leash corrections ruined the bond between dog and owner many times. Pet owners swear their dogs “appreciate fair corrections because they’re done with love.” Yet, their dogs’ body language would say otherwise.

Punishing is more rewarding to the punisher than the punished. That statement probably stings, but it’s true—even Dr. Phil agrees.

It’s Not Your Dog’s Fault

Pet owners become frustrated with their dogs, and then take their frustrations out on their dogs. Anything and everything that goes wrong during the learning process is blamed on the dog. In my 20-plus-years of dog training, I’ve only witnessed one pet owner take responsibility. Another invaluable quote I learned the hard way will always stay with me is: “As a teacher, it’s our job to teach a learner. If the learner is confused, the teacher did something wrong.”

A Valuable Lesson From Training My Fish Dribble

While completing a 6-month-long national dog training certification program, I had to train a non-canine species to perform certain tasks. Teaching a fish to perform tasks was super exciting and really challenged my animal training skills. Here’s a tiny gilled animal floating around in water that couldn’t care less what I did or didn’t do. This quote stays near my heart because it’s true: When Dribble (my blue betta) became confused, it was my job to figure out a better way.

When dogs (fish or humans) become confused, they either stop moving, choose to do something else or leave. If your dog doesn’t respond to a cue, he’s either confused or wasn’t trained to do otherwise. The learner is right, my dear reader. 🙂 As a pet owner, it’s your job to teach your dog how to co-exist politely with humans.

As for Dribble, he learned quickly and so did I! Plus, he lived a long and happy life and performed his learned behaviors every day. 🙂

Why Punishment is a Slippery Slope

Now, back to leash corrections. Most pet owners justify their uses of leash pops, or punishment, with the following reasons:

“My dog stopped listening to me.”
“He knows better.”
“She knows what I’m asking her to do.”

All three reasons boil down to: “My dog embarrassed me, so I corrected him.” Or “I had to chase you for 10 minutes, and I’m going to punish you because I’m frustrated” or even “How dare you do that to me?”

These are also the same reasons why dog owners scream “no” at a dog. And if you disagree, you’re not being completely honest with yourself. Are you happy when giving your dog leash pops? 99.9% of pet owners punish their dogs when disappointed. Leash corrections are used to indicate “wrong choice,” but we all know the “no” command is meaningless.

Take Responsibility

I’m aware that life isn’t filled with rainbows, unicorns and sunshine all the time. Though, I do know how we react to life is most important. Yes, your dog will chew a hole straight through your mattress, hike his leg and pee on your leg during an important presentation, and knock you down so hard that both shoes fall off (all true stories), but how you react is key.

Next time you become frustrated during a dog training session or in any other scenario, take a moment to breathe deeply. Excuse yourself or hand your leash over to a friend, walk away, and compose yourself. Once you calm down, it’s your duty to figure out a better way to teach your dog that doesn’t involve punishment. That’s what all great teachers do.

If your dog misbehaves, use that opportunity to reteach a behavior and practice it in the situation that caused your dog to run off, ignore your cue, jump up on someone or dash through the door. Don’t punish. Teach your dog what is expected of him in that situation instead.

This is More Than Just My Opinion

Many naysayers will claim this is just my opinion. While that’s true to a certain extent, I’ve based my opinion on scientific learning principles that have been proven time and time again. Shoot, these are the same principles Dr. Phil uses with children and adults. These learning principles work for humans, dogs, cats, tigers, dolphins and even snails. We all learn the same way, and saying punishment must be used with certain breeds of dogs is completely ridiculous. And dare I say, a bit disrespectful too. All humans are taught the same, so why are we breed discriminating?

Times have changed and research has finally caught up with dog training. It’s time to embrace dog training methods that work instead of listening to or reading outdated material. Your dog deserves it. 🙂