Grooming: Spring is Clean Up Time!

Grooming: Spring Is Clean up Time!
By Robert Forto, PhD

Next week we will usher in the new season and spring will be upon us. Depending on where you live it could be a welcome respite or just a change on the calendar. But for our furry friends, the warmer weather of spring will mean a change in their coat and grooming at this time of year is a must for most breeds, especially our beloved Siberian, Ineka.

This article is a clip and copy article produced by the American Boarding Kennel Association. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. At Denver Dog Works we can help you find a good groomer and assist you in determining the proper care for your dog’s needs.

Spring Clean Up Time!

Spring and early summer are typically the times when many people bring their pets in for grooming after a long winter. Without regular grooming or brushing, the coat is probably matted and dirty. Unfortunately, these conditions make grooming much more difficult. Your groomer may not be able to give the pet the clip you prefer and, in fact, may have difficulty grooming the pet at all.

Here are some things to take into consideration:

A tightly matted coat cannot be brushed out. It will need to be shaved off. Your groomer may call this a puppy cut, a strip, or shave down. Basically, it requires shaving the coat off right down to the skin. This process may lead to skin irritation, nicks or cuts, regardless of how careful the groomer is. Excessive matting is difficult and dangerous to remove.

Your pet will be more likely to get sunburned if the coat is shaved, so do not leave him exposed to the sun for any length of time.

Ears may also be affected by a spring grooming. If the hair inside them has become impacted, the groomer may have difficulty removing the hair. There may also be an underlying infection. If problems develop within a day or two of grooming, the infection was most likely already there. Another problem called a hematoma may develop if the dog shakes his head a lot following ear plucking and shaving of matted ears. By shaking the head hard enough and hitting the ear flaps on the skull, blood vessels may break and cause swelling of the ear flap itself. Again, the grooming shop did not cause the problem; it is a result of grooming a matted pet. Poodles and sheepdogs are especially prone to hematomas.

A shorn pet may act differently for several days following a close cut. He may shake, hide or otherwise act abnormally. He may be cold, but it is more likely that he feels "naked" and different, and need a few days to adjust. It is not a physical problem, and a pet usually resumes normal activities as soon as the mental adjustment is made.
If your pet can be dematted, and you request it, be prepared for a substantial fee. It is very time consuming and difficult work. It can be uncomfortable for both the pet and the groomer. Dematting can leave behind irritated skin and an uneven coat that may need additional grooming to even it out.

While a spring grooming is better than no grooming, consider regular grooming appointments throughout the year to avoid these problems.

Tags: Robert Forto | Dog Training Careers | Colorado Dog Trainer | Iditarod | Team Ineka | Dog Training Denver | Dog Doctor Radio | Denver Dog Works
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Dr. Robert Forto is the training director for Denver Dog Works and the host of a weekly radio program, The Dog Doctor Radio Show. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com

Learn from a Dog

LEARN FROM A DOG

A Dog's Purpose, from a 4-year-old...Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for four-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion.

We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.

He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life, like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?"

The four-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

(Robert Forto) I received this story from a colleague the other day and thought I had to share it. While I will always give credit where credit is due, I do not know who wrote this article so I am posting it anonymously. If you do know who wrote it please have them contact me directly at train@denverdogworks.com.

I struggle with this the context of the story every day. My old dog and my best friend is a 12 year old Siberian Husky named Ineka. It is supposed to mean "rescued friend" in a Northern Canadian language. Anyhow, Ineka has been through thick and thin with not only me, but my family, since we adopted him from a Washington shelter in 2000. They told us he was four at the time but I checked the wear patterns on his teeth and he was closer to two.

I have talked about Ineka a lot over the years in my articles, in my blog posts, and in my canine trainers classes at Denver Dog Works. I even dedicated my doctorate dissertation to him- Chasing the Dream: The History of Human-Canine Communication in the Sport of Dog Sledding (Forto 2005).

I will be sad when his time comes to pass over the rainbow bridge. Who am I kidding, it will devastate me for a long while. But I will pull through and his legacy and what he taught me will live on. As the young boy says in the story, dogs already know how to live the good life, like loving everybody all the time so they don't have to stay long.

Ineka, well all dogs for that matter, share a special place in most people's hearts don't they? They are just the right fix when something is wrong, just the right size to hug when you are feeling blue, listen just long enough when you have a secret, have just enough energy to finish that hike, just enough strength to pull you through the day, just enough courage to keep you motivated, just enough tail wags to make you smile, just enough wisdom to teach the new pup the rules, and just enough love to keep you sane in the worst of time.

So I encourage all of you to get out and do something with your dog today, everyday for the matter. Dogs were put on this earth to teach us something about ourselves. Is that a way to learn or what?
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Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and the host of a weekly radio program, The Dog Doctor Radio Show. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com

Giving Medications to Pets

Giving Medication to Pets
By Robert Forto, PhD

At Denver Dog Works we teach people how to become the best dog training instructors in the world. One of the chapter’s that is included in this course called medications and vaccinations. We have included this is our course because it is important that dog owners know the proper way to give medications to their pets. This article discusses this in detail. Of course if you have any problems please contact your veterinarian.

Providing medication for your pet may be done for two reasons: as a preventative step (heartworm medication) or to treat disease (anything from an infection to major illness such as cardiac disease). Giving the medication as directed, and making sure the pet takes it are extremely important. Unfortunately, medication doesn't work unless the pet swallows it.

Giving Pills and Tablets
The most effective way to give a pill is to put it into the mouth and make sure it is swallowed. Some pets, especially cats, dislike having their mouths opened or objects placed in them. With practice, giving pills takes place in only a few seconds, and it is over before the pet can put up a fuss.

Place one hand over the pet's head so that the index finger is on one side of the mouth and the thumb is on the other side. Tilt the nose upward. Hold the pill in the other hand between the thumb and forefinger. Using the middle finger, push down on the teeth of the lower jaw while applying slight pressure to the corners of the mouth with the restraining hand.

Drop the pill as far back into the mouth as possible. If plausible, give it a poke onto the back of the tongue with the index finger. Close the pet’s mouth quickly, and stroke the throat to encourage swallowing. Often a quick short breath of air onto the nose of the pet will startle a pet into swallowing quickly.

An alternative- and less invasive - method of giving pills is to put them in food. A "meatball" of canned food, peanut butter, cheese or regular butter will all work - if you have a pet that will gobble up the treat quickly. If your dog or cat likes to take his time licking away at the food gift, the medication may remain on the floor as a leftover. It may also be spit out as soon as your pet can taste it.

Precautions: Some medications may not be broken into pieces because they have a protective coating. This coating dissolves at the appropriate rate for absorption of the medication into the body. Breaking the pill into pieces may alter the absorption. Many pills are made to rapidly dissolve, and will become a mushy pile of medication once placed in the mouth or in food.

Giving Liquids
Administering liquids is generally easier than giving pills. Most liquid medications come with a dropper for measuring the dose, and are commonly used for cats and small dogs.

Hold the pet's head in the same manner, but do not open the mouth. Slide the dropper into the cheek pocket and squirt the medicine between the teeth. It runs between the teeth and to the back of the mouth to be swallowed. Keep the head tilted, but not too high, until the pet swallows. Without swallowing, most of the medication will be spit out when the head is released.

Precautions: Holding the mouth open and squirting the liquid into the back of it may result in gagging. If the sudden squirt of liquid startles the pet, some of the medication may be inhaled (aspirated) into the lungs. Holding the head and giving medication between the teeth will prevent this.

Other Considerations
Some pets, particularly cats, will salivate and drool excessively when given medication. Medications may have a bitter taste, which induces the salivation. Cats must often be restrained by a second person to ensure that medication is given in a quick and efficient manner. Wrapping the cat’s body in a towel helps keep nails from doing damage.

Many pets will learn to recognize the medication bottle and disappear at the sight of it. If giving pills totally eludes the pet owner, talk to the veterinarian to see if the medication comes in a liquid form.

Most animals will tolerate being given medication reasonably well. If a treat follows it, they may even look forward to receiving the pill! Although administering medication is awkward at first, anyone can become proficient at it with practice.

This article is provided as a general overview of the topic. Always consult your veterinarian for specific information related to diseases or medical care for pets. If you have training questions or would like to find our more information on our dog trainer career courses, please contact Denver Dog Works at 303-752-2818.

Citation: ABKA
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Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and is the host of a weekly radio program, The Dog Doctor Radio Show. Dr. Forto can be contacted through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com

Household Projects May Pose Danger to Pets

Household Renovation Projects May Pose Danger to Pets
By Robert Forto, PhD

This weekend is the last big three-day weekend before most of the country settles in for winter and bides their time by watching football or attending the kid’s sporting events. Our family vacations are done and we have a “honey-do” list a mile long. So, before embarking on that “do-it-yourself” project, review these helpful hints to keep pets safe from the hazards that common home improvement materials can pose.

Paints - Most water-based latex paints are relatively low in toxicity, but could still produce gastrointestinal upset. Artist’s paints or other specialty paints could contain heavy metals that could potentially be harmful if large enough amounts are ingested. Should your pet get paint on its skin or hair coat, never use paint thinner or similar solvents to remove it—a chemical burn could result. Instead, a mild pet shampoo or liquid hand dishwashing detergent can be used to bathe the skin and fur. If the exposure to the hair coat is extensive, clipping or shaving by a local veterinarian may be required.

Adhesives/Glues - Depending on the type of adhesive involved, a variety of clinical effects are possible following ingestion. Certain construction glues may produce only mild gastrointestinal upset, while others can cause more significant irritation. Additionally, some expanding glue products can result in a potentially life-threatening gastrointestinal obstruction if ingested.

Solvents - Paint thinners, mineral spirits and other solvents can result in severe irritation or chemical burns to the skin and mucous membranes of the eyes, mouth and gastrointestinal tract. In addition, ingestion could produce central nervous system depression, and inhalation of these substances could lead to aspiration pneumonia.

Lead - Some older homes, particularly those built prior to 1978, may contain surfaces that have been painted with lead-based paints. Lead exposure can occur from eating paint chips or by inhaling paint dust from sanded/scraped surfaces. Other potential sources of lead can include drapery weights, plumbing parts, putty, rug pads and linoleum. Lead exposure can produce gastrointestinal, behavioral or neurologic effects, as well as clinical symptoms from anemia. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is one source of information to help determine if your home could pose a lead threat. Information can be found at www.epa.gov/lead.

Mold - Mold can be found in many parts of the home, including under carpeting, behind walls, or in heating/cooling ducts. Certain species of mold can produce mycotoxins, which can produce gastrointestinal, cardiac and/or neurologic effects such as tremors and seizures. While most problematic mold exposures in pets involve the ingestion of spoiled foods, if mold is discovered in the home pet owners should contact the EPA at www.epa.gov/mold for information on mold hazards, including safe cleaning and removal in order to avoid the potential for problems.

Physical Hazards - Pets could be at risk from a wide variety of physical hazards in homes that are being renovated, including nails, tacks, staples, screws, insulation, electrical cords on power tools, and many others. Ingestion of nails and other small hardware fasteners can cause damage to the gastrointestinal tract and could result in an obstruction as well. Pets chewing on plugged in electrical cords could become electrocuted and/or suffer electrical burns to the mouth.

As prevention is the key to avoiding problems from accidental exposures, pet owners should keep pets completely out of areas where renovation or other home improvement projects are occurring, and should always read and follow label directions for safe use and storage. In certain situations, it may be advisable to board pets in a kennel or daycare facility to eliminate the potential for exposure to hazardous substances. If an accidental exposure should occur, owners should seek veterinary assistance promptly by calling their local veterinarian or an animal poison hotline. Additionally, owners should have the product container or packaging available for reference, as critical ingredient information or instructions on how to manage accidental exposures may be on the label.

At Denver Dog Works we offer many classes and programs to help pet owners better understand the relationship they have with their companions. If you would like to consult with one of our trainers please contact us anytime at 303-752-2818.


ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, 1-888-426-4435

The Animal Poison Hotline, 888-232-8870 sponsored by North Shore Animal League America and PROSAR International Animal Poison Center (IAPC).

Citation: ABKA

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Dr. Robert Forto is a canine behaviorist and the training director of Denver Dog Works. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com

So You Have a New Pet

So You Have a New Pet
By Robert Forto, PhD

Congratulations on adding a new family member. We like to see happy, well-adjusted puppies added to a family, so here are some tips for introducing a new pet.

New puppies go through developmental stages early in life. Between 3-16 weeks of age they learn to accept and trust (or mistrust) humans, acceptable dog behavior, and specialized breed behavior (sheep herding instincts in Border Collies for example). During this critical period the temperament and basic behavior patterns of your new pet will be formed. It is important to socialize the puppy to people, introducing them not only to family members but also to strangers.

It is also important to teach the young pet what you expect. Now is the time to handle feet and toes so they are not afraid of having the feet handled, to look into ears and open the mouth. If the pet resists, speak in a calm, quiet voice and repeat the act whenever possible. Make a practice of touching the pet all over its body during play or at rest.

If you have adopted an older pet, then most of its behavior patterns will already be formed. This pet will need time to adjust to new surroundings and people, and its true personality may not be apparent for a few days or several weeks. Issue a gentle correction for undesirable behavior. Attending basic obedience classes with a new dog will help establish the owner's dominance as head of the household, and aid in creating a bond between pet and owner.

In general, new pets should not be left alone with unrestricted space in the house. Crate training puppies helps with house training, and gives the pup a safe haven to crawl into.

Adopted older pets should be supervised with children and other pets until the pet owner is sure that safety is not an issue.

This article is provided as a general overview of the topic. Always consult a certified canine trainer or your veterinarian for more information. If you would like to speak with us concerning our puppy classes, our basic obedience programs or our breed referral service please contact us any time at 303-752-2818 or by email at train@denverdogworks.com

Citation: ABKA

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Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and the host of a weekly radio program, The Dog Doctor Radio Show. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com

Dogs Can Save Lives

Dogs Can Save Lives
By Robert Forto, PhD

We all know that dogs can be trained to do many jobs. They can be police K-9’s, search and rescue dogs, tracking dogs, service dogs, mobility dogs, hearing dogs, sled dogs and of course our favorite companions. But did you know that dogs can also be blood donors to help save lives of their fellow fiends?

There is an organization in Colorado, Rocky Mountain Blood Services (RMBS) that hosts a blood donation program for dogs (and cats).You may ask why in the world would I want my dog to donate blood? Just like in humans there is a shortage of blood and blood components. Animals like humans experience trauma, disease and other life threatening situations that require blood transfusions.

One donation from your dog can save four lives and your dog can donate blood up to six times in a year. The process is simple and of no cost to the owner. You schedule an appointment for either the Parker or Colorado Sprigs, Colorado clinic and they will do a full blood screen on your dog to make sure he is healthy and free of disease and then place an I.V. to draw the blood which takes about thirty minutes. There is little to no pain experienced by our dog, no more than a routine vaccination and the patient is not sedated.

Who Qualifies as a Blood Donor?

1. The pet must be well behaved and friendly,
2. Must be a minimum f 50 pounds,
3. Must be between 1 and 8 years,
4. Must be current on all vaccinations and free from infectious diseases,
5. The donor must take heartworm, flea and tick prevention between the months of April and October,
6. No history of serious illness,
7. Females can never have been pregnant.

As a donor you will asked to commit to six donations over a period of 12 months with donations occurring about every 6 weeks. In rare emergencies you may be called upon to donate before your scheduled appointment and you will be compensated for your donations after the sixth one up to $150.00 dollars depending on the donor.

There are eleven types of blood in dogs and just like humans it is important to know the type of the donor and the type of the recipient before a transfusion is performed. Before a donation can occur the possible donor is initially screened for any metabolic abnormalities. Once the prescreen is reviewed a blood type is determined and the donor is then screen for exposure to blood borne parasites and diseases. Of course all of this is at no cost to the owner.

If you would like to find out more about Rocky Mountain Blood Services please listen to The Dog Doctor Radio Show this Saturday at or download it anytime from iTunes. You can RMBS’s website at http://www.rockymountainbloodservices.com for more information.

As always, if you have a question, comment, concern or a topic for a future show of The Dog Doctor Radio show please send us an email at live@dogdoctorradio.com or give Michele a call at 303-752-2818.

Citation: RMBS website
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Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and the host of The Dog Doctor Radio Show. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com

Coaching for Peak Performance

Coaching for Peak Performance
By Robert Forto, PhD

If you are a small business owner and you want to have a leading edge in your industry consider coaching for peak performance. If you want any of the following give Dr. Robert Forto, a call at 303-522-1727 or contact him anytime through this website.

Would you like to:

Recruit the best
Make effective change
Achieve goals
Enhance performance
Enhance creativity and innovation
Motivate and energize people
Decrease response times
Keep your talented people
Communicate effectively
Improve teamwork

Dr. Robert Forto is a practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming, commonly called NLP and he can show you quick results in a minimal amount of time.

A common theme we always hear when consulting with a business or organization is that people are always trying to do more with less. Expectations of employees are rising, while resources are limited. The fight to stay competitive drives this need to innovate continually, to improve products, services and processes.

In some businesses or organizations this pressure leads to tightly managed. Process-led approaches that focus on minimizing errors and maintaining control. These management models have their roots in the days of heavy industry and manufacturing and the drive to control quality. Nowadays, however, these approaches tend to create workforces that lack motivation, intuitive and drive-and are often very stressed.

More and more forward thinking businesses and organizations realize that supporting and developing people is as important as getting the job done, and in fact the job can't get done unless people develop and grown their skills. These businesses and organizations are on the forefront of their industry and put in place performance reviews, feedback tools and training, and increasingly offer individual coaching between manager and employee on an ongoing basis.

Through a consultation with Dr. Robert Forto, you can discover how you can use NLP knowledge and techniques through individual coaching sessions to improve your employee's effectiveness.
The most progressive employers in the nation are using Dr. Forto and his techniques of NLP by integrating coaching into their every day company culture. Rather than formal training sessions where you may have to send one or two employees to an out of state conference, Dr. Forto's coaching program and techniques of NLP can create solutions to problems and attain goals very quickly.

Coaching can be a really worthwhile investment and does not always need to take a huge amount of time. In fact just after a few sessions you can use these techniques anywhere, anytime and in any type of business and as a result improve other peoples thinking and results.

So if you would like to find out more about Dr. Robert Forto's Coaching for Peak Performance program give him a call anytime at 303-752-2818 or contact him through this website.
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Dr. Robert Forto is a business coach, author, radio show host, professional musher, public speaker and canine behaviorist. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.robertforto.com

Pets as Therapists

Pets as Therapists

By Robert Forto, PhD

This is the first entry in a series of posts about dog law. The subject of dog law is often misunderstood and I hope by providing education to dog owners that it is not just he said, she said, in regards to the rights of our canine companions. The topic today is about canines assisting in therapy for a variety of individuals.

Four out of five people who responded to a recent Psychology Today survey said that when they were lonely, or upset that their pets were often their closest companions. One woman in a difficult family situation wrote that without her dog she “could not tolerate life.”

This finding explains why the most visible benefits of an animal’s companionship are reaped by people who lack normal human relationships: disturbed children, lonely older people, or prison inmates. Therapists and administrators now routinely use animals to treat or manage such patients.

For the most part animals entered into the world of psychology therapy serendipitously. One psychiatrist for example happens to have his dog in his office when a young patient came early for an appointment, then dog became an integral part of the child’s therapy. In the 1970’s an entire course of research was triggered when troubled adolescents in an Ohio State University hospital—many of whom refused to communicate with staff—asked if they could play with dogs used for behavior research, which they had heard barking in a nearby kennel. Even the most withdrawn patients improved after contact with the dogs. Dr. Forto helped develop a study for at risk youth with violent tendencies and paired them up with aggressive dogs for training. The idea behind the premise is to have to individuals with internal conflict learn to work together and to assist one another, cross species, I might add in a way that has never been explored before. The results were nothing short of remarkable. It gave the youth a productive use of their time and they gained valuable skills in caring for and training dogs, but it also gave these aggressive dogs a second chance.

It is not an exaggeration to say that pets can give people a reason to live. Often people institutionalized in prisons have no goals, no responsibilities, and no variety in their lives. Dogs as residents in these prisons make an atmosphere more homelike and can have a wonderful enlivening effect on morale.

A prisoner that is allowed to care for, or even train, a dog while his/her doing time may become more alert, involved and sociable to other inmates and staff. As one prison program director put it “the therapeutic results are nothing short of miraculous.” Dr. Forto was the training coordinator for a prison service dog-training program for a number of years and he can see the benefits of this type of situation. Not only did it change the lives of these prisoners, many of them doing life sentences, but it was their way of giving back to the community as they were a puppy raiser program with a national service dog organization. Their training of these dogs was very successful, much better than the national average and many of these dogs went on to be placed with families in need of a service dog.

Now that scientists in the medical and psychiatric communities have accepted what pet owners have always known—that animals make people feel better—they have set about documenting the psychological effects animals have on people. When people pet dogs, especially ones they have grown attached to, their blood pressure drops. The same thing happens when people talk to a dog—although talking to another person usually raises blood pressure. Even the presence of a dog is comforting. In one study, people who took a standardized anxiety-measuring test when the experimenter’s dog was in the room scored lower than those who took the test with only the human present.

Let’s let Freud, who was an avid dog lover, have the last word on the psychology of dog-people relationships. Here’s how he described the “extraordinary intensity” with which he loved his dog, Topsy: “affection without ambivalence, the simplicity free from almost unbearable conflicts or civilization, the beauty of existence complete in itself…that feeling of intimate affinity of an undisputed solidarity.” While yes, that may sound like psycho-mumbo-jumbo, it is clear what Dr. Freud is trying to say isn’t it?

If you are a therapist and would like to find out more about using a dog in your counseling practice or if you are a prison administrator and would like to explore the benefits of a canine training program at your facility please give us a call. We would be happy to discuss this with you.

Next article: Dogs in the Law

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Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado. Dr. Forto is a certified canine behaviorist and develops training programs and consultations nationwide. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com

Socializing Sled Dogs to be Canine Good Citizens

Socializing Sled Dogs To Be Canine Good Citizens

Socialization is the key to making sled dogs safe for people and other dogs. This begins at puppyhood during a critical period of development between three and sixteen weeks. The sport of dog sledding is unique in the world of working dogs. These canine athletes are exposed to a plethora of experiences on the trail – other dogs, sights, sounds, environmental factors, and other circumstances. They encounter people at the start and the finish and along the trail. This could pose for a potential problem if these dogs are not properly socialized.

Sled dogs are raised in a group and are naturally socialized with each other and learn through interaction and what is considered acceptable socialization among dogs. Sled dogs will be expected to interact successfully with many other dogs during their lives, so it is imperative that they learn to behave in a group.

Sled dogs need to learn manners around people as well. Ideally this is done during the critical period of development, when all experiences are new to the puppy and a trainer can have maximum affect of a dog’s personality and temperament.

Dr. Robert Forto (2005) encourages trainers and sled dog enthusiasts to socialize their dogs. At a minimum these dogs should be socialized at least to the point of accepting handling from strangers and at a maximum, training the dogs to pass the Canine Good Citizen Test offered by the American Kennel Club. The purpose of the Canine Good Citizen testing program is to ensure that our favorite companion, the dog, can be a respectable member of the community on and off the trail. A Canine Good Citizen (CGC) dog has been trained to be well behaved in the home, in public places, and in the presence of other dogs.

Can sled dogs be over socialized? You will often hear that many mushers prefer their dogs slightly “wild” fearing that too much socialization could make the dogs “soft” or less willing to work in harness. But taken to that extreme, these dogs can be unruly and downright dangerous to other teams, mushers, and the public.

By contrast, four-time Iditarod Champion Martin Buser often lets his dogs run loose as they come out of the dog truck and they stay right with him until they are hooked up to the sled. Forto explored this in is doctoral dissertation: Chasing the Dream: A Study of Human-Canine Communication in the Sport of Dog Sledding (2005). He arrived at some interesting findings.

To some extent, the amount of socialization is a personal preference, but it is certainly time that sled dogs can be treated as companions and still be hard workers. As all mushers know, a dog’s life on the trail is relatively short. If these dogs could be socialized starting at puppy hood and carry on becoming CGC dogs’ it would be of tremendous benefit to both dogs and people.

Further research could be conducted on the feasibility for sled dogs to become CGC dogs’ and well-trained companions. This would save thousands of dogs from euthanasia, culling by the musher or worse.

Forto laments, “If I were buying a puppy for a pet, I would check its early environment and make sure it was not raised in a kennel with little to no human interaction, with only its mother and littermates for immediate company the first eight weeks of life.”

During this time of critical brain development, it implies so much more than simply animal-to-animal or animal-to-human socialization. What this means is that many an imperfect dog makes a very good sled dog if the owner/trainer has paid strict attention to the socialization during this period of the puppy’s life.

A musher needs to expose his young sled dog puppies to countless situations – crowds, flashbulbs, race chutes, loose dogs, other teams, wild animals, deep snow, running water, ice, streets, ramps, vehicles, small places, strange places – the list is obviously endless. Mushers should get their puppies used to their dog trucks. They should take them to town, and let strangers handle them. While it is true that puppies have a window of say three to sixteen weeks where the capacity to learn can occur, socialization can occur at any time as long as you are careful. The old cliché goes; You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but you can socialize them to new situations as long as the dog does not perceive it as a fearful situation.

Raising puppies and especially raising them for special jobs as adult dogs requires attention to detail. When people raise puppies as companions they often get them at about eight weeks old, take them home, feed and cuddle them, housebreak them, take them for walks, and play with them. What they are doing (and they are not usually aware of) is providing specialized socialization activities that shape the dog’s future behavior.

The layering and interacting of development and socialization events that produce an adult working dog are precisely unfathomable. This complexity of the developing dog’s behavior should remind the reader how passé the nature versus nurture controversy really is. Although, it was once a compelling question for behaviorists; scientists now understand why nature can not be separated from nurture. When we look at the critical period for social development, we realize that the genetic nature of the dog is shaped by the environment in which the dog is growing up.

To some people this critical socialization period and nature versus nurture and vise-versa sounds like magic. But actually, something permanent is in the dog’s brain that causes it to become genetically unalterable after the critical period is over. For some reason, what is learned is limited to this period. Once “learned” the behavior cannot easily or completely be unlearned. Given how much we as dog trainers, and mushers, know about teaching and learning, it would seem that we could teach the sled dog, and our companions, to behave differently, but the dog does not appear to learn it after the critical period of socialization is over. People do know this: You can’t teach a dog new tricks. But now do they know why?

Resources:

Forto, R. and Bowersox, R., Canine Sciences Level I, course material. ed. 2004.
Forto, R., CHASING THE DREAM: A Study of Human-Canine Communication in the
Sport of Dog Sledding. Doctorate, Human-Canine Communication,
Madison University.

Volhard, J., and W., The Canine Good Citizen: Every Dog Can Be One. New York, NY:
Howell Book House, 1994.

Forsberg, W., “Training Good Citizens,” Mushing Magazine. March/April 1996.
pp. 12-13, & 18.

Coppinger, R., and L., DOGS: A New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior, and
Evolution. University of Chicago Press, 2001.
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Robert Forto, Ph.D. (Human-Canine Communication) is a graduate of Canine Communication Studies and is a musher. His research interests include: canine evolution, sled dog history, the Siberian Evaluation for Performance Program and Mushing in the Olympic Games. He can be contacted through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com

Mushers Workout

Mushers Workout
By Robert Forto, PhD

If you don’t already know, my name is Dr. Robert Forto and I am the training director and owner of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado. I am also a professional musher (dog sledding) and motivational speaker. I have been out of mushing for the past several years because, I like to say, life got in the way. I followed my wife, Michele, to Colorado for her to pursue a career as a paralegal, which she hated and now works with me at my dog training school, but I also retired because frankly there is no snow in Denver, despite what you see in those famous beer commercials. The closest place with considerable snow, at least enough to run a dog team, is two hours away in the mountains and if you plan on going up to run during ski season plan on tacking on at least two more hours on your trip home.

But despite those odds I have announced my intentions on running the Iditarod in 2013 but first things first, I need to get back into shape. The past few years I have had at least two surgeries, one on my groin and one on my wrist and being a small business owner I got lazy and ate on the run without any structure or plan.

Many people have asked about my mushers workout and I am here to share it with you. Use the parts that you like and hybridize it if you must. I can assure you it will get you in the best shape of your life, especially if you plan to run with a team of Siberian Huskies.

Mushers Workout

Day 1
10 minute Warm-Up - Cardio
4 Sets (10 reps) each of the following:
Squats – Lat Pulls – Dumbbell Rows – Standing Calf – Seated Calf – Leg Curl
20 minute Cool Down - Cardio

Day 2
10 minute Warm-Up - Cardio
4 Sets (10 reps) each of the following:
Bench Press – Overhead Dumbbell Extensions
3 Sets (15 Reps) each of the following
Incline Press – Seated Shoulder Press – Triceps Press Down
20 minute Cool Down - Cardio

Day 3
10 minute Warm-Up - Cardio
4 Sets (15 reps) each of the following:
Squats – Seated Row – Barbell Curls – Lateral Rows
3 Sets (25 Reps) Walking Lunges
20 minute Cool Down - Cardio

Day 4
Bike Cherry Creek Trail approximately 20 miles or swim 1 mile in pool

Sports

Continue to play indoor lacrosse and hike Colorado 14ers as a team building exercise for Denver Dog Works.

Diet: Starting June 4, 2009

Goal: weight loss and muscle gain. Loss 30 pounds before the snow starts this winter.

Starting weight: 214 pounds on May 27, 2009

A Sample Day

7 am
Breakfast: a bowl of instant oatmeal or one or two eggs

10:30 am
Snack: Fiber One bar

12:30 pm
Lunch: Lean Cuisine

3:00 pm
Snack: Orange, yogurt or pretzels

6:30 pm
Dinner: Lean protein less than a fist size, one green vegetable and/or salad and sometimes a potato or pasta

8:00 pm
Run, Bike, Swim or Mushers Workout

Diet Downfall:
I love coca-cola and I am on my way to totally quitting. I will enjoy water or low calorie juices.

I encourage all of you to follow me on my journey. I will post my progress on my blog and you can track my progress on facebook, twitter, youtube and my websites. If you would like me to speak at your event or if you need a training session for your employees on team building, motivation, leadership and goal setting, give me a call at 303-522-1727.

My motto is: “Never Forget Your Dreams”, I will see you on the trail!

Regards,

Robert Forto
Robert Forto, PhD
Denver Dog Works

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Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado. He is training for the Iditarod in 2013 and is available for speaking engagements and sponsorship requests. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com

Redemption...Or Not?

Redemption…Or Not?
By Robert Forto, PhD

On this week’s edition of the Dog Doctor Radio Show we are going to talk about the big news story of the week—Michael Vick released from prison. The Dog Doctor Team weighs in on redemption, punishment and community service. While I am sure that most of you know the Michael Vick story unless you have been under a rock for the past two years, he was released from federal prison on dog fighting charges this past week. What brings this story to our forefront is that he is planning on working with the Humane Society of the United States on a campaign directed at at-risk youth. Our question to you is what does a person have to do to receive redemption?

When the story of Vick being released broke I posted on Facebook and Twitter this question and received a lot of responses. While I am sure you are aware our forum is mostly dog owners you will be surprised at what they all said.

The question I posted was: Vick to work with Humane Society. Your thoughts?

I have included some of the comments and they are listed below in bold. My thoughts are in italics. I encourage all of you to comment as well and let’s keep this story alive.

Comment 1: I think it is great. He served his time in jail, now it’s the reconciliation tour.

I agree with this comment and I also believe that we are using situational ethics in this case. I mean, if a pro-football player got in trouble for beating up his girlfriend he would be on the field the next week, right? What separates Vick from this is that it was the callousness and the atrocity of the act of dog fighting and what was done to those dogs. By no means am I condoning the behavior. I actually abhor this, but don’t we go to NASCAR racing for the wrecks, don’t we go to boxing matches for the knockout? Don’t we go to greyhound racing for the dog to catch the rabbit?

Comment 2: Whatever as long as he is serious...he was one of my favorite players in the NFL...cannot stomach him now.

This is also true and I think the same way of Woody Allen. I used to love to watch Vick play ball. His athleticism was second to none. He was entertaining and he brought a passion to a sport that is otherwise lacking but now it will be tough to watch him play. Just like it is tough to watch Woody Allen movies after he was caught in a child abuse scandal. It just makes him somehow “dirty” now.

Comment 3: It would be nothing more than a PR tactic to better his image. He could care less about the lives of the dogs he owned. I think he'd still be at it if he hadn't been caught. I also believe any NFL team that picks him up is in for a world of bad press and upset fans.

This is where redemption comes in for me. All of us have skeletons in our closets. All of us have ill deeds. This is what makes us uniquely human. What does a person have to pay for redemption? What price do they have to pay after they say I am sorry?

Comment 4: Listen as far as I am concerned the ONLY reason he is going to "work" with the Humane Society is because he got caught, I know people deserve a second chance but did these dogs get a second chance? Some did some have been given a life in a cage...hmmm..MAYBE he should spend life in a cage...I am sorry I will stop, seeing first hand what dog fighting does to the dogs...I just can't be objective about this.

Vick, or his PR people, approached the Humane Society and the director went to visit him in prison before his release. And while an article in USA Today says that the director does not condone Vick’s actions he believes he is sincere in his willingness to work with the Humane Society.

Comment 5: Last night on CNN, they had an individual that had adopted one of the dogs. Through love and patience, she gave "Jhumba?" a new life. They reported none of the surviving animals were in shelters. They had either been adopted or were in sanctuaries. "Redemption" for Vick? While I hate the actions, I can't hate the man. His future actions, while under scrutiny, will determine if he’s legitimate or not. I hope, if anything, his mess has exposed the prevalence of dog fighting and made the public more aware of the signs. Something good came from this.

I agree, something good has come from this and with discussions like this will hopefully continue to educate the public about dog fighting and the violence and criminal activities linked to dog fighting. I challenge the Humane Society and all shelters to campaign for more education about animal abuse. We are destined to repeat history unless we are educated about its ramifications.under scrutiny, will determine if he's legitimate or not. I hope. If anything, his mess has exposed the prevalence of dog fighting and made the public more aware of the signs. Something good came from this.

Comment 6: I know that some of these dogs are in "sanctuaries" such as Best Friend’s society. I still DO NOT agree that is a life for a dog, living in an aggressive stance not trusting and still LIVING a life in a "gilded" cage. Sorry I feel and (I know I will be BLASTED for this )but I feel a gentle death is better than living a life in a cage- no matter how "big" it is. I know many will not agree with my feelings on this but oh well!

I disagree with this comment. Many dogs find themselves living in sanctuaries or foster homes for many reasons including as foreclosure victims. I wrote an article about that very subject…… Retired sled dogs, greyhounds, and other working dogs spend their retirement years in some of these same circumstances; it’s still a decent life. Fighting dogs that are confiscated from their “homes” and placed into another sort of kennel environment can still have decent thriving lives. From the research that my wife/co-host Michele has done, all of the dogs have been placed in homes not “gilded” cages. Michele adds, what about all of the other dogs out there being raised to fight? We only know what happened to the dog’s Vick owned, what about the countless others’ that are still living that existence?

Comment 7: Personally I think what he did is unacceptable, but with the way our society works, if you do the time you get a second chance. I hope that he had plenty of time to reconsider what he did, and grew up. This should make him realize that he is not invincible, and he has no choice but to do charity work to reclaim any chance he has of going back to the NFL.

In my opinion what he is did is atrocious! But it is how our society works. My wife/co-host Michele added Martha Stewart received redemption. She is more successful since her release than before. People still tune into her show and buy her merchandise. She went to federal prison for securities fraud. No, she didn’t abuse animals, but her crime received a higher penalty and longer sentence. Not only that, but she didn’t do her time in Leavenworth, noted as one of the toughest federal facilities out there. This is not saying that her time wasn’t tough, I’m just saying that his was done in a harsher environment. Countless other celebrities and politicians have gone to federal prisons and received public redemption for their crimes. Again, I personally do not condone what Mr. Vick was involved in, I’m just asking what’s the price?

Comment 8: Honestly, if he has a change of heart and he finds a dog that he falls in love with...he will find it difficult to forgive himself. No one knows another man's heart...but, I would rather he use his fame and money to help our four-pawed angels than for his selfish endeavors.

I cannot agree more. This is the best comment of all I believe. It sums up all the qualities of forgiveness, human emotion, redemption, restitution and resolution.

Comment 9: Celebrities get the spotlight for whatever they do. Whatever Mr. Vick's intentions are for "volunteering" with the Humane Society, he will undoubtedly benefit from what he will be exposed to and he will learn. And, isn't that the whole point? As pet owners, trainers, and advocates for education, isn't our job to a bad behavior albeit a human bad behavior and teach that individual right from wrong? Rather than punishing them their entire lives for what they were involved in.job to take a bad behavior albeit a human bad behavior and teach that individual right from wrong? Rather than punishing them their entire lives for what they were involved in.job to take a bad behavior albeit a human bad behavior and teach that individual right from wrong? Rather than punishing them their entire lives for what they were involved in.job to take a bad behavior albeit a human bad behavior and teach that individual right from wrong? Rather than punishing them their entire lives for what they were involved in.

This is actually my wife, Michele’s comment to the question. Michele and I co-host the Dog Doctor Radio Show and she and I will speak about this topic in depth on the show.

Comment 10: I believe if he can use what he knows and what he's learned to help eliminate dog fighting than I embrace this idea. I say USE his notoriety to fight the good fight.

Comment 11: I think it all comes down to if you believe people can change, and if there's a point at which they can't or won't. I think that I almost agree with the comment posted earlier that if he finds an animal he cares about, his genuine guilt will punish him a great deal...

So, ladies and gentlemen, sports lovers, and dog enthusiast, what should happen next? Should this person receive redemption or not? Sure, someone has to be an advocate for the dogs. I work tirelessly doing that every day. I have spoken on countless occasions about breed bans, landlord/tenant disputes, canine aggression, bite statistics and much more, but when I do speak I speak the facts of the case and let my peers decide what is right and wrong. I am asking for you to do the same here. What is the price for redemption…in anyone’s case, not just Michael Vick?

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Dr. Robert Forto is the host of the acclaimed Dog Doctor Radio and the training director of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com/

The Power of Your Mind in Dog Training

The Power of Your Mind In Dog Training
By Robert Forto, PHD

Think about it, you are about to head into the ring for a big obedience match or a conformation show. Of course you are nervous. You have worked so hard for this big day. Up until now you and your dog have been in perfect synchronicity. Haven't you? You have done your pre-game prep and you are up next.

Then something catches your dogs eye and your whole dog training world comes crumbling down. Your dog gets spooked, you tense up and your dog pulls away. Your run in the ring ends in chaos and you are disqualified. Something you have worked so hard on for the past two years: all of those individual lessons with your private trainer, the perfect pick of the litter puppy, all that money, gone in an instant!

What if you could change that just by harnessing the power of your mind? No, I am not talking about some freakish mind over matter, late night TV infomercial garbage. I am talking about a centuries old process known as Neuro Linguistic Programing (NLP). In a sense it is a model of how we communicate and our personality. While this process has been around for centuries, the NLP model was developed in the 1970's by Richard Bandler, John Grinder and others. This model explains how we process the information that comes from our outside world. Their belief is "the map is not the territory." And so the internal representations that we make about an outside event are not necessarily the event itself.

Makes sense doesn't it? Even in dog training we can use this process to make you and your dog the the best team in the world. Even if you don't compete and just have a "lazy mutt" that likes to play fetch in the back yard.

You see, Dr. Robert Fortois a practitioner of NLP, and his training school, Denver Dog Workshas a motto: We have the best and train the best. By employing the processes of NLP in our training programs we too can make your dog one of the best too. This is cutting edge training in the dog training world. Nobody does this and that is why they can not hold claim to our title.

Do you want to see how it works? Here's how. Typically what happen is that there is an external event (your dog getting spooked in the ring) an we then run that event though our internal processing. We then make an Internal Representation (I/R) of that event. That I/R of the event combines with a physiology and that creates a state. "State" refers to our emotional state--a happy state, a sad state, a motivated state, or in our case with our dog in the ring, and anxious state. Our I/R includes our internal pictures, sounds and dialogue and our feelings (for example, whether we feel anxious and challenged in our dog's training and performance). A given state is the result of the combination of an internal representations and a physiology. So what happens is that an event comes through our sensory input channels which I can teach you in NLP training and training your dog to be the best.

After the event becomes an I/R it is how our mind processes this information and the outcome that is achieved. We use filters in our mind to accomplish this and this is where the real power of NLP comes into play. For example I am just going to talk about one: Beliefs. Beliefs are generalizations about how our world is. One of the important elements in the NLP model is to find out a persons beliefs about a particular behavior we are trying to model. Richard Bandler says "Beliefs are those things we can't get around." Beliefs are the presuppositions that we have about the way of the world us that we either create or deny personal power to us. So beliefs are essentially our on/off switch for our ability to do anything in the world. In our dog training example. Make you and your dog the best dog team ever! Wouldn't that be great? Go into the ring and get a qualifying score every time? Heck yes it would!

So if you would like to find out more about mind-body dog training, I highly encourage you to give us a call. We truly to have the best and train the rest. Do you want to win too? Yes you do!

Citation: The Accelerated NLP Practitioner Certification Training Manual

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Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project. Dr. Forto is also a practitioner of NLP and is the host of a weekly show, The Dog Doctor Radio and can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com/

Denver Dog Works and Dogtopia

Denver Dog Works and Dogtopia

By Robert Forto, PHD

Starting this week Denver Dog Works and Dogtopia in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, have teamed up to offer training at the Dogtopia location on Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons. Denver Dog Works specializes in canine sports and working dogs and everything that is fun with your furry friend. Under the direction of Dr. Robert Forto, the team at Denver Dog Works is like no other training school in the nation. We take a practical, balanced, experienced, approach to training your dog to compete (or just have fun) in all sorts of sporting events.

Dogtopia is a dog day care that just opened in Highlands Ranch, Colorado and is a full service doggie day care facility offering: boarding, grooming, extended stays and more. Dr. Forto is proud to associate his business with Dogtopia and hopes that clients throughout the Denver Metro will stop by and take advantage of all of the classes that Denver Dog Works has to offer. The Dogtopia facility has a 100-yard grass field in which we plan to utilize for all of our activities. And stay tuned for more information on the new Snowcrest Canine Sports Association in a blog post to come.

The following is the American Kennel Club Code of Sportsmanship and we atDenver Dog Works abide by these principles in training all of our dogs for competition or just plain fun.

AKC Code of Sportsmanship

PREFACE: The sport of purebred dog competitive events dates prior to 1884, the year of AKC's birth. Share values of those involved in the sport included principles of sportsmanship. They are practiced in all sectors of our sport: conformation, performance and companion. Many believe that these principles of sportsmanship are the prime reason why our sport has thrived for over one hundred years. With the belief that it is useful to periodically articulate the fundamentals of our sport, this code is presented.

Sportsmen respect the history, traditions, and integrity of the sport of purebred dogs.

Sportsmen commit themselves to values of fair play, honesty, courtesy, and vigorous competition, as well as winning and losing with grace.

Sportsmen refuse to compromise their commitment and obligation to the sport of purebred dogs by injecting personal advantage or consideration into their decisions or behaviors.

The sportsman judge judges only on the merits of the dogs and considers no other factors.

The sportsman judge or exhibitor accepts constructive criticism.

The sportsman exhibitor refuses to compromise the impartiality of a judge.

The sportsman respects the AKC bylaws, rules, regulations and policies governing the sport of purebred dogs.

Sportsmen find that vigorous competition and civility are not inconsistent and are able to appreciate the merit of their competition and the effort of competitors.

Sportsmen welcome, encourage and support newcomers to the sport.

Sportsmen will deal fairly with all those who trade with them.

Sportsmen are willing to share honest and open appraisals of both the strengths and weaknesses of their breeding stock.

Sportsmen spurn any opportunity to take personal advantage of positions offered or bestowed upon them.

Sportsmen always consider as paramount the welfare of their dog.

Sportsmen refuse to embarrass the sport, the American Kennel Club, or themselves while taking part in the sport.

Please check out our website, Denver Dog Works, for more information on upcoming classes, clinic and events. We always welcome new members and their dogs at any level or experience. Also be sure to listen to The Dog Doctor Radio Show ever Saturday at Denver Dog Works. We host the show on a variety of topics and have special guests on from all over the world. You can download the show anytime from iTunes or our website.

Citation: American Kennel Club

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Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado. He can be reached through his website,http://www.denverdogworks.com

The Media, Captain Trips, and the Swine Flu

The Media, Captain Trips, and the Swine Flu
By Robert Forto, PhD

On Monday, April 27th, I was driving my wife to work to Denver Dog Works and I was listening to my regular morning radio on KHOW in Denver with the host, Peter Boyles. He had a short segment on the swine flu and how people are relating it to the Stephen King book, The Stand. The book is an epic thriller in which a man-made flu virus escapes from a government lab and wrecks havoc on the world. The super-flu kills 99.4% of the world’s population and the story is a good-versus-evil struggle that is close to 1000 pages in length. It is a must read if you are a Stephen King fan and a chilling read if you so chose to parallel it to the current panic with the outbreak of the swine flu.

I quickly posted my parallel to the book and the swine flu on Twitter and Facebook (as did a lot of other people I’m sure) it has kicked off a barrage of commentary from my followers on the popular social media sites. I was quickly followed by other twitter users, tweeters as they are affectionately known, that also capitalized on the parallel. One tweeter in particular goes by the name of @motherabigail. Mother Abigail is a key character in the King story and calls on a band of survivors to go to Boulder to start a new society. Another tweeter, @vegaswalkindude is the character in the book known as Randall Flagg. Flagg is the “evil” character in the book and he has his followers in the post-apocalyptic world.

"Captain Trips"

The novel (The Stand) is divided into three parts, or books. The first is titled "Captain Trips" and takes place over nineteen days, with the escape and spread of a human-made biological weapon, a superflu (influenza) virus known formally as "Project Blue" and colloquially as "Captain Trips." The epidemic leads to the death of most of the human population in North America (and the world: it is hinted that General Starkey’s men had released the virus in eastern Europe, China, and the Soviet Union; and Peru and Senegal are mentioned in discussion of post-epidemic deaths due to natural causes).

99.4% of people are susceptible to Captain Trips, and the disease has a mortality rate of 100%. King outlines the total breakdown and destruction of society through widespread violence, the failure of martial law to contain the outbreak, and eventually the death of virtually the entire population. The human toll is also dealt with, as the few survivors must care for their families and friends, dealing with confusion and grief as their loved ones ultimately succumb to the flu, which has inexplicably spared them.

The expanded edition opens with a prologue titled "The Circle Opens" that offers greater detail into the circumstances surrounding the development of the virus and the security breach that allowed its escape from the secret laboratory compound where it was created. (Citation: Wikipedia)

The Media

So just what is this swine flu that we are dealing with and can we equate it to popular fiction such as King’s The Stand? As you may know, the media has prompted us to believe this is a world-wide emergency. A pandemic of epic proportions. One like we have not seen in generations. Sure we have dealt with influenzas before. History will show us that the outbreak in 1917 and in 1957-58 were killer-flu’s of astronomical proportion. But, what about this one? The swine flu as it is being called, started on a pig farm in Mexico about two weeks ago and effectively shut down Mexico City, the world’s largest city because of it. It is rumored that this flu has killed up to 100 people and is spreading worldwide as we speak.

The swine flu has now spread to at least ten states, at the time of this post, and several towns in Texas have cancelled school at least for a week and other events like dog shows and sporting events. But did you know that the common-run-of-the-mill flu that most of us contract every winter kills seven people an hour? Now that is “astronomical proportions” if I do say so myself.
So what has us so worried about it this time? I think that the media and the talking heads think that it is time for us to have a pandemic. We haven’t had one in a long time have we? What I mean when I say that they think it is time is two-fold in my opinion. First pandemics occur kind of like earthquakes and tremors. You get a little blip and then you brace yourself for the big one. California has been bracing itself for decades.

The flu, any kind really, whether it be avian, human, or swine, must mutate before they reach their full potential and their true danger. True, this swine flu has mutated and “jumped” from host to host (pig to human) in this case and that is what scares us. So what is likely to happen? I think that this “version” of the super-flu will peter out and go underground just to resurface. Maybe this winter. Maybe next and we will be faced with a flu virus that we are ready to confront. We will have vaccines in place by then and protocols to deal with a true outbreak.
The second reason I think that the media thinks it is time is: most of the media is based on fear-mongering. They do it to us every day. Think about it. They are doing it with their nightly reports on the collapse of the economy, the foreclosures, the failure of the banks, the unemployment rate. But are any of those situations that bad? Let’s take the economy. Sure our spending as a whole is down but unless you have lost your job, have you really changed your lifestyle that much? It doesn’t look like it. The movie theaters and restaurants are packed and I had to take a number and wait an hour to be helped at the Apple store the other day.

Foreclosures are on the decline. A friend of mine, who is in the real estate business said that foreclosures are down 50% since January. With the banks: only 5% have failed and most of those were bought up by larger banks. Has your bank closed? I doubt it. And the unemployment rate is only up about three percent more than it is from the normal range here in Colorado. What is it 8%? That means that 92% of us still have jobs.

I am not trying to minimize any of this. I am a small business owner and I know that people have changed their spending habits just by looking at my bottom line. We had a much lower quarter that just passed than we did the same quarter last year. But what I am saying is that it is the media hype that has us all scared to death. Whether it is the swine-flu (Captain Trips or the super-flu) or our almighty dollar, the media has us just where they want us.

Why do we read books like King’s The Stand? Watch movies like Outbreak? And read books like The Hot Zone? Watch dramas like The Band Played On? Each of these stories scared us to the core about something that we cannot control. Whether it is Captain Trips, E-Bola or the A.I.D.S. virus. We watch (or read) this stuff because we like to be scared. Think about it. We go to horror movies and ride roller coasters because it is human nature to test our limits and walk out of there as a “survivor” having conquered the monster. Make believe or not.

That is what the media does as well. They provoke these same emotions that are primal in us all. Think about it. When was the last time you watched the news and it wasn’t doom and gloom? What is always the fist story? It’s not the feel good “how much is that puppy in the window” story is it? When the media reports they always report it as a slant. They will say something like: “the economy is rebounding---but---the unemployment rate remains steady” or “The swine-flu seems to have leveled off in Mexico---but there are now confirmed cases in ten U.S. states.”

So I ask you my fellow reader and provocateur of the fear, is this what really scares us or is it just another story in the days of our lives?

I welcome all of your comments and criticisms. Let’s keep the discussion alive while it is still a story and not just yesterday’s news as this story will pass soon enough.
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Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado. He can be reached through is website at http://www.inekaproject.org or by phone at 303-522-1727.

Look Up in the Sky! Pet-Only Airline Starting Soon
By Robert Forto, PhD
The world has truly gone to the dogs! In a nation that is facing financial difficulty and people are canceling their summer vacation plans, Pet Airways has just announced it is launching the first pet-only airline with flights going to five major cities: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C. and Denver beginning this summer.

"We believe there is truly a need for this," said Alysa Binder, one of Pet Airways' founders. "Putting your pet in cargo, just isn't the ideal situation, and it doesn't have to be your only choice." A one-way flight is not cheap in terms of dog standards.

It costs around $149.00 and the airline is now accepting reservations for its first New York to L.A. flight on July 14. I just wonder if carry-ons are an extra charge and does the dog's crate exceed size limits? Pet Airways is already talking about expansion. Which airline doesn't? They plan to fly to 25 cities in the next few years and they hope to cater to exotic pets, as well as dogs and cats. I guess it will be like Noah's Ark in the sky. There has been concern for years about pet's welfare on the airlines.

While one AVMA veterinarian notes that "you hear horror stories everywhere you look," he says he has never heard a negative story about a pet flying on a commercial airplane. "Within the last 20 years, there has been a great deal of concern and care over the welfare of pets, and airlines are now very restricted for where they can keep the animals, the temperature of the environment, the length of the flight, and things like that," said Greg Hammer, DVM, of Dover, Del."I think they do a very nice job of taking care of the animals -- they have to."

Yet in a press release, Pet Airways cited a study by the San Francisco SPCA, saying that of the two million pets that fly in cargo each year, approximately 5,000 of them are injured in transit.

This is a major concern for Pet Airways and a deciding factor in starting the airline that has been in the works since 2005. Rest assured, your pets will fly in relative first class by pet transport standards. They will spend time in the "pet lounge" before boarding a seat-free plane which can hold up to 50 dogs or cats. On the flight the animals are with a "pet attendant" at all times. according to Binder, as they are then loaded and secured into carrying cases on the plane. People are watching the pets at all times while they will not be allowed to roam the cabin of course. Their chairs must be upright and seat belts buckled at all times. I just wonder what is next? Frequent Flyer Miles? Web-cams like they have a doggie day cares so you can "view" your pet from your home P.C. or your cell phone? Do they get in-flight snacks, like dog biscuits and cat-nip to ease the anxiety or do those cost extra?

As a business that provides training for service dogs we often have to fly dogs around the country for delivery to their new homes or for training. It is a constant concern for us at Denver Dog Works for the pet's safety and one of our biggest hurdles comes when it is time to fly the dog. You are constantly monitoring the temperature of the airports for which your flight will stop and the times the dogs will be in the cargo-hold or occasionally on the tarmac.

And of course I have a story for you! Several years ago I was a professional musher (dog sledding) and my sponsor had a bright idea for me to run a race on the Italy-Switzerland border. Of course without thinking I gleefully said "Sure!" as I had never been to Europe. What it turned out to be was a logistical nightmare to say the least! My kennel was in Duluth Minnesota, otherwise known as the North Pole in terms of air travel with dogs, so I booked a flight from Duluth to New York and then a trans-atlantic flight from New York to London.

In England is where the fun really started. First off, we had a 7-hour lay-over in the middle of the night and during the lay-over all of my dogs, all 12 of them, went to the cargo area of the airline. I had to go over and feed them and walk them and otherwise clean up after them before our early morning flight. Without any sleep, we flew to Amsterdam and then boarded a train to Rome. In Rome we rented three vans and drove to Northern Italy to the race site. I raced a three day race and luckily don't remember much the race or the trip home. It was a nightmare! A week and a half of travel to come in 32nd place. I didn't see much of Europe that trip, well at least I don't recall what I saw. Would I ever do it again? Doubtful but I hear that it has gotten much easier now and dog sled teams travel from Norway and Germany all the time. Hey, maybe next time I will just fly on Pet Airways or be like a rock-star and rent a private jet. Who knows.

If you would like to learn more on this amazing business venture please listen to The Dog Doctor Radio Show this Saturday at 9:30 am MT or download the show anytime at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dogdoctor.

To read more about Pet Airways please visit their website at Http://www.petairways.com or read an article posted online about the airline at http://www.zootoo.com/petnews/nationsfirstpetairlinetakesoff-1315

Of course we always welcome you comments and concerns. If you have a story about an airline flight with your pet we would love to hear it. Please call our studio line on Saturdays at 9:30-10:30 am MT at (646) 727-2978 or send us an email anytime at train@denverdogworks.com

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Dr. Robert Forto is the training director for Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado. Dr. Forto is the host of The Dog Doctor Radio Show and he can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com

Part-time Dogs in a Full-time World
By Robert Forto, PhD

At Denver Dog Works we train people how to become dog trainers. We train them to become the best dog trainers in the world in my opinion, and in doing so we teach our students how to think outside the box and defend their position on a variety of topics. This past week we were discussing Dog Law and I asked my students to search for an interesting story with a legal angle in regards to dogs. One of my students, Christena Pastoor, found an interesting article on renting dogs and we talked about it for the whole three hour session. I found it such an intriguing concept as did everyone in the room. I even posted the question on the social networking sites Facebook and Twitter and got an overwhelming response. So I decided it write about it on my blog and talk about it on my radio show this week, The Dog Doctor Radio Show heard weekly on Http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dogdoctor. I welcome your feedback and your comments because this is a topic that is worth exploring.

There was an article written in September by Kathy McManus on the Internet that has really peaked my interest. It was titled: Renting a Dog Barking Up the Wrong Tree? about a service that is offered in New York City, Los Angeles and London where you can “rent” a dog. Yes folk, renting your best…err…temporary friend. You can lease them by the day from a company called Flexpet.

While this is not a new concept as upscale hotels have lent dogs to guests over the years, Flexpet is making a business out of renting dogs. It is not cheap either. According to the company’s website there is a $99.00 administration charge, a $99.00 monthly membership fee, a mandatory $150.00 training fee and orientation lesson and then the customer can rent as many dog day afternoons as desired for a $45.00 fee for day.

Flexpet says that all of their dogs—many of which are from animal shelters—wear GPS tracking collars with temperature sensors and feed “holistic dog food” and all have stable temperaments and between two and five years old. But of course there are many critics over this practice as they see it as promotion of dogs as accessories. If you are a frequent listener of The Dog Doctor Radio Show we often talk about what we call “Paris Hilton Dogs” the small dogs that are carried in purses and adorned with bejeweled collars—of course no disrespect to Ms. Hilton—we see these dogs as more of a fashion accessory than a pet. I mean when did we decide as a society that we should carry our dogs around in handbags? What would our forbearers think from 20,000 years ago when we first added dogs to our lives?

Flexpet is not without controversy of course. The company is banned in Boston after the City Council passed an ordinance making dog letting illegal. “To rent a dog just seems wrong,” said one legislator. “I’m not for legislating morality, but it just seems like cruel and unusual treatment of a poor, defenseless animal.” In the editorial pages in Boston they took issue with what they saw as people “who want the comfort of a pet, but not the full-time responsibility.”

So just who rents a pet? I would assume people that travel a lot, people who live in apartment buildings or high-rises or places that do not allow pets, people that have family members who may not like dogs in the house or people like Sarah Stevenson who moved from the U.K. to New York. “It’s been difficult for me to meet people because everyone in New York just kind of goes about their business,” Stevenson lamented. But when she is out walking a rented pooch named Oliver, “It becomes a nice way to meet people.”

My trainer, Christena Pastoor had plenty to say about this subject. “In terms of legality I can see how municipalities would allow a dog rental business to operate as long as the company can sufficiently prove quality care of their dogs while at their facility and through a screening process of the renters and their homes.” Mrs. Pastoor, who researched Flexpet thoroughly for her project on Dog Law also said, “According to their (Flexpet) website , they provide vet checks every three months, fit every dog with a GPS collar and require all renters to attend mandatory training sessions before taking a dog.”

Of course there are other concerns than the legal ones. Dogs are pack animals that thrive on routine and security. Renting dogs to any number of people for short periods of time does not provide the consistency that they need to thrive. While Flexpet asserts that these dogs do not live in kennels and they stay with a primary caregiver when not being “rented” there is still a constant flux with different dogs at “home” and ever-changing renters. Dogs can become stressed when they do not have a consistent environment and behavior problems are likely to ensue.

According to Mrs. Pastoor, putting a cash value on time spent with a dog automatically makes the dog a commodity in the eye of the renter. It also creates the risk of the dog simply being viewed as an accessory. Dogs are living beings and should be valued as such, not as an accessory that makes people more noticeable.

Of course, many people cannot take the care of a dog on full-time, however there are many other positive outlets for fulfilling a person’s desire for canine companionship. Shelters and rescue organizations are in desperate need for people to walk dogs and spend time socializing them. All dogs in shelters can benefit dramatically from socialization, which may in turn help then find a new home. Fostering a dog is also an option. Many, if not all, shelters are filled to capacity and of course fostering takes a greater time commitment than renting, but it is not a “permanent dog”. Or if a person cannot find time to volunteer to foster, or work at a shelter, maybe they could find friends or neighbors who would be willing to have them spend quality time with their dog that they might not be able to give themselves. As you may know that the number one cause of behavior problems in dogs in lack of exercise and positive stimulation and that is why most dogs end up in a shelter situation in the first place.

I have a little bit of a different spin on it. Of course I love dogs. They are my passion and my livelihood and I cannot understand just how this business of renting dogs is not only morally irresponsible but financially irresponsible as well, but what about people that volunteer for programs such as Big Brothers or Big Sisters? I am sure they do that to “give back” or to enrich a young child’s life. But doesn’t that work the same if you are “renting” a dog? Also what about dogs that suffer from what I call “kennel craziness”, that is dogs that are in a kennel situation and through lack of positive stimulation or people contact begin to pace and bark and spin, very similar to people in correctional institutions. Even a psychologist counters that people that want to borrow a dog usually just want some companionship. “It may be a short bond,” he said, “but it’s a real bond.”

What do you think? Should people rent dogs? Listen to our show this Saturday, 4/18/09 and call in to our studio and tell us your opinion. Our studio number is (646)727-2978 or you can reach us anytime by email at train@denverdogworks.com

Written in conjunction with Christena Pastoor, Student at Denver Dog Works
Citation: Katy McManus’ 9/24/09 article: Renting a Dog: Barking Up the Wrong Tree?
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Dr. Robert Forto is the training director for Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado. Dr. Forto also hosts The Dog Doctor Radio Show weekly from his training center. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com

A Dog Named DASY

A Dog Named DASY
By Robert Forto, PhD

I am sure you have heard. Maybe you haven’t because the national media has not picked up this story and I don’t know why because it is a national outrage. All it took was a gunshot in the middle of the night for former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell to spring to action. You see, he can’t sleep. He is afraid of the dark from the atrocities of what happened to him in the war on terror in Afghanistan. Luttrell was the lone survivor of a dramatic battle in the war torn country in 2005. And when he heard the gunshots outside his house on April, 1, 2009 his training took over and Luttrell began a sweep of the house.

First, Luttrell checked on his mother with his gun drawn and told her to stay put until he came back to get her then he bolted for his front door. He then swept the yard and he found his beloved Labrador Retriever dead in a ditch with a head wound from a .357 magnum. He also saw car lights and heard people laughing--but we will get to that in a minute. You see, the Labrador Retriever was not just a dog, she was a service dog to help Luttrell recover from his own wounds both physically and mentally. Her name was DASY, named after Luttrell’s Navy SEAL team comrades. They all died in the fight one night in Afghanistan where Luttrell was the lone survivor.

“I could tell she tried to get away because there was a blood trail,” Luttrell recalled on a phone interview on Wednesday on The Glenn Beck Show. “When I saw she was dead, the only thing that popped in my head was, I’ve got to take these guys out,” Luttrell said.

In the middle of the night with his service dog dead and hearing laughter in the distance, Luttrell who had just been released from the hospital after another round of agonizing surgeries to mend a bad back, crawled under a fence and sneaked up on four strangers in a car who apparently killed DASY on a whim, for pure sport, for fun! Luttrell said they were unmindful and oblivious as he raised his 9-mm pistol from about two hundred feet away and he had one of them dead in his sights.

Their car pulled away and Luttrell did not fire. It took all he had not to pull the trigger. He was trained to kill. He was the best of the best that the United States Military has to offer but he held back.

Instead, Luttrell jumped into his truck and sped, sometimes over 100 miles per hour, after them through four counties in rural Texas staying in contact with each county’s dispatcher as he sped through the night intent on catching the thugs that murdered his service dog, DASY. Luttrell recalled telling the 911 operator, “You need to get somebody out here before I catch them, I’m going to kill them.”

The killing of such a special dog for the former SEAL played right into Luttrell’s deep wounds. The four-year old Labrador was given to him upon his return from the war to help him heal and return to somewhat of a normal life. Luttrell named the dog DASY after his fallen comrades. The acronym was for his SEAL team members lost in a bloody fight in which they were far outnumbered by Taliban fighters. Luttrell escaped death that night and was taken hostage by the Taliban fighters and worked over pretty good. The enemy then took him to a cave and he touted them to kill him but they did not. He was ready to die for his country that he was trained to fight for. Luttrell wrote a book about the experience, The Lone Survivor and it is a national best seller.

Back to the Chase

Luttrell finally caught up to the murders of his service dog at a police road block and was stopped by the Onalaska Police Department. He exited his truck and approached the men and asked, “Which one of you guys killed my dog?” and then the assailants started talking smack saying that they would get him when they get out of jail.

So far, two of them have been charged with felonies but there is little doubt they will serve much time as the law looks at a dog as “just a dog” in these kinds of cases. Probably just six months in a county jail is all.

In what turns out to be a related story, at least five other dogs have been killed in recent months in the area and they could be linked to Luttrell’s case as well. It looks like these thugs were just killing dogs for fun.

No matter what you think about the war and the politics that follow, Marcus Luttrell loves his country and his comrades that died fighting for our freedom. Luttrell doesn’t want to be a hero. He wants to just be a man, a man that loves his country, and a man that is just trying to take care of his family.

What these people did to DASY was despicable and makes me sick when I think about it. When I heard Marcus speak on The Glenn Beck Show this past week I sat in my truck crying my eyes out. How could people kill a dog in cold blood like that and then laugh about it? How could they take something so near and dear to someone and murder it in cold blood?

Marcus Luttrell is angry and he has every right to be. “They didn’t just kill a dog, they killed a member of my family, she was like my sister,” Luttrell said on the Glenn Beck interview.
DASY was part of his family, but also she was his service dog, a dog specially trained to help Marcus cope with his experiences and be able to live his life again, as a man, not a SEAL embattled in a war.

Denver Dog Works called the producers of The Glenn Beck Show and offered to donate another service dog to Marcus Luttrell, as did hundreds of others. Denver Dog Works trains service dogs for a multitude of tasks including mobility and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which I am sure that Marcus suffers from. If you know of anyone that may be in need of a dog like this or would just like to talk to someone that understands, we can help.

God Bless Marcus Luttrell and his family, and God Bless the United States of America because if it wasn’t for people like Marcus Luttrell this world might be a totally different place.
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Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado and is the host of a weekly radio show, The Dog Doctor Radio Show. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com