IACPINTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CANINE PROFESSIONALS

Safe Hands Journal Volume 7

Issue 3

Autumn 2006

Photo by Marc Goldberg

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International Associationof Canine Professionals

OUR MISSION STATEMENTThe International Association of Canine Professionals is anorganization established to maintain the highest standards ofprofessional and business practice among canine professionals.Its aim is to provide support and representation for all profes-sional occupations involved with any aspect of canine manage-ment, health, training and husbandry.

The International Association of Canine Professionals’ commit-ment is to develop professional recognition, communication, ed-ucation, understanding and cooperation across the wide diversityof canine expertise and knowledge.

For Those Dedicated tothe Well Being of Dogs

How to Join IACPPROFESSIONAL MEMBER – At least five years experience asa canine professional. Can vote on IACP issues and use IACPname and logo on business materials.

ASSOCIATE MEMBER – Less than five years experience as acanine professional but practicing as a professional. Can use theIACP name and logo on business materials. May not vote.

AFFILIATE MEMBER – An active interest in a career as a ca-nine professional but lacking the experience to be an Associate orProfessional member, i.e., apprentices, students of canine profes-sions, trainees, volunteers, part-time, and devotees of canine re-lated occupations. Cannot use the IACP name or logo for businesspurposes and may not vote.

Annual Fees:Professional $75.00; Associate $50.00; Affiliate $35.00An additional $25 fee applies for initial processing costs of Profes-sional land Associate members only.

Benefits:All IACP members receive our SafeHands Journal, have access toour email list, seminars, educational materials, business supportmaterials, events and activity calendars, regional group participa-tion, and our Certification Programs. Discounts for sponsor serv-ices are available to members.

Applications and renewals can now be paid through MasterCard,Visa and AMEX.

International Association of Canine ProfessionalsP.O. Box 56016

Monteverde, FL 34756-0156(877) THE-IACP or (407) 469-2008; Fax (407) 469-7127

Email: IACP@mindspring.comwww.dogpro.org

SAFEHANDS IS THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THENewsletter StaffEditor Marc GoldbergAssistant Editors Vivian Bregman

Martin DeeleyPublisher Martin DeeleyThe editors reserve the right to refuse any advertising or any articleor letter submitted for publication. Copy subject forgrammar/length.Legal NoticesThe International Association of Canine Professionals JournalSafehands is intended as an education and communication vehi-cle for fostering learning, cooperation, exchange of information,and networking across the canine professions. Safehands is pub-lished quarterly. The IACP does not assume any legal responsi-bilities for published articles. The views expressed are those ofthe authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IACP,its officers or editorial staff.Reprint Permission/SubmissionCopyright 2006 IACP. All Rights Reserved. No items may be reprintedwithout the written permission of the IACP and authors. Membersshould mail requests to the journal Editor. Original letters/articles maybe submitted to the Editor for consideration. Email submissions toMarc Goldberg at CanineShrink@aol.com.AdvertisingPer issue Rate:Business Cards $45.00, ¼ page $350.00, ½ page $450.00, full page$750.00. Send black and white camera ready copy together withcheck made out to IACP to:IACP JournalP.O. Box 56016Monteverde, FL 34756-0156DeadlinesPlease submit well in advance of publication. Submissions willbe considered for the next available issue.IACP Membership/Journal Information

International Association of Canine ProfessionalsP.O. Box 56016

Monteverde, FL 34756-0156(877) THE-IACP or (407) 469-2008; Fax (407) 469-7127

www.dogpro.orgNewsletter SubscriptionAvailable to non-members $30.00; or included free with member-shipOfficers President/Executive Director Martin DeeleyVice President Cyndy DouanSecretary/Treasurer Pat TrichterDirectorsGeorge Cockrell, Martin Deeley, Cyndy Douan, Marc Goldberg,Robin MacFarlane, Pat Trichter, Bob Jervis, Babette Haggerty,Chad Mackin.IACP Hall of FameFran Kinn, Vicki Hearne, Carol Lea Benjamin, Winifred GibsonStrickland, Lois Meistrell, Edi Munneke, Weatherwax brothers,Dr. Ian Dunbar, Arthur “Captain” Haggerty, Jack & Wendy Vol-hard, Bill Koehler, Captain Max Emil Frederick V. StephanitzHonorary MembersBrian Kilcommons, Bash Dibra, Gary Wilkes, Cesar Millan, Ilusion Millan

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IN THIS ISSUE

IACP: Follow the Leader.................................Martin Deeley .......................................................4

Behind the Scenes, Part I.................................Jill Morstad ...........................................................6

Remembering Captain Haggerty....................Laurie Fass ..........................................................11

The Contrary Dog Trainer...............................Dick Russell .......................................................13

Everything Starts With Nutrition, Part II.....Wendy Volhard ....................................................16

CPAC: Legislative Help for Canine Professionals........................... ..........................................19

IACP’s BSL Position Statement ..................................................................................................19

Bully No More...................................................Chad Mackin ......................................................20

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So much has been happening over the past threemonths, with the Association growing from strength tostrength, both in numbers and visibility. Head Office isnow continually receiving telephone calls and e-mailsfrom the public regardingdog related issues. A numberof these being initiatedthrough the strength of ourrelationship with Cesar Mil-lan and the Dog PsychologyCenter. This has certainlybrought new and excitingbusiness opportunities to anumber of our members.With this occurring it is im-portant to remind ourselvesthat although we are dog pro-fessionals we also have to beable to attract the potentialclients through the informa-tion and presentation we pro-vide on our web sites, in ourfliers, and especially over thetelephone. First impressionsand clarity of information isessential and I would encour-age all of you to not only look at the information youprovide but also to ask a third party to give you their im-pressions. Sometimes we live with the information solong we do not recognize its weaknesses. The IACP isworking hard to bring clients to the ‘doors’ of our mem-bers because we know we can produce the results theyseek – help the public open the doors with good clear in-formation on you and your services.

Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) continues to be atthe forefront of dog news. Recently in my own state ofFlorida two people were killed by dogs. In both cases,their own dogs. One of the dogs concerned was a Boxer,and the second although it was Presa Canario was de-scribed as a breed similar to a Pit Bull. The ignorance ofthe press compounds the problem. We can understand thefear that is generated in the public, and the reactions ofthe politicians, however the answer should not lie in con-demning specific breeds or ‘looks’ but should be in edu-cation, training and responsible ownership. As

professionals we have a role to play in furthering this ed-ucation and fostering responsibility plus common senseregarding dog ownership. This role is not only with thepublic but with those who govern our cities, states and

country. If only we couldconvince dog owners to starttraining their dogs and edu-cating themselves on dogownership as they obtain apuppy or even better, beforethey get one. The IACP hasnow produced with the ad-vice of its BSL Committee aposition statement on BSL.We hope that this will helpothers understand where westand and encourage them tocome to us for advice andsupport to reduce the inci-dents of dog aggression.

Elections time has comearound once more and twopositions are open on theIACP Board of Directors, tobe voted for by the member-

ship. Leaving the Board upon completion of his term ofoffice is George Cockrell. George has been a mover andshaker from the very beginning and much of what IACPdoes today especially regarding networking has beenGeorge’s brain child. Robin McFarlane will also not beseeking a further term on the Board. Robin has been onthe Board from the beginning and played a vital role inbuilding the annual conference to the success it is today.In addition she has served as Secretary to the Boardwhere her expertise and counsel has been invaluable. Onbehalf of the Association I wish to take this opportunitypublicly to thank them for their hard work and sacrificeto the endeavors of the IACP. We are today what theyhave helped us become. Now we seek new Directorswith the motivation, enthusiasm and dedication to growus further and continue making us the Association thateveryone follows.

From the PresidentIACP: Follow the Leader

by Martin Deeley

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Conventional wisdom has it that we’re all just sixdegrees of separation from one another, but conven-tional wisdom doesn’t take into account the sharedinterests, talents and preoccupations that can trans-form six degrees into one.

Not long after returning home from the IACP con-ference in March, I received an e-mail from IACPmember Bob Maida reminding me that that the DogWhisperer show was looking for work in Nebraska,and asking could I help? Knowing that NOBODYever really comes to Nebraska, except on their waythrough to some other place, I said ‘sure’. A fewhours went by and then the phone rang: MPH Enter-tainment popped up on my caller ID.

A couple of California phone conversations later,I was calling some of my own clients to see ifthey’d like to audition for Dog Whisperer...ulti-mately, we submitted five tapes representing fivedifferent stories about dogs and families, stories that(arguably) couldn’t be told in east Los Angeles, or atleast not in the same way they’re told here. And thenI promptly forgot about them, as the travelers on I-80 continued to go whizzing by not even stoppingfor gas on their way to someplace else.

So I was surprised and delighted to learn that oneof those clients had been selected for next year’sshow — and they very graciously invited me to be‘on location, behind the scenes’ for a mid-July tap-ing. I was looking forward to seeing how it all hap-pens, and to watch Cesar work with Mollie theone-eyed, pick-up truck-tire-biting Blue Heeler pupand her owner Mark Eggers, a third generation Ne-braska farmer. It would be an exciting day...and ahot one. The weather service was predicting 103 de-grees for the eastern part of the state on the after-noon of July 15.

July 14, 2:00 p.m. I trade e-mail and phone mes-

sages with Lesha Eggers, who provides detailed di-rections to the farm, and again expresses her nerv-ous anticipation about the opportunity to be a part ofDog Whisperer, and her curiosity about what CesarMillan will do for Mollie.

July 14, 8:00 p.m. The camera is packed, the cellphone charged and the van is gassed up. Time forbed.

July 15, 4:00 a.m. Alarm goes off. In an hour I’mshowered and dressed – pouring coffee and out thedoor into the early morning darkness. It is still coolenough to be comfortable in the van without air con-ditioning, but I know that’s temporary. Lock in myfavorite station on the Sirius satellite radio and settlein for the two and a half-hour drive to Hebron, theThayer County seat and just twenty miles from theKansas state line.

July 15, 7:15 a.m. Lesha’s directions are perfect,and I turn off Hwy 81 at Hebron and head west. Justa few minutes later I’m pulling into the Eggers’driveway and Grandpa Walt waves me over into aparking place near the back step. DW photographerChris and his assistant are already on site and begin-ning to unload equipment. Good thing, becauseMark Eggers is ready to get Mollie out to movesome cattle and so the crew scurries to get set up forthe shot.

By 7:30 a.m. the motorhome arrives with the restof the Dog Whisperer team, including series directorand coordinating producers SueAnn and Christina.Also descending from the motorhome is the soundproducer, another director of photography and thelocation manager, a fellow they all call Rojo. Rojoknows the drill and the schedule. He drives the mo-torhome and just about anything else he’s called onto do. We chat as he looks around the Eggers’ farm,then makes a broad gesture to the north, up Hwy 81

Behind the Scenes withThe Dog Whisperer, Part I

by Jill Morstad

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that brought us to Hebron. He’s originally fromSouth Dakota, he says. Me, too. It’s a small world.

July 15, 7:45 a.m. Introductions all around andnow the producer is ready to start collecting the bitsand pieces of film and story that will establish Mol-lie’s role on the farm, the family’s history of dogsand livestock, and what life is like in this part of therural Midwest. She wants to begin by interviewingLesha Eggers, and selects a spot next to a largemetal outbuilding – the grass is still wet with dewand a spiderweb sparkles in the morning sun.

July 15, 8:15 a.m. There is a good bit of downtime between activities, as the producers work downtheir list of the interviews, farm shots and other im-ages that will help tell Mollie’s story. Clearly, theyare accustomed to working together across a rangeof circumstances, and they finish each others’thoughts or anticipate a directive. Cameras are

moved and adjusted, lighting assessed and all thewhile, the Eggers’ politely field many questionsabout their history on the farm, the day-to-day oper-ations, numbers of livestock and other crops. Anewspaper reporter arrives from nearby Deshler(pop. 817), and as she asks questions for her newsstory, the conversations grow lively as the locals ex-plain to visitors what life is like in Thayer County.Mollie trots around from person to person, thenheads into the large metal building that houses thecombine: the perfect place for an interview withMark himself.

Mr. Eggers has never actually seen the show —his daughter Lesha was a student in one of thecourses for whom I guest-lecture over at the univer-sity, and she brought her Yorkie through two of mypuppy classes in Lincoln. She was thrilled when Icalled her to see if Cesar might be of help with Mol-lie, and although her father had never seen so much

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as a single episode of Dog Whisperer, Dad wentalong with us — perhaps because that’s the sort ofthing that Dads will do for daughters.

Soon, it’s 9:30 a.m. and the summer sun is highwhen a non-descript taupe sedan pulls on to theproperty. Cesar is driving, and with him are his wifeIlusion and their seven year old son, Calvin. Theypour out of the car, along with traveling companionsDaddy and Coco, a pit bull and a Chihuahua respec-tively, two dogs who would be instantly recogniza-ble to anyone who has seen the television show.Another round of introductions and soon Cesar iswalking around, familiarizing himself with the lay-

out, the farm, the work and the Eggers family. Hischallenge: to keep Mollie out from under Mark’spick-up.

Mark Eggers drives out to the family farm eachmorning from his home in nearby Ruskin. Mollie isthe ‘hired hand’. She helps with the cattle, an-nounces the arrival of strangers, and she’s goodcompany.

But Mollie’s innate talents and courage for mov-ing ornery cattle also takes another form – shechases and bites the truck tires whenever Markleaves the farm without her. As a younger pup, herteeth were twice caught in the tire treads, and oneinstance required veterinary attention. As she gotolder, she got bolder and more determined and herthird attack on the tires cost her an eye.

Mark and Lesha both regard Mollie as a valuedasset to the farm, and important and necessary to thework done there. They would like Cesar’s help todiscourage Mollie from going after the car tires, andto maintain her as a balanced and respectful memberof the family pack. They are well-aware that if Mol-lie doesn’t learn to leave the truck tires alone, herfailure to do so may well cost her her life.

But first things first – the interview. SueAnn,Bryan, Chris and Milo set up a small ‘set’ inside one

Mark Eggers descends the combine.

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of the barns, where it takes a few minutes to get thelight and the sound just right.

Meanwhile, Calvin Millan gets busy exploring.His older brother Andre has stayed behind in He-bron to do some school work with the teacher who’s

traveled with the family all summer, but Calvinwanted to see the farm. So off we go. But the tripout back to visit the baby pigs takes longer than ex-pected, because Calvin is determined to catch agrasshopper.

Ultimately he catches several grasshoppers in thelong grass and weeds on either side of the path, anda little frog, too.

Over in the barn, Cesar’s interview with the Eg-gers doesn’t take long. He has quickly understoodtheir problems, and their concerns and he sharestheir appreciation for a good dog with a good job todo. Mollie is getting plenty of exercise behind thecows, and she has shown herself to be a dog of dis-cipline and focus. Moreover, the Eggers respect herfor exactly what she is: a working farm dog. Thistime, Cesar will not have to remind anyone thatdogs are not children, nor that dogs need exercise,and work to do. There is plenty of hard physicalwork to be done on the farm, and Mollie’s goodphysical condition suggests that she’s been doingher share.

With the groundwork laid and the backstoriessafely in the camera, it’s time to get to work.

Jill Morstad PhD is an adjunct professor at UnionCollege and owner of Prairie Skies: Dog Trainingfor Open Spaces. She lives in Lincoln, Nebraska.The third season of Dog Whisperer premiers Mon-day, Oct. 23 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the National Geo-graphic Channel. iacp

Mollie relaxing in the shade before her televisiondebut.

Preparing for a sound check.

Calvin Millan and his grasshopper.

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Remembering Captain HaggertyIt was the summer of 1975 when I made the life altering deci-

sion to drop out of college and take a professional dog-trainingprogram in Wallkill New York with Captain Haggerty. It wasthere that I spent the next six weeks living over a dog kennel in amakeshift apartment dormitory set aside for just this purpose. Iwas drawn to this place based on reading an article in the NewYorker magazine reviewing dog training schools. Captain Hag-gerty’s was listed, and among his many credentials was that hewas the teacher mentor of Matthew Margolis.

Margolis’s book (co authored by Modecai Seigal), Good DogBad Dog was immensely popular and one of the very few books atthat time that addressed pet dogs as opposed to AKC obediencecompetition format. This book has been reprinted many times andis still available. This was a book that couldn’t have been written,if not for the knowledge of Captain Haggerty.

I don’t even know where to begin to describe the knowledgehe passed along to me. He had a way of being both subtle andabruptly blunt. Watching him in action was something I was notprepared for. Coming from a family that valued academics and in-tellectual achievement, learning the value of physical harmonyand connection was one of the many gifts that Captain Haggertygave me.

I will never forget the demonstration he gave with a com-pletely untrained Doberman, handling it to make it “look like itwas trained”. He was a very big man who moved with the grace ofa dancer and the precision of a sharp shooter. I remember him

telling me not to hold the leash with my left hand facing upwardsor “I would sprain my wrist”, two days later I sprained my wrist.The lesson on how to handle the leash “so you won’t get bitten”proved invaluable over the years, and it was Captain Haggerty thatsaved my skin with that lesson many a time. While in the trainingprogram, I asked him to tell me how I was doing. His response toa young woman who spent most of her time in her head gave mefood for thought for some time afterwards. His answer was simply“You need to learn how to come in for the rebound”.

The Captain had a funny way of being both in your face whileat the same time letting you hang yourself by making your ownmistakes. He was never at a loss for an answer to a question, orlacking in enthusiasm to discuss any dog related topic. I remem-ber, years ago seeing a piece on the TV news about Captain Hag-gerty. One might expect some dignified account of this learnedgentleman, but no, it was Captain Haggerty in a toga being, of allthings a dancing Buddha. That is what he was, an eccentric com-bining his next adventure (like being a zombie in an Italian movie)and being a veritable genius.

I have always credited the Captain with being my teacher andhave proudly included him in any promo material I have evermade. He is currently referenced on the WTIC Talk Radio website in my bio. It was through the years that I became more andmore aware of just how fortunate I was to have had the opportu-nity to study with this man. I am thankful that I took the timeabout ten years ago to call him to reminisce, and share my grati-tude and appreciation. His knowledge continues to filter down ex-ponentially. Thank you Captain Haggerty. --by Laurie Fass.

iacp

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“To train a dog, you have to be as smart as thedog.” Lewis Epps

Cauliflower is an absolutely wonderful vegetable,both in the garden and on the table. Those of you whobuy your groceries at the supermarket probably knowjust the white colored variety. But us dig in the dirttypes get to enjoy it in severalpastels - lime-green, peach andorange as well.

As most Americans cook it,cauliflower should never be partof a meal. Steamed - on it’s own -cauliflower has all the taste ofwrapping paper. Sorry, because Iknow most folks eat this way, butfood that tastes like an L.L. Beancatalog ain’t worth the effort ittakes to fork it to your mouth.And the other way cauliflower iscooked is even worse. It’s lethal.I’m thinking about slathered withmelted cheese or drowned in but-ter. Butter broadens your belly.Cheese chokes your arteries. Bothguarantee a sooner rather thanlater cruise down the River Styx.

But as my darling housekeeper, Miss Nancy, dishesit up, cauliflower tickles the palate, firms the belly,scrubs out the plaque and will let all of you to reachmy venerable age with a big old happy smile on yourface. A few dead-ripe tomatoes hot from the sun andnot more than ten minutes from the garden, a handfulof basil leaves, just a few snippets from the tarragonbush, a quick grind of black pepper, a quick grind ofblack pepper, a quick grind of black pepper (that ain’ta typo. Lot’s of black pepper.) and a pinch of sugar.And it all slow simmered until the cauliflower is just

about to fall apart, but hasn’t quite. Aaaaeeee, as theCajuns say. It’ll make you want to slap yo mamma.

Cauliflower is also a good tool to use if you want toteach your dog to go lie down in a corner instead ofdrooling on your plate while you’re eating dinner.Lying in the corner is incompatible with drooling on

your plate. Teaching andusing incompatible behav-iors is what this discourse isabout.

The theory behind the useof incompatible behaviors -and, I guess, the justificationfor their use - is that an ani-mal cannot, at the sametime, be doing a thing thatwe approve of and a thingthat drives us out of ourminds. He can’t, at the sametime, be doing somethingthat rates attaboys andsomething that’s going tocause us to have to tear outour hair. The theory saysthat he’ll always choose the

easy way out.

The problem with the theory is that it doesn’t al-ways work. If it did, our prisons wouldn’t be full, ourmarriages wouldn’t be falling apart, our mama’swould have never learned what switches were for andthe public wouldn’t have to be spending their hardearned money procuring the services of professionalpuppy tamers.

That the theory doesn’t usually work is not the faultof the theory. The problem lies in how we try to applyit. And how is that? Without understanding what weare doing. And despite the fact that we get paid to

The Contrary Dog TrainerLet them eat cauliflower

by Dick Russell

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work with dogs, quite often without understandinghow dogs operate. Your dog, my dog, your client’sdog, really doesn’t care whether she ever pleases us.This flies in the face of the warm, cuddly image bywhich dogs have portrayed themselves over the eons,but it’s a fact.The only creature a dog really wants tosatisfy is herself. If in the process of satisfying her-self, she happenstance pleases us, she’s cool with it.But she, not we, was the priority.

Dogs - in fact, all creatures - are motivated by pleas-ure. We all want to be happier, more comfortable, behaving more fun than than we were just seconds ago.When do we want to be happier? Right now. We alllive in the moment.

“Uh, Mr. Writer,” one of you is about to scream,“you said, ‘we. Humans do not live just in the mo-ment. Humans can envision and plan for and live inthe future. It’s the difference between us and the lesseranimals.”

Baloney. It’s a con game dreamed up by parents andpreachers and teachers, employers and clicker trainers- all the folks who can’t or won’t deliver what theyare promising - so they put you off with be good now,do as you are told and you’ll eventually get your justreward - more privileges, life everlasting or a roomfull of virgins (depending on your take on things), agood job, a better job, a much stronger thumb.

What we do get is no fun, no fun, and still more nofun (I’m still thinking, black pepper), stress, ulcers,heart attacks and cruises on the Styx. There ain’t anickel’s worth of difference between you and a dogor that mouse that’s sneaking past a sleeping cat. Welive in the moment. All of us. It’s all we have. It’s theonly happiness there will ever be.

Accept it. Wallow in it. Feel the freedom and joy ofNOW.

“The moment,” though, must come. That’s whatparents, preachers, teachers, employers and many dogtrainers overlook. Without the moment we becomebratty teenagers, back sliding sinners, unreliable jobjumpers, e-collar trainers and our clients give up andhaul the dog to the pound. Without the moment, noth-ing good happens.

And finally, in the moment, every creature willchoose to do what gives him the best reward, or if therewards are of equal value, the one which requires theleast effort. Now you’re as smart as a dog. Now youcan train a dog. Now you can make teaching incom-patible behaviors work.

How does a dog learn to beg at the table? Somedummy - at my house, it’s me - sitting at the tablegives her a morsel. Since we are living in the moment,thus it will do no harm, first thing you know, I’vegiven her another. Annie likes Cauliflower a la MissNancy as much as I do. Have another, Pup.

I have sown the seeds of aggravation.

Dinner before going to class is Miss Nancy’s StringBeans. It’s the same recipe as for cauliflower exceptthat you replace the cauliflower with string beans andeverything else with garlic. A bean for me, a bean forAnnie.

The weed is pushing through the rich earth. I real-ize it. Next day’s lunch is roasted eggplant. Pick thembefore they are three inches long, before the bitternessbegins to creep in. Slice them lengthwise, anoint themwith olive oil and roast. Any fool can make this won-derful dish. The secret is in the tiny fruits. I eat themall. Annie is disappointed, but I can’t let a problem getout of control.

I didn’t eat right before going to class. Class thoughwas wonderful. All my classes are wonderful. Thisgroup is extraordinarily wonderful. After class, I downa gallon of celabratory Guinness. Back home, I’mhungry. I’m also slightly mellow. I share a quick snackwith Annie, because she asked. I’ve now taught herthat persistence pays dividends. This lesson, dogslearn much quicker than, say, hitting the contact zoneoff the A- Frame. This lesson, they never forget. I nowhave a dog who will beg at my table from this timeforward, ‘til death do us part.

Were it just Annie and myself hanging out at hometogether, I could live with her begging. But occasion-ally, there is the sloe-eyed, nubile wench I’ve connedinto coming over for a home cooked, candlelit dinner.A begging dog drooling into her plate doesn’t domuch to put her into a romantic mood. So, having cre-ated the problem, I now have to fix it. Stopping Annie

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from begging is out of the question. I’ve taught herthat begging for as long as it takes pays off. What Ihave to do is teach her a different and easier way tobeg.

Lying quietly in the corner while I’m eating is in-compatible with drooling in my plate. Begging whilelying in the corner is easier than bouncing up anddown at the table. Being fed Nancy’s cauliflower cumtomato is more pleasurable than anything else man orbeast will ever experience. I have Nancy cook a largepot of it.

I fill my plate. I put it on the table. I pour a glass ofPinot Grigio. Annie is bouncing. Annie is drooling. Ispear a curd with my fork. I walk Annie to the corner.I ask her to lie down I give her the curd. I ask her tostay. I sit at the table, spear another curd and toss it toher. I repeat stay. I eat some of the Miss Nancy’s cook-ing myself. I swirl the glass, stick my nose in to enjoythe wine’s volatile bouquet and pitch Annie anothercurd. I don’t have to repeat, “stay.” Annie is a bordercollie. She learns quick. I sip the wine. I eat the cau-liflower. I pitch Annie the occasional curd. A meal en-

joyed, as all meals should be. A lesson completed.

Next meal is a repeat. But the meal after is just atad different. Annie gets her first curd as I finish mylast. Wait a bit is the message. Patience. The momentwill arrive. I don’t feed her the next time I eat. Themeal after, though, Annie gets a curd tossed to her asI sit down. And she learns to persist. And persist shewill as long as there is the occasional pay off. And wedid it without me having to hammer on my friend.

As long as you remember the three things that youmust know to be as smart as a dog, as long as you in-sure that the moment does come, you can use theteaching of performing incompatible behaviors as analternative to frustration.

Try it. It’s about as nice as eating Miss Nancy’scooking.

Dick Russell writes a regular column for the Safe-Hands Journal. He operates the modestly namedDog Obedience With Dick Russell in GreenwellSprings, LA. Dick’s wide ranging interests includegrowing organic food. iacp

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Digestion - ade-quate or not?

A study at a Vet-erinary School inSweden to deter-mine how long ittakes to put a dogsafely under anes-thesia after he haseaten, revealed the

following:Dogs fed dry kibble took 15-16 hours for the food to

pass through their stomachs.Dogs fed semi moist food or canned food, took only 8-

9 hours for the food to clear the stomach.Dogs fed a natural diet of raw foods only took 4 1/2

hours for the food to clear the stomach.An enlightening study, since it proves the statement ear-

lier, that our dogs are wolves inside their bodies. Wolvesnever had the luxury of making fires and cooking theirmeat. They had to eat on the run and quickly, often com-peting with pack mates for the tasty morsels. While theyate the meat, their first “pickings” of a carcass were the in-testines, the organs and then the meat, and lastly the bones.They had to be able to break down food quickly, and uti-lize the energy it gave them, since they often would coverover 50 miles of territory a day. Looking at this and re-reading the time for digestion above, it is not surprising,that kibbled dog food fed alone, while being a conven-ience, is not necessarily the best way to feed a dog.

If you choose this convenience, then you have to addback those ingredients lost by cooking, plus provide somefresh raw food, for the stomach to work correctly.

The importance of EnzymesEnzymes are what make a body work well. The body

makes some on its own, but many come from what yourdog eats. Enzymes are only contained in live food - notfood that has been cooked. The reason why dry kibbledfood or canned food stays in the stomach so long is thatthere are not enough enzymes in the stomach to break thefood down. The stomach sends a message to the brain beg-ging for help! The brain responds by sending messages tovital organs and glands in the body to send some of theirenzymes into the stomach, so the cooked food can beprocessed. This process is called “enzyme robbing” and ithappens when only cooked food is fed to your puppy. The

enzymes take a long time to travel through the bloodstream into the stomach, hence the long digestion time. Araw food diet provides the enzymes necessary for its owndigestion, and travels through the stomach into the smallintestine all ready to provide energy to the puppy. Contin-uously robbing enzymes from vital glands and organs isdebilitating to the system, and the dog prematurely ages,thus reducing life span.

Life Span A dog’s normal life span is anywhere from 16-20 years

of age, depending upon the breed. Few dogs today livethat long, notwithstanding vaccinations and all the otheradvances in veterinary medicine. I firmly believe a con-tributing factor to shorter life spans is poor nutrition.

Diet ChoicesBelow I list four options for you to think about when

feeding your puppy. If you wish to use a good grade com-mercial food, I list my recommendations below. All of

Everything Starts With NutritionPart II

by Wendy Volhard

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these diets have been long term clinically tested by me, andwill work for you and your puppy. You’ll find the rightone that fits your level of comfort and you will know thatyour puppy’s health and longevity are protected.

Feeding Option 1Feed the following twice a day. Quantities listed are

for a 50lb dog, and amounts need to be adjusted to theweight of your dog.

1 ½ cups of Performance Food2 teaspoons “Endurance”½ cup of waterMix and serve.“Endurance is a dehydrated complete food supplement

made from natural, raw ingredients, which is added to eachmeal. It replaces all the nutrients that are lost in the cook-ing process. After one month of using Endurance, cut theamount in half. When the dog is exposed to stress – any-thing from training, showing, going on vacation, havingvaccines or being left in a kennel, double the amount again.Make sure to reduce the amount when your dog gets home.

Feeding Option 2Feed the following twice a day. Quantities listed are

for a 50lb dog, and amounts need to be adjusted to theweight of your dog.

1 1/2 cups Performance food1/4 tsp. Vitamin C1 vitamin B-complex tablet1/8th tsp. Vitamin/mineral mix1/4 cup of beef (hamburger, 80/20% meat/fat ratio) or,2/3 meat and 1/3rd liver for a total of 1/4 cup. You can

also use chicken and chicken liver instead of beef.2 Tbsp. Fresh vegetables2Tbsp. Fresh or dried fruit

To the morning meal, every other day, add a 5-minuteboiled egg, complete with shell.

Once a week substitute cottage cheese or fish for themeat.

Once a week use Yogurt with live cultures instead ofmeat.

If you notice undigested vegetables in your dog’s stool,par boil them before using. This will help your dog breakthem down and utilize them more easily.

This option adds raw and natural foods back into yourdog’s diet and aids in the digestion of cooked, kibbledfoods.

TreatsTry carrot sticks, dried liver, broccoli , parsnips, lettuce,

bananas, prunes, cucumbers or any fruit or vegetable inseason. Stay away from the commercial treats, like highlycolored biscuits, or raw-hide chew toys.

Treats put inside one of the many varieties of Kong toys,can keep your puppy happy for a long time, which is help-ful when he is left alone.

Feeding Option 3If you want to feed a totally natural diet, but don’t have

the time to make your own, there is now an alternative. TheNatural Diet Foundation is a food that is dehydrated ratherthat heat processed. Also, it is a food that uses the princi-ples of food-combining. The pup is fed a cereal meal in themorning, to which you add water to reconstitute it, someyogurt and a small amount of vegetables. In the evening,you add some fresh raw meat or chicken.

Food combining is a concept that allows the dog to breakdown it’s food more efficiently, since different types offoods are separated. Less enzymes are needed to breakdown two food groups than three food groups. The strainon the digestive system is less, making it healthier andmore efficient. Available from the company listed below,

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the directions come with the package. This food takes lit-tle preparation and provides the puppy/dog with a strongimmune system.

Feeding Option 4 Making your own dog food from scratch. For the ma-

jority of pet owners, making their own dog food is an un-realistic option. Still, you would be surprised how manypeople do it. For details, see the book listed below.

How many times a day do I feed my puppy?Until a puppy gets his second teeth - anywhere from 4-

6 months, depending upon the breed - he should be fed fourtimes a day and double the amount he would eat as anadult. 8 a.m.,12 noon, 4p.m. and 8p.m. are the usual times,but you can change those to reflect your own schedule.After the second teeth are in, most pups will not be hungryat lunch-time and that meal can be dropped. Around 7months or so, the pup’s food can be made into two meals- one in the morning, and one in the evening. This is thebest way to feed a dog. Feeding once a day is not recom-mended, as the amount of food is too much for the diges-tive system to handle all at once and utilization is lessefficient.

ConclusionGood luck with your new puppy - it’s up to you now

what to do. Remember he is a tiny baby and reliant uponyour good decisions. This bundle of joy can be with you foranother 15 years or so - everything you do correctly now,is like buying insurance. It will pay off!

I recommend the following products:Endurance, Dry dog food, Vitamin C, Vitamin B-com-

plex, plus Vit/Min mix, called Recover for puppies, andWellness for Adults.

The home made diet is called NDF (Natural Diet Foun-dation).

PHD Products 1 800 743-1502 www.phdprod-ucts.com

For more information, see “The Holistic Guide For AHealthy Dog” (2nd Ed.) Volhard/Brown DVM (HowellBook House, 2000).

Wendy Volhard will speak on nutrition and behaviorat the 2007 IACP Conference. She became interested incanine nutrition in 1973, when her Landseer Newfound-land “Heidi”, at the age of six, was diagnosed with de-generative kidney disease and was given six months tolive. With the help of “The Complete Herbal Book ForThe Dog” by Juliette de Bairacli Levy, Wendy beganmaking her own dog food. Heidi thrived on her new dietand lived to be 12. Since then, Wendy has become one ofthe leading authorities on canine nutrition. She is con-sulted by dog owners the world over, breeders and veteri-narians, and conducts nutrition seminars. She haslectured and written extensively about the connection be-tween nutrition and behavior, health, performance andlongevity. Wendy and her husband Jack Volhard were in-ducted into the IACP Hall of Fame in 2006. iacp

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CPAC: Legislative help for dog prosWe’ve all known it was coming for years. Dog trainers and

dog groomers have long suspected that eventually the govern-ment would try to license their professions. Most aren’t evenopposed to the concept of licensing, it’s the fear that whengovernment gets involved in most anything, things get out ofhand. What would licensing legislation look like and whatwould we do to make sure it doesn’t put us out of business inthe process?

Well…. the time has come. Two years ago New Jersey in-troduced a bill to license dog trainers. Last year California,Pennsylvania, and this year New York introduced bills to li-cense dog groomers. These bills would have put many com-pletely out of business and would have had a serious negativeimpact on most others. Luckily, so far none of them have beenpassed. But we can’t count on luck alone to protect our busi-nesses and professions. It’s fully expected that at least thePennsylvania and New York groomer licensing bills will beback for the 2007 state legislative sessions. In all likelihood,there will be even more in 2007.

Other professions, like veterinarians, doctors, etc., have or-ganizations that represent their interests when government in-troduces legislation that could interfere with their ability toconduct business, remain profitable, and compete in the mar-ketplace. While there are a number of excellent professionalorganizations for both dog groomers and dog trainers, therehas never been one with the focus, expertise, and determina-tion to represent the dog training and dog grooming profes-sions effectively and efficiently at the various levels ofgovernment. Until now!

The Canine Political Action Corps, Inc., (CPAC), is a501(c)6 nonprofit organization that has been formed for ex-actly that purpose. CPAC has a very narrow and very specificpurpose. The sole mission is to monitor government activityrelating to the professions of dog training and dog grooming inorder to influence any legislation as early in the process as pos-sible, defeat harmful legislation, and encourage legislationbeneficial to the professions.

State and local governments are expected to be busy with li-censing and other legislation directly affecting trainers andgroomers for many years to come. It’s time we do somethingabout it. What can you do? Join the Pac…. CPAC! Member-ships start at only $50. Sponsorships start at only $250. Youcan get more information at www.CaninePAC.org, or call tollfree at 866-465-CPAC.

We’re very proud to say that IACP stepped up to the plate asCPAC’s first Platinum Sponsor. We appreciate IACP’s fore-sight and dedication to the canine professions it represents.

iacp

The IACP BSL Position StatementThe International Association of Canine Professionals strongly

opposes legislation which discriminates against dogs and theirowners by labeling certain dogs as “dangerous” or “vicious” basedon breed or phenotype. Breed-specific legislation does not protectcommunities nor create a more responsible dog owner. Instead itnegatively affects many law abiding dog owners and dogs withinthe targeted breeds.

Breed or breed type is only one factor which determines an in-dividual dog’s temperament. Many other factors also influence be-havior. In the case of aggressive acts by dogs, factors may include,but are not limited to: genetic predisposition; irresponsible han-dling; lack of animal management; general care; proper socializa-tion and training; poor housing conditions; physical ailment, andlack of education and supervision.

A common and serious error in the ‘assumption of risk bybreed’ is the inability to identify individual dogs by breed, accord-ing to an established breed standard or breed type. Purebred dogswhich are registered with national clubs may or may not fit theideal standard for their breed. As dogs are further distanced fromthe “ideal” standard by phenotype, especially in mixed breeds, itmay become all but impossible for accurate identification.

The vast majority of dogs typically affected by breed-specificlegislation are not “dangerous” by any standard. Their physicalappearance alone cannot be used as an indicator of an aggressivenature. Breed-specific legislation creates an undue burden on re-sponsible owners of targeted breeds - dogs which are most oftennot dangerous to their communities.

Enforcing breed-specific laws is extremely difficult. It requiresfunding which would otherwise be available for the enforcementof more effective laws which target truly dangerous dogs on an in-dividual basis. It is also costly to the court system.

Limiting the risk of dog bites should be the legal responsibilityof the dog owner. The IACP believes in the importance of educat-ing owners in the proper selection, care, socialization and trainingof dogs. We also recognize the importance of teaching the generalpublic, and especially children, in bite prevention skills and tech-niques.

The IACP supports the creation and enforcement of laws whichprotect responsible dog owners while at the same time promotethe safety of all. We support laws which penalize irresponsibledog owners on an individual basis. Current animal control lawsshould be enforced. In many communities, laws allow officials toconfiscate the individual dog who has proven dangerous. This,along with the education we advocate, will help the public not tosimply feel safer, but actually to be safer. A very small minorityof dogs pose any signficant threat to humans. Dog ownership, onthe whole, improves quality of life for countless families. iacp

CPAC...Legislative Help &

IACP Announces BSL Position

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Recently, a new wave of dominance basedtraining ideas has sprung up. Perhaps it is not somuch a new wave as it is resurgence. I hear itfrom other trainers and also from clients. “Domi-nance is the root of most problems in the relation-ship.” As a professional dog trainer I hear moreand more people expressing the need to be moredominant in their relationships with their dog.These sentiments are often followed by a list ofthe dominance exercises they have been doing, orhave been told to do, things like always eating be-fore the dog, or always going through doors first,or rolling the dog over. These conversations arealways difficult for me. They are difficult be-cause what my client is coming to me with isoften a homogenous mixture of truth, half-truth,and all natural bovine processed fertilizer. It ismy job to separate the three parts and create forthem a coherent picture of their dog, of their rela-tionship with the dog, and realistic ways to dealwith whatever problems exist in the relationship.

The very first thing I do is I change the lan-guage. I do not talk about “dominance”. Thevery word tends to create an adversarial mindset.It fills the head with images of conflict, often vio-lent conflict, and a contest of wills. Once the im-ages of control for control’s sake enter the picture,they skew the training regimen. So I guide myclients towards language that more accurately re-flects the dog’s needs, I talk about leadership. Iremind them that good leaders are not bullies.Good leaders are confident and straightforward,but they are not rude and are rarely pushy, theydon’t have to be. Good leaders understand thatrespect must be earned; it cannot be “taken” nordemanded. I often tell students “Give me a bigenough stick and a cold enough heart and I canmake any creature fear me, but I cannot force anycreature to like, trust, or respect me. The best Ican do is to create a climate that is conducive tothose things. I can behave in a trustworthy, lik-able and respectable way.” I can force a dog tofollow me physically, but I can’t force a dog to in-vest himself into a relationship with me. I cannot

force pack drive. I can physically dominate anydog through force and cunning, but that will makeme a bully, not a leader. The way dominance the-ory is commonly presented creates problems. Toomany people believe they must “take” what canonly be received if given freely. They are tryingto bully their dogs into respecting them and thatwill render mediocre training at best. So I changethe language to more clearly describe the problemand the solution.

The next problem that has to be tackled is thatof so-called dominance or alphabetizing exercises.These are those little exercises that make up somuch of the printed material on dog training; thelittle things that are supposed to teach the dog thatyou are the boss. They are, again equal parts truth,half-truth and compost.

There was a recent discussion on the safehandsemail list about dominance exercises. The ques-tion was (I believe) “What three dominance exer-cises are your favorites?” or something alongthose lines. I started to write a response, but itwould’ve either been too wordy or too abrupt so Idecided to shelve it for the time. My initial an-swer was “Being a leader is my only alphabetizingexercise… period”. But that answer really shouldhave a little more substance.

Years ago I had a client with a cute little Ori-peiwho had decided she was the boss and was ab-solutely unwilling to relinquish control to hercapricious, wishy-washy, timid owner. As I ex-plained to the client that her puppy had seriousdominance issues, she looked at me with growingincredulity. Finally, overwhelmed by exaspera-tion, she interrupted me “But she lets me take herfood away! So she knows I’m boss right!” Thelast part of the statement was spoken with a gut-wrenching sort of desperation that revealed howmuch she had invested in achieving this feat andhow much of her hope was founded on it.

To be honest this question stopped me dead inmy tracks, obviously she wasn’t right, but thiswas the sort of thing I had been preaching. I had

Bully No Moreby Chad Mackin

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carved out a pretty good living for myself, not tomention a sterling reputation, teaching people toexpress their dominance by doing alphabetizingexercises. Controlling food, taking food, not al-lowing the dog to growl when food is present andthose sorts of things were all things I would sug-gest. And this was the first time that the insanityof that approach showed itself. I struggled for afew moments for a way to reconcile what I hadbeen telling people, with the report I was gettingfrom this person and I failed miserably. I couldonly conclude one of two things. Either thewoman was lying about her dog letting her takethe food, or I was wrong about many things. Isettled upon the latter, there was some piece of thepuzzle that was missing. I went looking for itand found it very quickly. In fact it was glaringlyobvious. The woman was trying to establish adominant role in the relationship via one exercisedone twice daily. That is worse than insane, it isidiotic and there is no excuse for grown-ups to be-lieve such nonsense. The dog walked all over herall day long, and she believed, and was encour-aged to believe by so-called experts, that if shecould only get the dog to put up with her shenani-gans at meal times, she would magically becomethe leader. This was, and is, utter and complete

nonsense. There is no exercise, or series of exer-cises that are going to gain your dog’s respect.This is an unavoidable fact. That left me with an-other problem, one whose answer was not quite soobvious. The problem was that until this particu-lar dog, these alphabetizing exercises had beenproducing respectable, occasionally miraculousresults. I had to figure out what was happening.

The solution was found in the realization that Ihave taken a very narrow view of a very complexrelationship. The issue was never dominance perse, but relationship. Dominance is only one factorof that relationship, and what I had been doing,beyond these alphabetizing exercises, was ad-dressing the relationship as a whole. I hadn’tbeen aware of what I was doing, but I had devel-oped an approach to dominance control that cre-ated a system of communication, established rulesof interaction, improved the consistency of myclients and thereby improved the consistency ofthe dog. In other words, what I had looked at asshowing the dog who was boss, was far more sub-tle and complex. I was literally giving the dogpeace of mind by making his world more pre-dictable. I gave the dog the ability to know with anew degree of certainty how their behavior was

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going to affect their environment. It was nothingless than giving them the gift of self-determina-tion. The world became a less scary place. Theyno longer had to wonder what would happen ifthey did ‘X’, the consequence was predicable anddependable. Mountains of stress fell off thesedogs as they became their own creatures.

These things I did while I was fixing my gazeonly on the need to be dominant. Once I recog-nized that dominance was such a small part of theequation, I started making subtle changes to myprogram that focused more on giving the dog con-sistency than on jockeying for control, and the re-sult was better, faster, and more completesolutions to behavioral problems.

Once I get my clients thinking of themselves asleaders, I will still encourage leadership exercises,but truthfully, these are, I think, more for themthan for the dogs. These exercises get them in thehabit of behaving like leaders and help them learnwhat leadership looks and feels like. The benefitfor the dog is a by-product of this. If the ownerdoesn’t think of himself as a leader neither willthe dog.

The next misconception sprouting from domi-nance theory is the belief that most dogs arerebels waiting for their chance to overthrow thecurrent regime. This just isn’t true. Most dogsare more than happy to let the better leader lead.They don’t want to be in control, they just want toget through the day with as little conflict as possi-ble. So if there is no strong leader to keep thepeace, they will step up to do so, whether theywant to or not. Once shown that their services asleader are no longer needed, most dogs will read-ily and quickly give up their leadership position.However, if a dog has been dealing with inconsis-tent owners for a long time, he may need someconvincing that they are really taking the positionfor good. Most dogs who live with poor leadersfind from time to time their owners will try to takea strong stand on an issue, as in the previouslymentioned case of the woman who could take herdog’s food away. Consequently, when their own-ers initially try to be strong about things, it theyare understandably skeptical about the sincerity ofthe attempt. These dogs will not abdicate rightaway they will test a bit. But this isn’t becausethey want to hold onto the position; it is simplythat they don’t trust their owners to stick to theirguns on the leadership thing.

However, a good many professionals and ama-

teurs alike mistake this to be stubbornness, or re-sistance to authority. No doubt there are a fewdogs who want to be leader and are willing tofight long and hard for the privilege but they arefew and far between. By and large if a dog seesyou as a competent and ready leader he willgladly let you lead.

This mistaken ideas that dogs want to be theleader has a tendency to turn every unobeyedcommand into an act of sedition. It creates a bor-derline paranoiac atmosphere in which the ownersare always looking for signs that the big coup isimminent. This puts an obvious strain on the rela-tionship and inhibits the development of a truepartnership. Ironically, the mistaken belief thatthe dog is trying to usurp the leader, damages therelationship and can actually erode the dog’s trustin the leader creating the tension the owner wasseeking to avoid.

The final, and perhaps most difficult miscon-ception about dominance in dogs is the refusal ofotherwise reasonable people to allow their dog toset boundaries and express concern. I want say atthe outset, lest I be misunderstood “I do not be-lieve it to be acceptable for a dog to snap, growl,show teeth, or in any other way menace a humanbeing.” (This obviously excludes legitimate pro-tection scenarios). However, the above behaviorsare normal modes of canine communication.They exist in all dog relationships and will existunless they are removed from their vocabularythrough training. Moreover, they are not violentbehaviors, they are not intended to harm or injure,rather they are means of communication.

I regularly run large field socialization classeswherein dogs of all sizes and ages are let loose torun amongst themselves with almost no human in-terference. If anyone wants to learn how wrongthe accepted models of dog dominance are, theyneed only watch a few of these classes with anopen and critical mind. Submissive dogs snap atdominant dogs all the time, and the dominantdogs do not seem to take this as a threat to theirleadership, nor do they take it as behavior thatneeds to be corrected. What they do, is respectthe boundaries set by the submissive dog andchange their behavior. They either leave, or theyrefine their approach. It is not submission. It isrespect. Of course there are exceptions, bullies doexist in the dog world (usually this is the result oftheir own poor social skills and they tend to getbetter with regular socialization) but they are adefinite minority, and as such they are the worst

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type of dog for us to emulate. Watching socializa-tion, it is easy to see how much stress those bul-lies cause in the other dogs, they are avoidedwhenever possible and tolerated when necessary,but no dogs ever seek the bully out as a compan-ion. It just doesn’t happen. And yet, so manypeople who misunderstand the nature of domi-nance try to behave like these canine thugs, im-posing their will with absolutely no concern forthe dog’s comfort or concerns. They are modelingtheir behavior after the least effective canine ne-gotiators.

Watching a real leader of dogs work will reveala very different picture than the one presented inmost dominance based training methodologies. Atrue leader is not violent or physically forceful un-less all else has failed and the matter is worthfighting over. If a lesser dog is ready to defend alow-grade resource with violence, a true leaderwill typically let him have his way. Some thingsare not worth fighting over, and besides, a goodleader knows when to reward his crew.

It is no so much that dominance theory iswrong, it is just that too many of us give it toomuch priority. We think about it a whole lot morethan the dogs do. In the process, we who seek to

be “balanced trainers”, often bring the trainingpicture completely off balance, by placing moreemphasis on dominance, than on other more cen-tral relationship issues, such as trust and clearcommunication. Too often we seek not to lead,but to compel. No doubt this often produces re-sults. However, the larger picture suffers. Atrained dog cannot be described merely by whatactions the dog will or will not perform. Obedi-ence is about the dog’s approach to relationship,the dog’s willingness to work for and with us.Good training engages the dog on a level the com-pulsion and bribery cannot touch. It begins withus approaching the dog with respect for his dog-ness, and inviting him into a bigger world, aworld with more meaning or perhaps more impor-tantly, more meaningful interaction.

It is not really more work to do it this way, butpsychologically it requires a shift in focus fromthe narrow confines of dominance and into thebroader world of relationship. But it is worth thejourney, not only for us, but for the dogs as well.I have never looked back.

Chad Mackin is an IACP Director and headtrainer at A+ Dog Obedience in Webster, TX. iacp