Helping dogs overcome their fear of car rides can be simple but it takes patience, time

From the time Gretchen was a tiny pup, she has spent time traveling in the car frequently. My desire to take road trips with her was a driving force behind that, so making even the shortest car rides a pleasurable experience was something that I worked at making happen.

In the 15 years since I brought her home, we've taken many trips — and there have been car rides to other people's homes, the park, the pet store and more frequently these days, trips to a local facility for laser therapy to address her advanced arthritis, which she enjoys (more on that later).

Through it all, Gretchen has enjoyed her car rides because almost always, good things happen (sometimes these days that means the two of us splitting a small order of fries from the drive-thru after laser therapy).

That said, a lot of people have dogs that they have welcomed into their family that are not so fond of a vehicular outing, and it's understandable: cars can be noisy, over-stimulating and disorienting — plus, there's the scary unknown. Bad experiences can result in lots of nervous panting, drooling or even vomiting on the part of our pet friends.

If you're in that camp, rest assured that you can help your reluctant pooch make friends with the thing on four wheels.

First, consider that your furry pal might have an aversion to car rides because of motion sickness or even anxiety, so a visit with the vet is in order to see if medication can help.

If not, the anxiety that they are feeling is likely because they are simply afraid.

Here's how to help mitigate any reservations that your dog might have:

• Demonstrate that the car is something positive. Start by approaching your vehicle while it's parked and the engine is off. Playing their favorite game near it and around it will create a positive association, as will offering high value treats.
• Give them autonomy. Open the doors of the car before you climb in calmly, but cheerfully. Invite them to join you in the same manner, all the while offering high value treats and praise. Consider feeding a favored food once they venture inside. Keeping the doors open allows your pet the freedom to make choices will help increase his confidence. It will also give you a barometer to measure how they're feeling about things,
• A Kong toy filled with food to enjoy while in the car might further enhance positive associations. If your pooch decides to exit the vehicle, kindly retrieve the toy from them and put it in the car in plain view. This will demonstrate that the vehicle is the place where fun things happen.
• Transferring a positive association can be helpful. If your dog has a good relationship with their crate, you might consider putting one that they're familiar with in the car. Be sure to keep the door to the crate open, as this will offer the autonomy to get in and out as they wish.
• When you observe that your pet has made friends with the new environment, it's time to take the next step: being inside the car with the engine running. How you do this is crucial. With you and your four-legged friend happily settled in somewhere in the backseat area of the vehicle, (and making sure that the radio is off), have a person that your pet trusts get in and calmly start the car. Sit with them while rewarding with yummy treats, or play with a valued toy and praise. You won't be driving anywhere, just allowing them to get used to the sound and feeling of the running engine. Remember, it's all about positive associations.
• Once your dog gets the hang of how that feels, you can begin taking short drives, (preferably where there isn't too much stimulation, like lots of traffic or people or animals), and then gradually increasing the distance and intensity of visual and auditory stimulation. (Some dogs do really well with the help of calm, relaxing music playing on the stereo during their car rides.)
• Ensuring that these first outings always end on a positive note is key, so something like a walk in a favorite park or some interactive playtime back at home would in order.
• After implementing these fun and easy tips, it isn't too long before the time comes when most dogs get really comfortable with the family vehicle and then of course you'll need to spell out C-A-R R-I-D-E.

Lorrie Shaw is a freelance writer -- most recently as a regular contributor for The Ann Arbor News -- and owner of Professional Pet Sitting. Shoot her an email, contact her at 734-904-7279 or follow her adventures on Twitter.

Scientists discover that reptiles may have more sophisticated cognitive ability that facilitates learning new skills

The way that animals interact with the world around them has long fascinated us, and most often we as pet owners are focused on behavior and ability to learn when it comes to our dogs and cats — as well as a fair share of those who have horses and birds.

What may not be on our radar is that other species that are kept as pets — reptiles, like the bearded dragon, specifically — may also use a type of learning to gain new skills that only other animals were known employ: social learning.

In the past, it was thought that only certain species of animals (as an example, primates and canines) were capable of using social learning.

Researchers discovered that reptiles, bearded dragons, as they witnessed in a new study, likely use social learning through imitation as well — something that has not been noticed before.

The study, called Social learning by imitation in a reptile (Pogona vitticeps), was recently published in the journal Animal Cognition and used 12 bearded dragons that had never been used in experiments in cognition.

Researchers from the United Kingdom, Eötvös University in Hungary, Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna were behind the study.

Because it's known that reptiles and mammals evolved from a common ancestor, sorting out the two group's similarities and differences in behavior is of interest to help flesh out the overall evolution of cognition.

Lead researcher from The School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, UK, Anna Wilkinson expanded a bit on the topic.

"The ability to learn through imitation is thought to be the pinnacle of social learning and long considered a distinctive characteristic of humans. However, nothing is known about these abilities in reptiles. This research suggests that the bearded dragon is capable of social learning that cannot be explained by simple mechanisms — such as an individual being drawn to a certain location because they observed another in that location or through observational learning. The finding is not compatible with the claim that only humans, and to a lesser extent great apes, are able to imitate."

It's important to clarify that in discussing cognition, imitation (in other words, mimicking what is seen, as well as comprehending the intention behind the action), differs from emulation, or simply parroting behavior without understanding that there might be a desired outcome that will result.

To do the study, researchers used one lizard that was trained to demonstrate the act of opening a wire door which concealed a hole that was cut in a wooden board. The door could be slid to left or right by using their head or the foot. After opening the door, the lizard was given a food reward.

The other lizards were divided into two groups: experimental and control.
The experimental subjects watched the lizard used to demonstrate the activity (using their head to open the door), and each of them went on to imitate it successfully.
Subjects in the control group did not imitate it, nor did they observe the demonstrator lizard manipulate the door.

"This, together with differences in behavior between experimental and control groups, suggests that learning by imitation is likely to be based on ancient mechanisms. These results reveal the first evidence of imitation in a reptile species and suggest that reptiles can use social information to learn through imitation."

Click here for more on the study.

Archerfish are also known to use social learning to gain skills in going after food, according to a recent article on Nautilus.com.


You can watch one of the experimental lizards in the study imitate the behavior.

Lorrie Shaw is a freelance writer -- most recently as a regular contributor for The Ann Arbor News -- and owner of Professional Pet Sitting. Shoot her an email, contact her at 734-904-7279 or follow her adventures on Twitter.

Recent study reveals surprising details about ingredients in pet food

What's in the food that our families eat is undoubtedly something that more of us are conscious of these days, and it's not limited to the bipeds in the tribe: what goes into the mouths of our furry and feathered friends is of concern, too.

There are more choices on the market when it comes to pet food and I know all too well that there is much contention (and plenty of people willing to offer their unsolicited opinions!) about which type of food is best. Walk into any pet store and you can really see the proverbial fur fly; when I'm browsing the aisles, I usually hear at least one patron or employee soliciting unfounded, cringeworthy advice about why one brand or type is better than the other.

Despite the number of recalls of all kinds that are posted on the Food and Drug Administration's website in a given month, the acerbic banter about how evil the most well-known pet food companies are is fed like a coal furnace with the help of the pet food recalls that are issued, though most commonly they are voluntary and done as a precaution by the company.

A recent study could give people more to consider when it comes to ruminating about the food that they are giving their pets: there's a possibility that the ingredients in the pet food could be mislabeled.

“Although regulations exist for pet foods, increases in international trade and globalization of the food supply have amplified the potential for food fraud to occur,” said Rosalee Hellberg, Ph.D., who co-authored the study, titled Identification of Meat Species in Pet Foods Using a Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Assay.

"With the recent discovery of horsemeat in ground meat products sold for human consumption in several European countries, finding horsemeat in U.S. consumer food and pet food products is a concern, which is one of the reasons we wanted to do this study.”

Interestingly, 40% of the foods that were tested were mislabeled (20 out of 52). Here are some more highlights from the study:

• 13 were dog food and 7 were cat food
• 16 of the total tested were found to contain meat species that weren't on the product label
• pork was the most common undeclared meat species

DNA was extracted from the 52 products was tested to see which of eight meat species — beef, goat, lamb, chicken, goose, turkey, pork or horse — were present.

The results concluded that chicken was the most common meat species found in the pet food products, followed by pork, beef, turkey and lamb. Goose was at the bottom of the list.

Horse meat was not detected in any of the tested samples.

More studies are needed to determine just how far the incidence of mislabeling goes, as well as seeing where it occurs during production.

Pet foods are regulated at the federal and state level. The Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine regulates animal feed and pet foods. While the United States Department of Agriculture regulates the interstate transportation and processing of animal products, as well as the inspection of animal product imports and exports. At the state level, Departments of Agriculture also conducts testing — in fact this is where problems have been detected in some recent pet food recalls.

Though the brands tested were not disclosed, mislabeling does raise an obvious cause for concern: many pets are on limited ingredient formulas because of allergies.

“Pet food safety was another area of concern, particularly with pet foods that are specifically formulated to address food allergies in both cats and dogs,” noted Dr. Hellberg.

Click here for more on the study, which was co-authored by Tara A. Okuma, was recently published in the journal Food Control.


Lorrie Shaw is a freelance writer and owner of Professional Pet Sitting. Shoot her an email, contact her at 734-904-7279 or follow her adventures on Twitter.

Having the courage to face reality is key when helping any pet in their twilight or during a grave illness

"I am seeing that my dog doesn't do as well when we travel and aren't able to take them with us, and wanted to ask about how you might be able to help..."

This is something that I often hear from those that share life with aging dogs, and for good reason: they know their pet better than anyone.

Pets experience all kinds of changes throughout their lifetime, and we spend so much of our time with them that it seems easy to pick up on when they might be having trouble — or is it?

The answer to that depends on a lot of things: our previous experience, the pet, the species — even our willingness to do so.

With regard to the latter statement, I'm not suggesting that we're stubbornly refusing to do what is reasonably mindful for our furry friends. Rather, perhaps it's subconscious. It can be difficult to wrap our heads around the fact that a pet is changing in little ways, or more profoundly.

In some respect, we've probably all done it, or will: we don't want to face the prospect that they might be in pain or that cognitively they are slipping a bit or we know that we need to stop procrastinating on having a conversation with the vet even though we instinctively know that there is a dire health issue unfolding. Perhaps we feel like there isn't good communication between ourselves and the clinician and we don't know how to navigate through that. Family dynamics often muddle things when it comes to addressing pivotal or even minor changes with our pets. It can even be easy to let ourselves off the hook by writing things off as a normal part of aging, when we know that there's more to our pet's story.

What does facing the changes that we're seeing mean for us? That's certainly a fair question, because we're one part of the equation, and we're socially bonded to our companion animals.

Sometimes it means crafting a different life, a new routine; acquiring a new skill in caring for our pets; thinking not in terms of years, but months or weeks; having to summon the courage to open up a tough conversation with another family member who might be resistant to what is happening; facing the fact that a chapter in our lives will be closing.

Being honest is hard, I know that all too well. I'm incredibly bonded with all of my charges and over the years, specializing in the care of aging pets because of my day-to-day experience has become the norm. And with two aging pets at home, there's a double dose of everyday reality.

Coming to terms with our pet's changing needs spurs us to re-evaluate our definition of what "doing well" is — "the new normal", I call it. It's surprising how different that looks in short periods of time.

With the right care, our pet's lives can be comfortable, happy and full while navigating their twilight or through a grave illness. None of that happens optimally without our having the courage to speak up on their behalf.

Many have articulated that what's most surprising is once the honestly hurdle is crossed, there is a weight that is lifted — the one that is worn like an albatross around the neck. If we give ourselves the opportunity, we come to see that though these changes are moving us and our pets in a direction that we don't want to go, life can still be enjoyed, just differently.


Lorrie Shaw is a freelance writer -- most recently as a regular contributor on MLive -- and owner of Professional Pet Sitting. Shoot her an email, contact her at 734-904-7279 or follow her adventures on Twitter.

One teachable skill can avoid resource guarding in dogs, but it can be tweaked for other situations

There is one scenario that presents itself regularly in my daily adventures with dogs, and it can vary anywhere between being benign, disgusting or downright dangerous: I need to retrieve an item from the animals's possession — their mouth, more precisely — and typically in fast order.

I could be on a walk with a charge and they discover a dead animal, a prescription pill enveloped in a yummy treat could inadvertently drops on the floor as I am preparing to dole it out to another pet in the family, or I might to need to get a prized chew toy away from a furry pal before they devour it whole.

Ideally, a pet has been taught to "leave it" — one of the most valuable skills that a dog can have in their repertoire in my opinion —but quite honestly, the item that they have in their mouth might be of really high value to them, they might not be as reliable as we would like in giving it up (especially if there is another dog close by).

In any case, grabbing the item might prove to be too gross or as it is most often, unsafe.

Instead, I make a "trade" with the dog: one high-value thing for another, usually a yummy edible treat, though it could be a coveted toy that they don't get often.

It goes without saying that every dog has their favorite edibles, so taking that into consideration and having them handy before proceeding is helpful. Is it a crunchy dog biscuit? A soft, meaty treat? A nibble of dried liver? A piece of cheese? Maybe it's a chunk of apple.

This teachable skill, which can also stave off the problem of resource guarding, can be practiced giving your pooch a toy or other object that she likes to play with. With the toy in her mouth, offer up a high-value treat and as she drops the toy to take the treat, use verbal marker, like “yes!” and feed her the treat. Then give her back the toy.

If she's on the fence about complying, use something that's higher in value and try that or you might consider scattering several treats on the floor.

As with any other new skill, practice often but make it fun.

Quite honestly most of my charges are not good at this skill, but I still employ this process in a modified form to get the job done. Does it teach the dog anything? No. But that's not my aim. It's just a Plan B and one that is geared to keep everyone safe. In fact, my Lab, Bruiser, was impossible to teach "trade" to and resource guarding was one issue that could never be successfully resolved with him, but this modified tactic worked well with him.

Sometimes you have to pick your battles.

That said, with my ever-present pocket-full of high value treats, I'm always ready to handle a scenario that might avail itself and quickly so.

I stand in front of the dog, get their attention with a quick call of their name, show them the treat/treats (making sure they get a whiff of them as well) by waving them gently about while calmly but enthusiastically asking, "Would you like a treat?". At this point my furry friend will either stand still with said object in their mouth, pondering the decision. They might drop the item, at which point I feed them a couple of treats to keep their mouth busy, offering a verbal "good job!" as a distraction, both of which give me time to pick it up safely or allow us to move away from the dead something if we're on a walk.

If all else fails, tossing a couple of treats on the floor but away from their body can be convincing and with some dogs, a safer choice.

I often use the latter technique to distract overly-enthusiastic dogs who simply can't self-regulate when playing a game of fetch. Getting head-butted, clocked in the face accidentally or having my fingers nipped by a large breed dog is something I'd like to avoid, so getting them to drop the toy and moving away from me so that I can grab it will keep the fun going.

Though canines can be taught a multitude of skills in order to live harmoniously with their human counterparts and to keep them safe, we can at times use a process behind the skill to achieve a favorable outcome as well.

Lorrie Shaw is a freelance writer -- most recently as a regular contributor for The Ann Arbor News -- and owner of Professional Pet Sitting. Shoot her an email, contact her at 734-904-7279 or follow her adventures on Twitter.

Staying safe when tending to certain tasks that could make your dog ill-at-ease is a must

During the cold or soggy months I joke that I feel like a kindergarten teacher because I spend much of my time bent over putting on dog booties or drying off wet paws, or putting on or removing a charge's fleece jackets.

I get a few laughs from saying that, but in truth it can be a very dangerous situation for me: my face is level to a dog's body, and more easily within reach of my charge's teeth. You get the picture.

The fact is, just like you, I spend a lot of time in physical contact with the dogs in my care all year whether it's putting on a collar, harness or leash, checking them over for ticks or burrs after an adventure or tending to a minor (or goodness forbid) a more serious injury.

Though I am confident that my charges by and large are behaviorally safe around their bonded humans (including myself), there are times that my touching them might become uncomfortable for some reason — or be downright painful, and as you know, canines often try to hide their pain. If I locate an especially painful area that I'm not privy to and/or startle the dog, they can easily act out in response to the pain. This kind of thing is especially prevalent in arthritic dogs.

I don't get up-and-close to my canine friends in a casual way: believe me, there is mindfulness behind my close interaction, though it might seem quite off-the-cuff (years of doing so and relationship-building helps!).

Whether I'm interacting with a fearful or anxious dog, or one that is fine with being touched, I make a point to follow these rules:

Give fair warning: As I build a rapport with a dog, I touch them a lot, an act that builds trust: petting, rubbing their ears, scratching their rump — things that most dogs find positive. As I get to know them, it's then that I incorporate the word "touch" immediately prior to my performing tasks that they not find as favorable, like checking for ticks or burrs, putting on booties or if I am having a look at things around their head or face. The dogs in my care seem to catch onto this quickly and appreciate it.

Keep their mouth busy: Yes, I use a lot of treats in my work and for good reason — they work! In this case, I have them munch on some dog treats as I set about tending to whatever it is that they might not find favorable. If they are happily munching away on a yummy treat, they are less likely to be paying attention as closely to me, they'll associate what I'm doing as something positive and honestly, it's harder to snap or bite if your mouth is full.

Position strategically: Whenever possible, it's ideal to approach a dog from the side, and facing the same direction as they are, as opposed to approaching from from the front. This conveys, "We're working on doing this together, and I'm honoring your space.". (Fearful or anxious canines benefit from this greatly.)

Pay attention to body language: dogs use non-verbal language and they speak clearly when they are uncomfortable. If I see that a dog is not okay with what I'm doing, I stop and give them space. Click here to get a better understanding of how dogs tell us when they are having difficulty in social situations and otherwise.


With a fluid action, If I'm attaching a harness around a dog, as an example, I will have a couple of treats in one hand, the harness in the other, and as I approach I'll say, "Okay, here we go! Touch..." (as I pop a treat into their mouth with my right hand as I slip the harness around their facial area, then another treat as I fasten the harness and clip the leash.)

Staying safe when interacting with my charges, large or small is paramount. By incorporating these tips, you can do the same while trust-building all the while.


Lorrie Shaw is a freelance writer -- most recently as a regular contributor for The Ann Arbor News -- and owner of Professional Pet Sitting. Shoot her an email, contact her at 734-904-7279 or follow her adventures on Twitter.

When giving pets oral medication, using their natural tendencies to persuade them is essential

One of the most common tasks that I need to ensure gets done when caring for my charges is giving any medication. Though a few meds are dispensed as a suspension, as a transdermal gel or even by injection (something that I had to begin recently with both of my pets), pills or capsules are the most common mode of delivery.

This doesn't make most animals feel especially cooperative, as many a pet owner can attest -- especially when it comes to the latter. Their size and shape can make things a bit more challenging.

There's a bit of an art to making the task of taking meds stress-free for dogs and cats, and as a caregiver to many four-legged charges, I've figured out a couple of tricks to facilitate this.

Dogs can be pretty easygoing when it comes to administering pills, as they are food motivated and believe me — I take full advantage of that. For most dogs, pill pockets work well, though some dogs get wise to the tactic so mixing things up a bit and employing a stealthy technique can be helpful.

There are a variety of things that you can use as treats to act as a foil for medications as most dog treats aren't soft enough to work with.

• Cheese cubes (co-jack is ideal, because of it's soft, smushy yet firm texture)
• a gob cream cheese
• a piece of hot dog that's cut just big enough to hide the pill in
• liverwurst (or cooked chicken livers that have been mashed and formed into balls)
• a regular-sized marshmallow
• a gob of Daiya (cheddar-style wedge)
• canned dog food that's chilled and formed into a bite-sized meatball. (A bit of pâté-style canned cat food formed into a small meatball can be used as well.)

The trick to getting even the most reluctant canine to scarf down any one of these things is to make sure that they are good and hungry (give them before a meal), and have 4-5 treats in your hand, ready to offer one after another in rapid-fire succession, ensuring the highest value treats are doled out somewhere in the middle. For example, you might give a crunchy treat, a slightly higher value treat, then whatever you've hidden the medication in, then whatever is left in your hand. Most dogs are too busy thinking about getting the next treat that they don't pay attention to anything, and using this tactic seldom fails.

Cats can be a very different story, but it's important to note that there are pill pockets for our feline friends and some actually do eat the treat, pill and all so they are worth a try first.

Most cats require the use of a piller (swaddling helps calm them and keep you safe), and they can be obtained at your vet's office or at better pet stores. These gadgets make it easier and above all, they keep your fingers safe from those very sharp teeth. Though I am very experienced at pilling the most challenging feline, there are always a few out there that refuse any attempt to be coaxed into doing it or having it popped down the hatch with a piller.

Recently, I stumbled on a technique that has worked well, but I have yet to use it on every one of my feline charges that needs a pill. It's very simple and works on very much the same premise as the one that I fleshed out for dogs. It's genius!

Michelle Danna-Christian, DVM of Baltimore, MD gave the details on DVM360.com.

"I use Easy Cheese (Kraft). I make a line of cheese, then a dot, then another line. The dot contains the pill. Cats eat the cheese quickly, and because there is a second line, they continue to eat very quickly and swallow the pill without noticing they consumed it."

It doesn't seem to work if the pill is just stuck in a glob of cheese, Danna-Christian clarifies, as the cat will eat the cheese, leaving the pill behind.

"It's the line-dot-line technique that consistently works for my clients and me."


See my own cat, Silver, demonstrate how easily the aerosol cheese technique works. In the past, he's notoriously fractious when it comes to taking medication.

Lorrie Shaw is a freelance writer -- most recently as a regular contributor for The Ann Arbor News -- and owner of Professional Pet Sitting. Shoot her an email, contact her at 734-904-7279 or follow her adventures on Twitter.