Shiba Shake

Emotional Awareness and Mindful Dog Training

shibashake — Sun, 10 Oct 2021 07:10:16 +0000

When I got my first dog 15 years ago, people were heatedly arguing over the right ways to train a dog. There is reward based training, aversive based training, and a mix of the two. Today, I have lost three of my dogs and people are still heatedly arguing over the exact same issue, using the same emotionally charged stories and language.

Aversive techniques are described as abusive, dominant, cruel, harsh, by opponents, and confident, assertive, alpha, strong, by proponents. Reward techniques are described as bribery, weak, misguided, being a slave to our dogs, by opponents, and kind, compassionate, scientific, learned, enlightened, by proponents. Each set of terms evoke different sets of emotions for exactly the same techniques.

So who is right and who is abusive? What works and what does not?

Emotional Awareness and Mindful Dog Training – Shiba Inu Sephy, our first dog.

Who Is Right and Who Is Abusive?

The thing to remember is that we ALL want to do the right thing. We all want to be happy, we all want what is best for ourselves and our dogs. However, when we ignore our emotions, we often let them lead us astray. Many popular arguments on dog training use learned emotional language to make their case, but contain logical fallacies. A common fallacy is when the premise(s) fail to support the proposed conclusion. The arguments are appealing because they always start with a clearly true premise, but the trick is that the conclusion does not follow from that premise. An example is –

My training technique has been used since the beginning, therefore, it must be effective/good/right.

This argument tries to use our love of tradition and ingrained tendency to revere the past. However, just because a technique has been used in the past does not make it better, more effective, or more right, than other methods. For example, we have ridden horses since the beginning, but it does not follow that horses are a better or more effective form of transportation. We also used leeches in the beginning, but that does not mean leeches are a better or more effective method of curing sickness and infection.

This is not to say that the conclusion is false, only that the argument is invalid, i.e., does not contribute anything to the discussion other than to misdirect and obscure the valid premises and valid arguments. Nevertheless, the emotions they evoke make those arguments convincing, so we believe them and continue repeating them to others.

The thing to remember is that we ALL want to do the right thing.

Other similar emotion based arguments include –

This training technique is used by dogs or wolves on each other, therefore, it must be effective/good/right.
These training techniques have worked on all of my dogs, therefore it must be effective/good/right.
I use my training techniques on rescues and death-row dogs, therefore, it must be effective/good/right.
Dogs are individuals and will respond differently to different motivators, therefore my training technique is more effective for some dogs.
When used properly, my training technique is not abusive, therefore it is effective/good/right.

After we use a technique and have argued for it with others, we tend to stick to our convictions. Commitment to consistency is one of the key rules of influence described by Cialdini. Consistency builds trust and increases our chances of being accepted by others. These are useful for our survival, so they make us feel good. Furthermore, nobody likes being wrong because being wrong makes us feel guilt, pain, fear, and other uncomfortable emotions.

As a result, once we decide on the goodness or badness of something, our emotions make us resistant to changing our minds, even when confronted with overwhelming facts.

Siberian Husky Lara (a.k.a. JJ) is never afraid to be wrong or goofy. I miss you greatly my sweet girl.

Emotional Awareness

In truth, most discussions about dog training are really more about us and our emotions, rather than about our dog. Teaching or training a dog involves the dog and all the people around her. However, the dog is not the one reading up on training books or having online discussions, so really, the training is more about us, the primary caregivers.

Emotions are the mover of actions and they play a very significant role in our lives. Yet, we spend most of our time trying to avoid them because we perceive them to be bad, messy, and a sign of weakness. When we try to ignore or suppress our emotions, we prevent them from rising to our consciousness. By doing so, we give up our ability to override their prescribed action and become controlled by them. Emotions such as fear, pain, and anger, narrows our attention so that we lose our ability to see the big picture. I have been controlled by my frustration and anger many times, and these situations have a high cost.

Teaching or training a dog involves the dog and all the people around her.

For example, when a fellow Shiba friend introduced me to this new Mother Theory for dog training. I thought,

Here we go again, another self-proclaimed expert peddling the same baseless nonsense from 15 years ago, with statistics pulled out of his ass. Through the use of emotionally moving stories and language (like ‘mother’s love’), others will listen to him to the detriment of their dogs.

I was feeling frustrated and then angry. The Mother’s Love language combined with an emotionally repressive model of training (no talk, no touch, no emotion) brought up difficult memories of my own childhood. They also made me think about the dogs I had recently lost, especially Shania, who was my beloved and soul-mate. Our relationship was filled with talk, touch, and a lot of love, but also fear, pain, and suffering, when I lost her at the end. To avoid this pain, my very clever mind redirected me into using blame. Blame this new misguided theory, blame all the imaginary people who will believe it, blame myself for getting upset over it, do anything to redirect from the true source or true pain of the issue. At the base of this, is my own fear of suffering.

In this case, using unskillful speech and words such as misguided, baseless, and nonsense, will hardly endear me to anyone. In fact, it will likely anger many, result in retaliatory speech, cause more suffering, and do nothing to convince others’ of my position. On the contrary, it will push them farther away. Ultimately, responding with anger does nothing to help and creates a lot of suffering, not just for others but most of all for myself. It also closes my mind to new ideas and makes me emotionally brittle.

Emotional awareness – whenever I feel frustrated or angry, spending time with my dogs helps to calm me down.

Mindful Dog Training

Mindful dog training uses mindfulness techniques to insert our consciousness back into every step of the dog training process. When we are aware of our emotions, we can respond in a more healthy and helpful fashion, thereby not contributing to the suffering of self, dog, and others. Mindfulness is the practice of shifting our awareness repeatedly back to a given target object. Early mindfulness exercises focus attention on our breath, or on certain activities like walking or eating. In the beginning, our mind may be restless because we are used to avoiding our difficult emotions, worries, and thoughts. Fear or more generally aversion is a big force in my emotional landscape. As I described above, my fear of pain and suffering caused me to redirect to false objects, and to avoid fear with anger.

Mindful Dog Training – using mindfulness techniques to reinsert our consciousness back into every step of the dog training process.

I use mindfulness to focus awareness on my emotions, so that I can practice catching afflictive emotions such as fear, anger, and dissatisfaction, before they start to control me, narrow my focus, and cause me to act in unskillful ways. Once I am able to do this, I apply introspective awareness to try and identify, then process the actual root cause of my difficult emotions. In this way, I try to face my suffering, learn from them, weaken the problematic patterns, and free my mind from unnecessary pain. There are a variety of methods for emotional regulation using mindfulness, including the RAIN and RULER methods.

With mindful dog training, I try to be mindful of my emotions in everything that I do. Dogs are very sensitive to our emotions, and respond much better to a calm person than to a fearful or angry one.

We stay mindful when reading up on dog training techniques so that we catch emotional arguments and any associated logical fallacies.
We stay mindful when discussing dog training techniques so that we use skillful speech, do not force our opinions onto others, and do not create more suffering for ourselves or others. We apply skillful listening and carefully evaluate new training techniques.
We stay mindful when deciding which dog training techniques to experiment with our dog so that we make the best decision, picking the techniques that have the greatest chance of success and lowest risk.
We stay mindful when training our dog so that we remain calm and stable. Emotions are contagious so this will have a calming effect on our dog. Similarly, fear, excitement, or anger, can hype our dog up and worsen his behavior.
We stay mindful when evaluating the results of a dog training technique so that we make proper adjustments when necessary. If the results are unsatisfying, we are courageous enough to try something else.
We stay mindful when we make mistakes so that we learn as much from them as possible and apply our knowledge in future training exercises.

Dogs are very sensitive to our emotions, and respond much better to a calm person than to a fearful or angry one.

In dog training, our emotions greatly affect our dog and our dog’s emotions will also affect us. Our job is to regulate afflictive emotions so that we can balance out our dog, especially if she has had difficult past experiences or abuse that cause emotional instability. Instead of letting our emotions control us, we remain emotionally aware, consciously regulate our emotions, increase our understanding of self, and cultivate positive mental states and habits. Staying mindful and facing my emotions is not easy, but it is the best thing I ever did for myself. Facing my emotions, pain, and fears allow me to think anything, feel anything, remember anything, and attain limitless mental freedom. Facing fear opens up the way to love, happiness, wisdom, and liberation.

Facing fear opens up the way to love, happiness, wisdom, and liberation.

BARF – Sourcing, Balancing, Preparing a Raw Food Diet for My Shiba Inu

shibashake — Mon, 04 Oct 2021 05:31:36 +0000

Disclaimer: Pet nutrition is a complicated topic with many grey zones and contradicting information from experts. Even pet nutrition organizations NRC (National Research Council), AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control), and FEDIAF (European Pet Food Industry Federation) all have different guidelines, which disagree on what constitutes a complete and balanced diet. There is no consensus on what guideline is best or “right” for each individual pet. Therefore, the statement “complete and balanced” should be taken with a grain of salt.

This article describes how I source, nutritionally balance, prepare, and store raw dog food for my Shiba Inu. This is part 2 of our raw dog food series. If you have not read part 1, here is why I feed my Shiba Inu a raw dog diet.

BARF – Sourcing, Balancing, Preparing a Raw Food Diet for My Shiba Inu.

1. Raw Dog Diet – Sourcing

There are many different ways to source raw food for our furry companion. Much of it will depend on what is available where we live, because shipping options for frozen raw food is often limited. Thus to provide a variety of proteins and cuts means putting in the time to source it locally.

Proteins from the raw pet food store, Asian grocery store, and offcuts gifted from family and friends.

Option 1: Specialty Raw Pet Food Store

Raw pet food stores are a cost effective way to source raw food. Some raw pet food producers may have their own storefront to sell directly to consumers. However, most brands wholesale to pet stores that have a freezer section for raw pet food. A typical chain pet store will have a small freezer selection with limited options. Boutique pet stores will typically allocate more store space to raw pet food and offer a larger variety.

Kuma visiting the local raw pet food store. This raw food producer has a storefront to sell directly to consumers.

Raw pet food typically comes in pre-packaged portions of ground meat, and bags of offcuts such as animal organs, feet, neck, heads, etc. Some companies offer pre-made blends of meat, bone, and organs, which will help cut down meal prep time. However, it is usually unclear how much of each ingredient is blended together, so I prefer to purchase the ingredients individually.

Our haul from the raw pet food store.

Option 2: Grocery Stores

We can buy human-grade raw food at the grocery store. This generally costs much more because the products are cleaned and packaged well for display. Ethnic grocery stores often carry a larger variety of cuts, especially organ meats not commonly consumed in a Western diet. We live close to a Persian grocer, who carries many lamb and veal cuts as well as organs. Our neighborhood Chinese grocery store carries a great selection of chicken, pork, and seafood.

Option 3: Local Butcher

Butchers are an excellent source of proteins and cuts that are hard to come by. Often, butchers will sell cheap offcuts that are unsuitable for human consumption. We can establish a relationship with our local butcher and have them set aside specific offcuts for pick up on a regular basis. This is a good way to get whole prey.

Option 4: Raising Animals

If we choose to raise our own animals for food, it is important to check with local laws and regulations. The raising and slaughtering of animals is often heavily regulated due to concerns for health and safety, as well as the animals’ well-being. Animals are usually required to be inspected and butchered at a licensed facility. Failure to properly and humanely kill an animal can sometimes lead to felony cruelty charges and arrest.

Option 5: Fishing and Hunting

Finally, we can hunt or fish for whole prey depending on our local laws and regulations. Wild game is usually seasonal, and therefore not a consistently reliable option. It is always good practice to examine wild game for cysts, lesions, and other abnormalities. If we are unsure of its condition, it is best to err on the side of caution and not use it for consumption. More information on wild game can be found here.

Happy Shiba Inu Kuma is on a nutritionally balanced and varied raw dog diet.

2. Raw Dog Diet – Balancing Nutrition

Raw diets do not generally require extensive supplements or multivitamins to provide all essential nutrients. Appropriately selected whole foods can create a nutritionally complete diet for a dog without resorting to synthetic supplements. A rule of thumb for raw feeding is to offer a variety of different ingredients, including seafood, offal, red meats, and plant matter. The more varied the diet, the less likely that there are missing nutrients.

Kuma is fed without synthetic supplements because I am able to source whole foods to meet his nutritional needs. Pictured here are hemp seeds, unsweetened greek yogurt, kelp and veggie puree, green tripe, heart, smelt, mackerel, rabbit foot with fur.

Supplements may be a great option if the dog is allergic to certain ingredients, or if ingredients are not accessible. Dogs may also need supplements for specific needs (eg. medical). Note that dietary supplements on the market are not regulated to the same extent as medication and drugs, and may have questionable effectiveness. It is also easier to overdose on supplements than whole foods, so it is best to contact a veterinarian or nutritionist when in doubt about measuring supplements correctly.

Below are several key nutrients that can be low or missing in some raw food diets:

Omega 3 fatty acids (ALA, EPA and DHA) are often deficient in raw diets. This is because commercially farmed meats provide high levels of omega 6 and little omega 3. The imbalance can cause inflammation in the body. A good way to include ALA is by adding raw chia seeds or hemp seeds. EPA and DHA are found primarily in fatty fish. Commonly available fatty fish in stores are sardines, mackerel, anchovies, and salmon (more expensive). Kuma gets hemp seeds, as well as mackerel or smelt in his meals everyday. He also loves dried sardines, which I use as training treats because they are small and super stinky!

Zinc is involved in metabolism, cell replication, and wound healing. Zinc dietary needs can be met by feeding red meats such as beef, lamb, or venison. Excessive levels of zinc can impact the absorption of other dietary minerals, so be careful if using synthetic supplements. Kuma consumes beef and lamb regularly so I do not worry about his zinc levels.

Manganese is an important part of many enzymes and plays a role in the health and maintenance of bone and cartilage in joints. Manganese is often found in feathers and fur of whole prey. But if that is not an option, blue mussels and green tripe are also good sources of manganese. Kuma gets green tripe in his meals every day, and an occasional rabbit foot with fur.

Shiba Inu Kuma taking a nap after a day to fine raw dog food dining and outdoor exploration.

Iodine is inadequate from diets that do not consist of whole prey because iodine is found in the thyroid of animals. Whole fatty fish and shellfish provide some iodine but it is not sufficient to meet iodine requirements. Seaweed, such as kelp, have the highest concentration of iodine of all whole food sources. Kelp powder can also be used. Kuma gets kombu kelp blanched and puréed along with kale and spinach. The saltiness of the kelp also makes the purée more palatable.

Vitamin D is essential for dogs because they do not produce vitamin D when exposed to sunlight like us. Vitamin D is found in oily fish, eggs, and organs. Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin which means it can be highly toxic in large amounts, so be careful when using synthetic supplements for vitamin D. There were recalls of commercial pet food due to toxic levels of Vitamin D supplements that caused kidney failure and death.

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that protects cells from damage caused by free radicals. It is the most commonly supplemented vitamin in a raw food diet. This is because protein sources that provide adequate vitamin E are difficult to come by. Furthermore, vitamin E is not easily absorbed and less than half the amount in food is available to the body. Brain and heart are good sources of vitamin E.

3. Raw Dog Diet – Preparing and Storing

Some key items to have are: food scale, cutting board, knife and shears, ice cube trays, stackable Tupperware, deep freezer, masking tape, and large containers for thawing.

I prepare Kuma’s food once per week. Not included in the frozen tubs are fresh fruits and raw meaty bones.

It is essential to have a food scale, cutting board and a knife that can cut through small bones. Use a food scale to measure each portion so that we don’t end up over/under feeding. A good knife is needed for portioning meat. I found it extremely helpful to also have a pair of kitchen shears when working on items such as chicken carcasses. Having a cutting board with grooves will allow fluids to catch in the ridges so we don’t make a mess. Always practice good hygiene by washing all the equipment thoroughly after use.

Shiba Inu Kuma sunbathing by his raw dog food deep freezer.

Raw food can take up a lot of space, so having a separate deep freezer to store it is a good idea. Six weeks worth of raw food for Kuma fills up the small 3.5 cubic meter deep freezer. We also do not want to confuse Kuma’s food with our own because some of his food comes from the grocery store.If the food was freshly caught, or freshly butchered / processed, it is recommended to freeze them for 2-3 weeks before consuming. Storing meat in the freezer at -20°C (-4°F) reduces the temperature to a point that inhibits most bacterial growth. Thaw ingredients in the refrigerator for meal prep and refreeze any leftovers. Individual prepped portions should be moved from the freezer to the fridge the night before so they thaw in time for feeding the next day.

Shiba Inu Kuma cleaning up the container that was used to thaw raw ground meat.

Top: kelp and veggie purée. Bottom: yogurt and raspberry freezies, pureed pumpkin and carrot freezies.

Ice cube trays are great for freezing wet ingredients. Yogurt and canned pumpkin come in large portions that will not stay fresh for long in the fridge once opened. I also blanch vegetables and kelp, and then purée them in the blender before freezing them. Having pre-portioned frozen components will help speed up meal prep time and also reduce food waste. These also make great treats during hot weather.

Freezies are made with human-grade ingredients can be enjoyed by everyone

Stackable and freezer-safe containers are the best option for storing the prepped meals. Matching containers will stack well in the freezer and also nest inside each other in the cupboard when not in use. I use masking tape to label the containers with the primary proteins on the lid (T for turkey, L for lamb, etc.). This makes it easier to identify when doing protein rotation.

Containers in the freezer labelled with masking tape.

Visit with Shiba Inu Kuma

Adorable Shiba Inu Kuma out on another adventure with his amazing family.

BARF – Why I Feed My Shiba Inu a Raw Diet

shibashake — Wed, 29 Sep 2021 07:17:08 +0000

Disclaimer: Pet nutrition is a complicated topic with many grey zones and contradicting information from experts. Even pet nutrition organizations such as the NRC (National Research Council), AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control), and FEDIAF (European Pet Food Industry Federation) all have different guidelines, which disagree on what constitutes a complete and balanced diet. There is no consensus on what guideline is best or “right” for each individual pet. Therefore, the statement “complete and balanced” should be taken with a grain of salt.

BARF, Raw Feeding, Raw Diet

B.A.R.F. stands for Biologically Accurate Raw Food. This is a model of raw feeding that mimics what dog ancestors (wolves) eat in the wild. Wolves are primarily carnivores that eat whole prey, but have been observed to eat plant matter such as grasses and berries in small quantities. The BARF model for adult dogs consists of 70% raw meat, 10% raw meaty bone, 5% liver, 5% second secreting organ, and 10% plant matter. NOTE: this is a general guideline, and it is totally okay to deviate from it based on an individual dog’s needs.

BARF – Why I Feed My Shiba Inu a Raw Diet

There are many reasons for and against raw feeding. The main argument for commercial pet food (dry and wet dog food), is that manufacturers need to adhere to nutritional and safety guidelines in their region in order to bring their products to market. Therefore, it is better to feed nutritionally balanced commercial pet food instead of unbalanced raw food. Commercial pet food is convenient and cost-effective. There are many brands on the market to choose from, and some have scientific research and backing.

In contrast, the raw pet food market is less regulated. The main driver for a raw diet is the focus on feeding whole foods that offer better nutritional value (bioavailability) compared to the byproducts and supplements commonly used in commercial pet food manufacturing. In addition, some dogs have food allergies or intolerances, and it can be difficult to determine exactly which ingredient is the culprit when a pet food contains so many ingredients. Raw feeding means having full control of all the ingredients so that we may easily eliminate or replace as needed. The tradeoff is the time, money, and effort needed to ensure that the raw food is nutritionally balanced. Raw food is also difficult to travel with, and therefore not suitable for all lifestyles. Note that veterinary associations and public health agencies discourage raw diets due to the risk of pathogens in raw meat that may cause illness in dogs, cats, and humans. Here are links to the stance of several North American agencies:

AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association)
AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association)
CVMA (Canadian Veterinary Medical Association)
PHAC (Public Health Agency of Canada)
CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention)

A nutritionally balanced dog diet makes a Shiba Inu happy, healthy, and wise.

Why I Feed My Shiba Inu a Raw Diet

It is accessible to me and I am willing to put in the extra time to research, source, and prepare raw food.
I dislike the use of synthetic supplements and preservatives in commercial pet food. There have been recalls of commercial pet food due to excessive levels of supplements causing toxicity in dogs, leading to kidney failure and death.
Shiba Inus are a basal dog breed and more genetically related to wolves compared to many modern domesticated dogs. I personally believe feeding Shibas a raw diet makes sense.
Food allergies usually manifest after prolonged exposure to one brand, type, or form of food. Doing a rotation of various proteins reduces the chance of developing food allergies. Feeding whole foods makes it easy to identify and remove/replace individual ingredients causing allergies
A raw diet is low in carbohydrates, which is excellent for weight control. While dogs can digest carbohydrates, it is not a biological requirement according to the nutritional guidelines. A low carbohydrate diet is also great for dogs with diabetes, as it will reduce the amount of insulin required for the body to process the glucose. I would know this, because I am a diabetic-in-remission myself, all thanks to a low carbohydrate diet.

Kuma’s stools are very small and do not smell bad. They are small enough that we use puppy/small breed poop bags to reduce plastic waste.

Animal-based whole foods have high bioavailability. There are also no filler ingredients so stools are smaller and less smelly.

Raw meaty bones help keep teeth clean. The act of pulling bits of meat, gristle, and cartilage off the bone is similar to what brushing and flossing do for human teeth.

Kuma has clean teeth and his breath does not smell. We do not brush his teeth or rely on commercial teeth cleaning chews.

How to Calculate Raw Food for Adult Dogs

The amount of food a dog needs will depend on age, activity level, and whether they need to gain or lose weight. The average adult dog should be fed 2-3% of their body weight each day. A dog that is very active or works all day can be fed 3-4% of their weight, while an overweight and sedentary dog may only need to be fed 1.5-2%. It is totally okay to deviate slightly from day to day, and adjust based on the individual dog’s needs. If the dog is gaining or losing weight, the amount they eat will also need to be recalculated and adjusted frequently.

Kuma gets slightly more food on days we go out on long hikes together.

Kuma is a neutered young adult dog weighing 12kg. His vet says he is at a healthy weight, and we should maintain it. He is moderately active, so we feed 2.5% of his weight daily to maintain.

12000g x 0.025 = 300g total weight of food to feed each day

300 x 0.70 = 210g meat
300 x 0.10 = 30g bone
300 x 0.05 = 15g liver
300 x 0.05 = 15g second secreting organ
300 x 0.10 = 30g plant matter

Examples of Kuma’s breakfasts and dinners.

I also weigh and record each portion of food in a notebook when feeding Kuma. This is an optional step, but I do it as a precaution in case Kuma ever gets sick and the vet asks what/when he was fed.

A whole day of food for Kuma looks something like this:

Ground turkey (137g meat)
Lamb neck slice (32g meat 16g bone)*
Chicken neck (11g meat 21g bone)*
Smelt (16g meat)
Mussels (8g meat)
Chicken heart (8g meat)
Green tripe (4g meat)
Beef liver (14g)
Beef kidney (15g)
Plant matter: kelp + veggie purée, raspberries, carrots, pumpkin, hemp seeds
Others: unsweetened Greek yogurt

Total: 216g meat, 37g bone, 14g liver, 15g second secreting organ.

*I calculated the meat/bone ratio of raw meaty bones using this tool.

I do not weigh the individual plant matter because they are usually mixed in with wet components such as yogurt.

Shiba Inu Kuma is ready to answer questions about raw dog diets, raw feeding, and BARF.

FAQs About Raw Diet

Q: Can raw food make my dog sick?

A sudden change in diet can make a dog sick, or the dog may be allergic to new ingredient(s). As with any food transitions, it is best to gradually do it over a period of 1-2 weeks. New ingredients should be introduced one at a time and observed for allergies and intolerances. Furthermore, any food (even human food) can be contaminated with bacteria if the processing facility is contaminated.Therefore, we should practice good hygiene by washing hands and disinfecting surfaces, regardless of what we are handling.

Based on what I have read, it is rare for healthy adult dogs to get sick from Salmonella or E. coli due to their strong immune systems. However, according to the CDC, even animals that appear healthy and clean can be carriers of both Salmonella or E. coli. Therefore, it appears that the primary risk is to the human family around our dogs. Nevertheless, this survey shows that transmission from pet to human is present but rare.

Q: Aren’t bones dangerous?

For a 12kg dog like Kuma, a chicken foot or chicken neck each day is sufficient for his raw meaty bone quota, and to keep his teeth clean.

Some bones are dangerous. Cooked bones can splinter and cause damage to the GI tract. Machine-cut bones may have sharp edges that can cause lacerations to the dog’s mouth, so always inspect a chew before giving it to the dog. Weight-bearing bones and hard chews (antlers, hooves, marrow bones, etc.) may cause tooth fractures. Because of these reasons, it is best to stick to appropriately sized raw consumable bones, especially if the dog is a big chewer. Bones from small animals such as chicken, duck, turkey and rabbits are safest to consume and generally easy to access. What is safe or dangerous also depends on the individual dog, for example whether they are chewers or like to swallow food in large chunks. As with most things, a healthy dose of caution and common sense will be useful here.

Q: How expensive is raw feeding?

The price varies by quite a lot. It can be extremely expensive if you are buying human-grade cuts in small quantities from the grocery store. Much like commercial pet food, there are different price points depending on the quality of the ingredients going into the final product.

Q: Will raw food cause nutritional deficiencies?

Raw diets generally do not require extensive supplementation or multivitamins to provide all essential nutrients. Appropriately selected whole foods can create a nutritionally complete diet for a dog without resorting to synthetic supplementation. I will address tips on balancing raw food in a separate article. Deficiencies also don’t become apparent overnight. Regardless of what type of food your furry friend eats, always keep an eye out for changes in their stool, energy level, behaviour, as well as coat and skin condition. It is important to take our dog to annual vet check ups where a professional can perform a proper physical and dental examination. When in doubt, we can also request bloodwork to spot any abnormalities. NOTE: dogs fed on raw diet will have higher BUN (blood urea nitrogen) readings due to the consumption of more protein.

Part 2 of this series describes how I source, nutritionally balance, prepare, and store raw dog food for my Shiba Inu.

Visit with Shiba Inu Kuma

Happy Shiba Inu Kuma out on another day of adventures.

Pet Loss – Dealing with the Death of My Two Dogs

shibashake — Mon, 24 May 2021 05:51:50 +0000

To Shania, Lara, and Sephy, forever in my heart.

It has taken me a long time to be able to think about, much less write about the day that JJ died. But today, I felt ready. I wish at the start that someone had taken my hand, and explained all this to me; why death and loss are so difficult to bear. I hope that my story helps you travel through this very difficult time of your life.

Last month, on April 6th, was the 1st year anniversary of my Husky dog’s death. Lara (aka JJ) was a wonderful dog and I have many stories of our life together. Our adventures, our joys, our sorrows, our secrets, and much, much more. Most stories about pet loss are about the life of our beloved pets, and they end on the day of death. I have chosen to write this story a bit differently. This story starts on the day that JJ died, and is more about the reality I had to face after.

The day JJ died was extremely traumatic for me. It came on suddenly. Her death brought me face to face with my deepest fears – loss of control, uncertainty, and the unknown. I had my first panic attack on that first night. I had never before experienced anything of such intensity. I couldn’t sleep at all, and couldn’t stop thinking about JJ.

Pet Loss – Dealing with the Death of My Two Dogs

As the days progressed, my insomnia worsened, my anxiety worsened, and I started to develop other symptoms including digestive issues, nausea, fatigue, mood swings, and more. Each day, I felt more hopeless than the day before, and I often wanted to jump out of my skin and escape. This was all very scary and unexpected, more so because it seemed like nobody else had experiences like this for loss, much less the loss of a dog or pet.

I started doing a lot of research on the net and the more I searched, the more fearful I became. Suddenly, it seemed like I could have all of these different illnesses. My condition worsened until I ended up spending most of my time in bed, and being “sensitive” to most foods. Food, sounds, shows, books, almost everything would trigger me, and I was in a constant state of stress. I visited even more doctors, did many tests, and felt even more anxious than ever. Nothing seemed to help.

Pet Loss – Siberian Husky Shania and Lara, forever in my heart.

At the beginning of this year, I decided to take control of my life again. I started by reconstructing my diet from scratch and built a balanced meal plan with lots of veggies. I was hooked on the Cronometer App while doing this. Then, I visited with a specialist who focused on complex diseases. Based on my talks with her, I tried out the Gupta program and also RTT, which as best I can understand, is regression therapy using hypnosis. EMDR is another more open ended type of regression therapy. After my RTT session, which brought up some trauma episodes from childhood, I started reading many books. The following are some of the key stages of my journey towards greater peace.

Pet Loss – Happy memories. I miss you more than words can say.

Emotions Are NOT an Illness

One of the most helpful books that started me on my journey is The Tao of Fully Feeling: Harvesting Forgiveness out of Blame by Pete Walker. This book made me realize that happiness alone is not a “normal” state of being. In fact, all emotions are a normal part of life. Emotions, including fear and depression are NOT mental illnesses. They only grew and became a problem for me because I was spending so much energy resisting and rejecting them.

In this area, the doctors, many books on anxiety, and my own online research worsened the situation because they all reinforced the thinking that feeling anxiety or depression means that there is something wrong with me. I need to take some pills or otherwise fix these emotions.

Every time I visited with my GP she would ask me to fill out an anxiety form, where I had to say how many panic attacks I had, and rate various anxiety measures on a scale of 1-5. Each chapter in many anxiety books had those same surveys, as did the RTT session that I did. Such forms only increased my anxiety. My GP would then suggest that I visit with many other specialists, who would run a series of tests, and their ultimate prescription would be to go see more specialists and run more tests. This did not help with my anxiety.

What did help was the realization that all emotions are normal, even the “negative” ones, especially after a traumatic event such as the death of a loved one. There is no timetable to healing, and in the dark night of my soul, I gave myself the permission to feel.

I lost my love, and my heart is broken.
I feel fear, I feel depressed,
I feel confused, overwhelmed, hopeless, and lost.
I cry, I weep, I sit, I run,
I stand, I dance, I sing, I shout,
When will my heart mend? When will this pass?

Pet Loss – Emotions Are NOT an Illness

Facing My Suffering

There are two kinds of suffering. There is the suffering you run away from, which follows you everywhere. And there is the suffering you face directly, and so become free.
~~[Ajahn Chah]

Some of the books that offered me the most solace in my dark time were the ones by Jack Kornfield. I especially enjoyed The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology and Guided Meditations for Difficult Times: A Lamp in the Darkness.

Jack Kornfield presents the RAIN method for dealing with emotions. Recognition, Acceptance, Investigation, and Non-identification. In Marc Brackett’s book, Permission to Feel, he presents the RULER method, which stands for Recognition, Understanding, Labelling, Expression, and Regulation.

Both frameworks share some common and powerful tools for dealing with emotions.

1. Recognition

Awareness of our emotions is the first step. If we are not aware of our feelings, then we can only react to them automatically. However, by recognizing them, we can take the first steps toward understanding and responding in a way that is positive to our well-being or that reduces unnecessary suffering. For example, a big and constant emotion for me was anxiety or fear. Before awareness, I always felt this constant feeling of dread and spent all my time avoiding more and more triggers until I ended up in bed most of the time. Even then, I could not avoid my thoughts or my painful memories, so the fear just kept growing.

A powerful way to achieve awareness is through mindfulness training or meditation. I liked Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness by Jon Kabat-Zinn. However, there are many other books on mindfulness training as well as youtube videos, so pick one that most resonates with you.

Mindfulness trains us to shift our awareness, to recognize our emotions in a calmer state of mind, and to be in the moment to experience them. With mindfulness I was able to get a better handle on what fear feels like.

What is fear? To me, fear makes me feel restless, makes me want to run away and do something else, makes my heart race, makes it difficult to breathe (tightness in chest, shortness of breath), makes my stomach unhappy.

Pet Loss 1. Recognition/Awareness – What emotion is this?

2. Acceptance/Labelling

For me, this step is about experiencing the emotion, naming it (labelling), accepting that this is indeed how I feel, and realizing that it is totally OK to feel this way. For example, the memory of JJ’s last day always brought up intense feelings of fear. In the past, I would try to avoid thinking about that day by watching movies, listening to music, or otherwise distracting myself. This only worked in the very short term. Avoiding fear only made me feel more fearful, become more hyper-sensitive, and start reacting to more triggers. Avoiding fear narrowed my focus, and significantly narrowed my life, until I was hardly living.

The best way I found, of dealing with my fear, is to feel her, invite her into my heart, stay with her, make her into a friend, and get so comfortable with her that she becomes a valued companion. Fear is an emotion, she is one of my emotions, she is a message from me to me, she is a part of me, and she is trying to warn me of something so that I can survive. She and I are one, and loving her helps me love and accept myself – warts, fears, guilt, shame, depression, and all.

Accepting all of my emotions, learning to love every part of me, especially the parts that hurt, helped significantly in my journey of recovery. In both Western and Eastern psychology, self-love is a key part of healing.

Fear is NOT some inner monster that is out to get me. When I thought of fear as a monster, she became a threat, which made me fear her all the more. Rejecting parts of our emotions, parts of our body, parts of our thoughts and memories, rejects our oneness or wholeness. This compromises our ability to truly develop self-love and to avoid unnecessary suffering.

For better, for worse,
for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health,

I pledge to all of me, my faithfulness.

I am on MY side no matter what, in failure, in sickness, in pain, in old-age, in fear and in depression. No more rejecting parts of myself that are considered unacceptable by my parents or society. This message is what I love most about Disney’s Frozen.

Pet Loss 2. Acceptance

3. Investigation/Understanding

Once I am able to stay with my fear, I can start investigating exactly what it is that I actually fear. Is it a thought, a memory, an emotion, a person, a place, or a thing. Why do I fear it?

I have been running away from fear for a big part of my life, so there were many things that I feared. I feared memories of childhood, I feared my mother, I feared displeasing my father, I feared getting ill, I feared thinking about the day that JJ died, I feared being tired, I feared being sad, I feared fear. At first, dealing with all these fears seemed like a daunting task, and I had a day of fear just sitting with that thought.

However, I realized that I do not need to do all of it at once. Indeed, there is no time limit for dealing with my fears. At the start, I visualized fear as different Pokemon creatures. It was exciting to go hunting for each Pokemon and capture her into my magic ball. Each time I bested one, I got better at hunting and capturing. The more encounters I had with fear, the less intense she became. The more practice I got, the better my skill and tolerance level.

Every day, I would focus on one or more fear triggers. When fear arose, I would lean into her, invite her in, and start talking to her. I visualized her as a cute devil girl. What do you fear? Why do you fear? Sometimes, the fear is of something that is inaccurate or untrue. In this case, thought replacement is a good way of dealing with it. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy provides a good framework for thought replacement and thought stopping. I like the book Retrain Your Brain: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in 7 Weeks: A Workbook for Managing Depression and Anxiety by Seth J. Gillihan PhD.

Some troubling thoughts however, are true. In this case, accepting the thought and its attendant emotion(s) becomes a better strategy. More about this later.

God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change,
the courage to change the things we can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
~~[Serenity Prayer]

Pet Loss 3. Investigation/Understanding

4. Expression

Talking and journaling about my emotions have also been very helpful. So far, I have filled up four journals and am quickly filling up a fifth. I write about what I’m feeling, thinking, and what moves me in a book or show.

Books on loss and grief often talk about writing letters to our departed loved ones, and I have tried that too. Early on, I followed the The Grief Recovery Handbook, which has a very structured way of letter writing. In some ways, the structure was helpful, because it provides concrete steps for how to approach processing some of the memories and emotions related to my loved ones. However, it can also limit the amount and depth of processing done.

Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief proposes a more open form of writing and expression. At the moment, I prefer a freer style in my journaling. I also talk about my emotions and thoughts with my partner and some friends. Talk therapy is another possibility, but it can be difficult to find a therapist that suits.

As I understand it, using language to describe our emotional experience can help engage the logical part of our brains, which can help to calm us down and balance our emotions. I find myself being a lot more emotionally authentic after writing or talking about my emotions. I no longer try to hide my negative emotions, and open expression helps me to accept all of my feelings as a normal part of my life. Emotional expression can also help with releasing some of the emotions’ internal energy, thereby giving us some relief.

Art, song, and dance, can also help.

Pet Loss 4. Expression

5. Non-Identification/Regulation

In the regulation section of his book, Marc Brackett talks about 5 types of emotional regulation. I have briefly discussed mindfulness, CBT, and distraction in the sections above, so in this section I am going to focus mostly on non-identification or the meta-level. Please refer to Marc’s book for a fuller treatment.

Often times, we take our thoughts and emotions very personally. As a result, we can easily get entangled in them and get swept away by our intense feelings. This is when we automatically react, rather than stopping and taking the time to respond in a balanced and productive way.

Non-Identification or the meta-moment is just that: stepping outside of time and taking a breather; creating some space around our strong emotions, so that we may calm down and figure out a positive response. Using mindfulness and shifting our awareness to our breath is often a good way to start. Some people also suggest using counting or repeated phrases to shift our mind. Once we are able to do this, we can connect to our higher-self or higher consciousness. Some people may visualize a shining figure, a loved one, Nature, a respected leader, or spiritual entity.

Talking to ourselves in the third person or talking to a different part of ourselves can further help with non-identification. We can then ask for advice and help from our higher-selves. With practice, this type of visualization can be quite helpful in popping us out of entanglement, and providing a buffer for our intense emotions.

Pet Loss 5. Non-Identification/Meta-Moment

Depression – What, Why, How?

After sitting with my fear for a while, I find that underneath all of that fear is the feeling of depression. What is depression? For me, depression is more than just sadness. It usually starts with tiredness, then becomes sadness combined with hopelessness or despair. My body, especially my stomach feels heavy, sometimes I also get abdominal pain, gas, nausea, or a headache. I get unmotivated to do anything, and my thoughts decidedly take a very dark turn.

The core of my depression is linked to the loss of my two dogs and also to my primary life coping mechanism, which is striving and control. I have always been a very goal directed person, and in the past, identifying goals and putting my all towards them have served me well. I believed that if I truly desired something, I could get it through striving and control.

Unfortunately for me, there are many things in life that are not in my control. When Shania and later JJ died, my life changed very suddenly. Previously, I would wake up every morning and look forward to the day ahead with Shania and JJ. Now, that was all gone. The feelings of happiness, contentment, and peace were all gone. My old life was over and no amount of striving or control would help me get it back. There was absolutely nothing I could do to bring Shania or JJ back to life and reclaim what I lost. There was no way to fix things. This fact lies at the heart of my hopelessness and depression.

Previously, I would wake up every morning and look forward to the day ahead with Shania and JJ. Now, that was all gone.

Many people say that time heals all wounds. In my case, I was stuck in the anger/bargaining stage because I did not know how to properly process my emotions. I followed many different diet plans thinking that this diet will help me return to normal, I went to see many specialists thinking that this doctor will help me get back to normal, I took supplements and medication thinking that they will help me return to normal, I tried many many things to get back to normal. That was what I told all the doctors, specialists, therapists, and anyone that I met – “I want to get back to normal.” Returning to normal meant getting my old life back. Sadly, that was impossible. No diet plan could do that, no medication could do that, and nobody could magically bring back what was lost. It was gone, finished, and there was nothing more that could be done.

Until I realized this, and started to accept it, I could not move on.

I am now living in a new normal, where I often feel intense emotions, including fear, depression, and confusion. I have developed digestive issues as a result of this, which can be uncomfortable. When talking to my neighbor about this, he said that depression is really difficult because we do not know how long it will take to go away. He is absolutely right. I am depressed about losing my old life, but I am also depressed about my new life. This is the dark night of my soul.

Pet Loss – How will I live without Shania and JJ?

How long will it last? How do I find the light at the end of the tunnel?

I could grit my teeth, soldier on, take it one day at a time, and hopefully find the light after enough soldiering. Alternatively, I could follow Jack Kornfield’s teachings and learn how to let go of the light at the end of the tunnel. Instead, I learn how to dance beautifully in the darkness, and in doing so, I may find that the light was within me all along.

Acceptance or dancing in the darkness is easy to say but difficult to do. It means letting things go or letting things be as they are, and being totally ok or comfortable with that. As with fear, I need to invite depression in, sit with her, talk to her, be comfortable with the physical symptoms, and make her into my friend and confidant. This need not happen all at once. Each day, I do a little bit, and then a little bit more. As with fear, it is most difficult in the beginning, and it slowly gets a little easier each time I try. When I feel depression coming on, I lean into her, start thinking more about Shania and JJ, listen and sing our special songs, and cry. Crying may help with self-soothing, and may release stress and pain.

I am still a work in progress, but I am starting to feel better and I like the changes that I am making. Part of healing is learning how to love being myself again. In life, Shania and JJ taught me a lot and gave me much love and happiness. In death, they continue to teach me and help me improve myself, my relationships, and my life. I am still full of sorrow, but I am also grateful to have shared many years with them. I will have them in my heart always.

In memoriam
Sephy – Oct 11 2006 – July 24 2021
Shania – Nov 1 2007 – Aug 8 2017
Lara (JJ) – Jan 11 2011 – Apr 6 2020

When love turns to loss,
When joy turns to sorrow,
When courage turns to fear,
When contentment turns to turmoil,
When hope turns to despair.
What is one without the other?
Both are within me,
the broken and the whole,
This is life, and I want to live it.

Pet Loss – In life, Shania and JJ taught me a lot and gave me much love and happiness.

Lazy Sleeping Dog Pictures

shibashake — Tue, 21 Jun 2016 22:05:36 +0000

Adorable Siberian Husky and Shiba Inu Pictures

shibashake — Mon, 09 May 2016 23:30:02 +0000

Tortora’s Study, Dog Aggression, and Shock Collars

shibashake — Fri, 06 Nov 2015 07:56:11 +0000

Hi Shibashake.

I really enjoyed reading this, including all the comments. I also appreciate very much your inclusion of the Polski and Schalke studies. It is refreshing to see legitimate citations of actual controlled studies regarding a topic so incendiary as this one. I’m very curious as to why you didn’t find other studies, particularly the 1983 Tortora study, worth mentioning?

My 7yr old Bull Terrier has been my companion and my pride&joy for the past year. She is deaf, and she has some “instrumental” dog-aggression issues, as well as a prey-drive that can only be described as cartoonishly over-the-top. She doesn’t know the difference between a goat vs a cat vs a running valet vs a child on a tricycle vs a piece of trash blowing in the wind: if it looks like its running from her, she MUST get it… even straight into traffic. Deafness completely aside–there is no communicating with her when she goes into this “zone”. You may as well try to communicate with a cannonball en route.

I am concerned about her stress levels, and after reading your blog I am keenly aware of how difficult it must be to apply shock-training competently. I am also keenly aware of the unnecessary stress created by these behaviors (it is nerve-racking for her AND me). I’m trying to decide which outweighs the other. Her aggression issues seem to be diminishing over time as I learn more about pack-dynamics, but the intensity of the prey drive and tunnel-vision focus that accompany it remain overpowering.

After a year of deliberating, reading, and weeding out the namby-pamby appeals to emotion (“poor, poor dogs, evil, evil humans”) as well as the neanderthalic appeals to cowboy-complexes (“gotta show the dog who’s boss!”) I have decided that the vibration-signal feature is a must for us, but I’m still open to rational discourse regarding the shock feature. I would love to hear your thoughts on the Tortora study 🙂
~~[RUFTY]

Tortora’s 1983 Study

Tortora’s 1983 study consists of 3 experiments. The one most talked about in shock collar discussions is the “safety training” experiment (Exp 2). Some proponents of shock collars use Tortora’s study to claim that electronic collars are effective at reducing general aggression in dogs.

Based on my reading of Tortora’s paper, these claims are false. I will explain why below.

Tortora’s “safety training” experiment (Exp 2) consists of three phases:

Phase 1 – Pre-testing and Pre-training

36 dogs with avoidance motivated aggression were trained to perform 15 basic obedience commands using regular techniques. Training started with a continuous schedule of reinforcement, then moved on to variable. Both play and choke collars were used. No shocks.

Phase 2 – Conditioning

After a command was given, a warning buzz is presented, then the electrical stimulus is delivered. When a dog performs the command (correct escape behavior), a safety signal or tone was used right before the electrical stimulus was turned off.

Training of commands was conducted in progressively more challenging conditions, and the level of electrical stimulus was also increased during the training process. Ultimately, the dogs were trained to tolerate and perform under high levels of electrical stimulus. Once that was achieved, the dogs were trained without the shocks.

Phase 3 – Normalization

Subjects were tested for the absence of aggression under maximally stressful and aggression-inducing circumstances, for example, while the animal was roughly handled and beaten about the body with a rolled-up newspaper or switch.

If the dog failed to perform the command or responded with aggression then a full intensity electrical stimulus was delivered. Finally, the electrical stimulus was slowly phased out and training was transferred to the owner’s home.

Tortora reported that this procedure “resulted in complete and permanent elimination of aggression in all of the 36 dogs tested”. Note that this study specifically addresses cases of avoidance-motivated-aggression, which is different from pain elicited aggression and fear motivated aggression.

Tortora also showed (in Exp 1) that these other types of aggression and problem behaviors can be effectively addressed with established counter-conditioning techniques, and does not require such extreme measures.

Other types of aggression and problem behaviors can be effectively addressed with established counter-conditioning techniques, and does not require such extreme measures.

What Is Avoidance Motivated Aggression?

It is important to note that Tortora’s experiment 2 deals specifically with avoidance motivated aggression. Therefore, we should understand exactly what avoidance motivated aggression is, and how it differs from other types of aggression.

Avoidance motivated aggression is an aversively motivated aggression in dogs. I.e. the dog is using aggression as a means to avoid an anticipated aversive event (e.g. expectation of pain).

Avoidance-motivated aggression in dogs involves biting attacks or threats of attack directed toward one or more of the dog’s human caretakers. As the name implies, these threats and bites are assumed to be avoidance responses that are acquired and maintained by the prevention of anticipated aversive events.
~~[Tortora 1983, pp176]

Some properties of avoidance motivated aggression that differentiate it from other aversively motivated aggression:

It can appear to be unpredictable.

Through higher order conditioning and generalization, a variety of apparently neutral and unrelated stimuli come to elicit the avoidance response of aggression.
The dog does not produce any signals that may indicate the onset of aggression.
It produces a much more serious attack than the other forms of aggression.

Avoidance-motivated aggression usually involves multiple bites, a sustained attack, and is not self-terminating.
Avoidance-motivated aggression develops over time and there is a clear escalation in the level of aggression as it develops. The aggressive episodes increase in duration, frequency, force/damage, and occur over a larger range of stimuli. I.e., there are many chances to fix the issue before it develops into an “instrumental avoidance response”.
Counter conditioning techniques that are effective with other forms of aversively motivated aggression, have little effect on avoidance motivated aggression.

Tortora’s safety training is a complex 9 stage process that specifically addresses avoidance motivated aggression. Safety training using shock collars is very different from aversion therapy or aversive training using shock collars. Aversive training is how shock collars are commonly used today, i.e. shock the dog when he is performs an undesirable behavior. Continue delivering the shock until he stops that behavior.

In Exp 3, Tortora showed that when only “full-intensity signaled shock was used to punish aggression”, there was only a slight decrease in aggression. I.e., shock aversion therapy or simple shock aversive training is not an effective way to suppress aggression in our dogs.

Resource control training methods are much more effective in the long-term, a lot less risky, and strengthens the dog-human bond.

Key Points from Tortora’s 1983 Study

Some salient points I derived from Tortora’s paper:

1. Timing and clear communication

Timing and clear communication are very important, especially in pain based aversive training. This was shown in Phase 2 where Tortora used a warning buzz and conditioned the dog to a safety signal. Using a unique tone also allows us to more consistently and accurately mark a behavior in time (the same type of thing is used in clicker training).

Accurate timing and clear communication is important because it lets the dog know how to stop or avoid the pain from an electrical stimulus. This was also shown in Schalke’s study, where the dogs that could make a clear association, i.e. knew how to stop the pain, did not experience elevated stress levels. This only occurred in the very simple aversion case and not on recall.

This is also why aversive techniques are risky because most of us, especially novice trainers, have far from perfect timing, and may not always communicate with our dogs in a precise and clear manner.

2. Pain is a strong but risky motivator

Using pain can produce more reliable compliance in our dogs, because pain is a strong motivator. However, pain and stress can elicit an aggressive reaction from our dogs. This was also present in Tortora’s study. In fact, in Exp 1, Tortora reports that of the 92 avoidance motivated aggression cases, 90% had prior pain based aversive experiences.

The dogs in this study initially behaved as if they “expected” aversive events and that the only way to prevent these events was through aggression.

3. Tortora’s experiment 2 is a very extreme and specialized process

Dogs can also get habituated to the pain, and subsequently require a stronger and stronger stimulus. For example, Tortora reported increasing the electrical stimulus to high and ultimately maximum levels during the study.

Avoidance motivated aggression can be suppressed with avoidance training and the use of full intensity shocks.

Best to prevent avoidance motivated aggression altogether by staying away from pain and stress based training methods.

Conclusion

I am not sure why Tortora’s study is used to make the case for electronic collars or shock collars. As I understand it, his work is targeted at “dangerously aggressive dogs”, in particular those that did not respond to “established counter-conditioning treatments”, i.e., only cases of avoidance motivated aggression. It is clear that his procedure is very extreme, requires a lot of precision and knowledge, and is only meant for very limited situations. If anything, it is a cautionary tale of what could happen if we fail our dog in his management, care, and training.

Tortora shows that pain and stress can cause aggression (which is consistent with other studies), and that avoidance motivated aggression can be suppressed with avoidance training and full intensity shocks. To me, this underscores the risks of using pain based aversive techniques, and inadvertently creating a “dangerously aggressive dog”, who then has to undergo even more extreme treatment or face euthanasia. Tortora states

Behavior therapy for such dogs has always been the last step before euthanasia.
…
In conclusion, it should be emphasized that safety training for dogs is not being recommended literally as a behavior therapy program for avoidance-motivated human psychopathologies. A substitute for electrical stimulation may have to be found.

If you are considering using shock collars because of Tortora’s study, please read it carefully and in full first. Unfortunately, inaccurate claims abound on the internet.

Unfortunately, inaccurate claims abound on the internet.

We Are Back!

shibashake — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 04:04:57 +0000

Who Is that Silly Husky?

shibashake — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 23:14:22 +0000

Do Our Dogs Love Us Unconditionally?

shibashake — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 05:35:44 +0000

Many people say ~ Dogs love us unconditionally.

However, others argue that dogs are not capable of love, much less unconditional love. What seems like love to us is only behavioral conditioning. Is this true? What does unconditional dog love mean?

When people say that dogs love us unconditionally, they are referring to how some dogs continue to seek human company, attention, and affection, even after being hit, beaten, neglected, and abused by us.

This does not mean that dogs love all people unconditionally, but that they have the capacity to forgive, forget, and love us again even after going through some tough times.

This does not mean that dogs do not feel pain or do not suffer from pain, nor does it mean that they are unaffected by abuse. It only means that they have the ability to bounce back if we give them the chance and help them to do so.

Do Our Dogs Love Us Unconditionally?

Do Our Dogs Truly Love Us?

However, is this an indication of real love or is this merely conditioning? Do our dogs lie next to us, lick us, and show us doggy affection because they have learned that it will get them food and other resources? Or do they truly love and enjoy our company?

Some researchers argue that it is all conditioning, and that …

“If we moved our dogs to our neighbor’s house and that neighbor gave the dogs as much as we gave them and in the same motivational forms, I believe our dogs would adapt to the new life and would become as loyal to the neighbor as they were to us.”
~~[Fred Metzger, State College veterinarian]

Do our dogs truly love us, or is it just conditioning?

However, other scientists disagree. In fact, recent MRI data (dog brain scans) from scientists at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia show that dogs do experience feelings of love and affection. In particular, the MRI data is different when a dog is given treats by a stranger and by someone that they have a strong bond with.

What do you think? Do our dogs truly love us or is it just conditioning?

Do our dogs truly love us? What do you think?

What Is Love?

There are as many forms of love as there are moments in time.
~~[Jane Austen]

Whether our dog loves us, will greatly depend on what love means to us.

I have a close relative, whom I will call Aunt Marie.

Aunt Marie is someone who is very interested in measuring love. She keeps track of whether her children, as well as nephews and nieces call her on her Birthdays and other special occasions. Do they send her cards? Do they call? Do they call on the day itself, or do they forget and call too early or too late? Do they call other aunts and uncles? What about gifts?

As far as I can tell, Aunt Marie uses these behaviors and others to calculate who loves her, whether they love her more than another aunt or uncle, and whether it is truly love for her or something else, e.g. love of her money.

Not surprisingly, Aunt Marie is not a very happy person.

Very frequently, she comes up with reasons as to why people do not love her. “They are only calling me or sending me cards and presents out of duty”, she declares. “They are only doing this to get my money.”

What is love to you? Does it have to be perfect and free from other motivations?

What is love to you? Is it blind loyalty? Does it have to be perfect and free from other motivations?

We can never truly know what another person or animal is thinking. Like Aunt Marie, we can decide to continually measure love and deny the love of others, or we can enjoy the moment and love others back.

Love is not something that is easily defined and therefore, it is not something that can be measured. However, it is there, and it is powerful, and it is something to be enjoyed. Like us, it may not be perfect, but perfection is not necessary.

Like us, love may not be perfect, but perfection is not necessary.

De-Humanizing Our Dogs

Some people insist that dogs are incapable of love, because they are animals. These statements always include some dire warning about how attributing these “human feelings” to our dogs is dangerous because it is humanizing our dogs, and this will lead to bad behavior and an out of control dog.

I fail to see how believing that our dogs are capable of love is detrimental to anyone. Does that mean that their love is exactly like ours, probably not. However, why should that matter? Why is dog love unworthy of the name?

I fail to see how believing that our dogs are capable of love is detrimental to anyone.

In the dog training world, there is a fair amount of discussion around humanizing dogs, but very little around de-humanizing dogs. I suppose because dogs are clearly not human, we assume that de-humanizing them is only right and natural.

However, dehumanization is much much more than just an attribution of species.

Dehumanization or dehumanisation describes the denial of “humanness” to others …

It is conceptually related to infrahumanization,[4] deligitimization,[5] moral exclusion[6] and objectification.[7] Dehumanization occurs across several domains, is facilitated by status, power, and social connection, and results in behaviors like exclusion, violence, and support for violence against others.
~~[Wikipedia]

dehumanization – the act of degrading people with respect to their best qualities;

dehumanisation, degradation, debasement – changing to a lower state (a less respected state)
~~[The Free Dictionary]

By dehumanizing our dogs, they automatically become second class citizens, therefore, it becomes more acceptable for us to hit them, shock them, or choke them into submission.

Indeed, we do not want to overly humanize our dogs, because that may lead to mis-communication and misinterpretation of their behaviors, which will hinder the creation of a positive and healthy dog-human bond.

Similarly, we do not want to overly dehumanize our dogs, because that may lead to the same detrimental results.

Training and bonding with our dog does not just involve our dog, it involves us as well, in very big part. Helping my dog improve his behavior, also helped me improve my own behavior. I learned to better control my temper, to show more empathy, to be more patient, to let things go, and to enjoy the moment.

De-humanizing our dogs demands everything from our dog, and nothing from us. It is the opposite of love.

Helping my dog improve his behavior, also helped me improve my own behavior.

Do My Dogs Really Love Me Unconditionally?

I don’t know.

I think the more important question to ask myself is whether I love my dogs. And the answer to that is absolutely.

Do I love all my dogs equally and in exactly the same way? No. But that does not mean that I do not love each of them very much.

Similarly, I do not require my dogs to love me and only me. My dogs enjoy being with friends and neighbors who give them affection and treats, but that does not cheapen their love for me.

I love my dogs, I want to keep them happy, safe, and healthy. When they are happy, safe, and healthy, that makes me very happy too.

I love spending time with my dogs, and I love it when they come over to be with me, whatever their motivations.

That is more than enough for me.

Do My Dogs Really Love Me Unconditionally?