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Spike’s Up Close and Personal with Ashley Marratt and Copper

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

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Us dogs participate in very fascinating activities and bring many great things to this world. As a result, I have decided to begin a new series on my web site. I will call the series “Spike’s Up Close & Personal.” When I hear of something that interests me, I shall dispatch one of my humans to investigate and report back their findings.

This is the first of Spike’s Up Close & Personal.

It has been a very cold and snowy winter here in the Atlanta area. Following one of those cold, snowy days, my staff had scheduled an interview with Ashley Marratt, President of Interquest Detection Canines of Georgia, and her dog, Copper. Ms. Marratt presented us with a wealth of information about detection canines. Interquest serves schools, commercial and industrial facilities. They do not search in any public spaces where they are not contracted to inspect. Because they serve industrial and commercial facilities, a work day for an Interquest team can begin as early as 4 am!

Ms. Marratt explained that neither the dogs of Interquest nor the handlers are affiliated with law enforcement. Police narcotics K-9’s are only trained on illegal substances. Interquest canines like Copper are trained in narcotics as well as alcohol, medications and gunpowder, including fireworks! This training enables the dogs to find the quantities and items that students are abusing most today.

Interquest has over 39 years of canine training experience A lot of people believe that canines used for these types of services must be German Shepherds or Belgian Malinois, but not the folks at Interquest. They only use Labradors and Golden Retrievers (a friendly, handsome bunch, I might add.) Copper is a Red Lab.

Ms. Marratt chooses her canines very carefully. Particular interest is placed on dogs with long noses, a high alpha personality and a good prey drive. The dogs are trained in Houston, Texas. These friendly, well-socialized canines endure a full day of work, motivated only by a toy! They average about 9 years of service, however, some may retire early.

Once they are trained, the dogs are placed with a handler. It is very important that the dog respects the handler. Therefore, the handlers like Ms. Marratt must have a higher alpha personality and a keen ability to keep a dog motivated. Lazy, laid back people need not apply! The dogs also live with their handlers.

Copper sniffs trash cans, lockers and other such places. In a typical outing, he is placed on a harness and taken to an area where Ms. Marratt will instruct him to smell. When he alerts on an area, he will sit. During the demonstration with Copper, Ms. Marratt would tell Copper to “show me”, and Copper would take the handler immediately back to the area he alerted on earlier. That is fantastic!

Ms. Marratt also explained how the handlers will listen for a change in the dogs sniffing pattern. Our demonstration revealed that Copper’s sniffing pattern became deeper when he approached locker #785, the one which contained the contraband.

When asked about her favorite part of the job, Ms. Marratt said that she really enjoyed the assembly programs with the students. The students would ask all sorts of “What if” questions. Usually to see if there was a way to fool the dogs. (The short answer is, “Nope, dope!”)

Interquest’s program provides an orientation session for students, parents and faculty. From there, they conduct monthly, unannounced searches of lockers, parking areas, classrooms, gyms and other common areas of the school and grounds.

Ms. Marratt discussed the goals of Interquest’s service. “The program’s focus is preventing substance abuse, not catching students doing wrong. Our goal is to help students make good decisions. My focus is to keep you safe and keep your school contraband free. Ultimately, substance prevention is up to the students; the decision is theirs to make. If you make good decisions, then there is nothing to worry about.”

The results for Interquest have been significant. In one Atlanta area school district they have found a 20% reduction in drug related hearings, 72% reduction in alcohol related hearings and a 59% reduction in drug and alcohol distribution related hearings. These results were from the 2003-2004 school year to the 2006-2007 school year and the district reports a 25% increase in their enrollment.

Interquest has over 100 dogs working throughout the United States and they are the largest private provider of this type of canines.

Tags: ashely, ashley marratt, BEHAVIOR, copper, drugs, marratt, schools, smell, Spike, up close and personal, working dogs
Posted in BEHAVIOR | No Comments »

Jacobson’s Organ

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

A friend of Mom’s called today for some advice. She acquired an eight month old male dog for Christmas. Lately, he has been showing some disturbing behaviors, as it was explained to Mom. It seems that on their walks, he goes up to an object, licks it and his teeth begin to chatter, followed by some foaming around his mouth.

Mom’s friend was convinced that somehow her dog had gotten into some poison. But this was not the case at all!

Us dogs have a Vomeronasal Organ, also called “Jacobson’s Organ”. It is located at the base of the nasal cavity. We are not the only creatures to possess this organ. Snakes, turtles, elephants and many other species also have the Jacobson’s organ. In fact, you have one, too! Unfortunately for humans, the functionality of the organ goes kaput during early development. Oh, hamburgers, are you guys missing out!!

The organ’s primary function is to detect pheromones that carry information between individuals of the same species. It is kind of like a “sixth sense”. Or remember back when people read newspapers? Well, it’s like that, only slightly more sophisticated.

A girl dog may be out for a walk and decide to leave her “calling card” (also known as urine). This card is “read” by a boy dog. He begins by intently smelling the area and then tonguing, which means that the tongue is rapidly and repeatedly pushed up against the roof of his mouth. It is kind of like he is taking the odors off of the tongue and forcing them into the olfactory receptors. The “messages” are then sent to the hypothalamus. This is where he contemplates his sexual or social behaviors. (This is how us dogs are able to distinguish and recognize other animals and people.) During the tonguing process, many may have profuse foaming of the mouth and a chattering of the teeth may occur.

In a dog, sniffing is not the same as breathing. We sniff through a series of rapid, short inhalations and exhalations. You may notice us sniffing before the tonguing begins. Some of us dogs will sniff the air. Tax does this a lot (he’s really into smells). He holds his head back and sniffs while he moves his head back and forth. He is simply trying to locate the source of something he finds interesting. He is depending on scent particles roaming through the air getting caught on his wet nose. He can then determine the location of where the particles came from. Sometimes he begins foaming at the mouth and his teeth chatter. If you didn’t know better, you would swear that he was freezing to death!

So, don’t get so excited if you dog shows this kind of behavior. Also, do not discourage your dog from sniffing and smelling while he is on a walk. He’s gathering important information!

Tags: chattering, communication, foaming, jacobson's organ, newspaper, nose, pheromones, poison, smells, sniffing, teeth, vomeronasal
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Is My Dog Depressed?

Friday, January 22nd, 2010

Lately, I’m getting a lot of questions about crying pups, possible depression, and what their families can do to help their pups. The symptoms described are usually the same. I hear things like, “He cries when I put him in the crate,” “She is always following me around, seeking constant attention,” ”He seems miserable when I leave,” and/or “She is so destructive when I leave her alone.”

Us dogs have several good reasons for doing this. The first and most common reason is we like attention. When you comfort us after we signal our dismay, that tells us that not only will our behavior be tolerated, but you REWARD us for it. This is an awful idea. When you give us attention, it is oh-so-enjoyable…. We feel it’s our duty to keep you happy, and we know you’re happy when you’re returning the love.

Our attention-seeking behavior is not much different from how Mom describes human babies. Apparently, they exhibit something similar. They cry in their cribs, car seats, pak-n-plays, their rooms, the line at the grocery store, and anywhere else they feel like it, waiting for someone to come along, pick them up, and give them some attention. When people do this for little humans, it reinforces their bad habit of crying. We’re not much different.

Also, it’s important to know about your dog’s life before he or she came to live with you. My human sister rescued Bitsy, a neglected Pomeranian, from a HORRIBLE living situation. Before her rescue, she’d been left alone in a very small room for days at a time. Alone. For days. After her adoption, the first six weeks were miserable, and they lost many hours of sleep to Bitsy’s constant crying. Because of her past, she was a lonely dog, even though she had two new sisters, but she was also afraid her new human parents would not return, a product of her history of abandonment. The only thing that built her confidence was when someone came back. After some intense snuggle therapy during regular interactions (NOT as a reaction to the crying), and her parents always returning to see her, she’s a healthy and happy pup, living it up!

Lastly, you should consider their age and the likelihood of deteriorating joint health. When we talked about what to expect from a westie, we discussed their inclination for pelvic joint problems. Be on the lookout for limping, particularly in the colder months. Your pet’s cries may actually be a signal to you about pain they experience. If you’ve determined this is something affecting your pet, it may be a good idea to add a Glucosamine or Chondroitin supplement or to switch to a food which contains it, after consulting with your vet. If you’re feeling those aches and pains, maybe you should talk to YOUR doctor about supplements too.

If your dog is ACTUALLY depressed, he or she will exhibit some physical symptoms of depression, which should accompany his crying. Watch for signs of under or over-eating, general lethargy, excessive sleeping, unexplained weight gain or loss and sometimes irritability (yes, sometimes we get grumpy). Noticing something listed here is an excellent indicator that it might be a good time to schedule an appointment with your vet to discuss your recent discoveries. In the meantime, playful exercise and daytime walks, that aren’t about getting busyness done, are good for curbing your pet’s depression. Interactive toys, that give him or her a chance to spend quality time with the family, can also be helpful.

Unless your dog is showing signs of being sick or hurt, it’s best to ignore unfounded crying. It will be hard to do at first, but every time you give into his crying, it reinforces the crying behavior, and later on, it could result in some possessive aggression.

Posted in BEHAVIOR, HEALTH | No Comments »

What Are “Hot Spots”?

Monday, July 13th, 2009

Last week, I wrote an article for a paw-pal about his paw licking. Today, I have something to add to it, but it is a little too detailed to be tacked on as an update.

“Hot spots” are acutely inflamed areas of skin irritation. Ironically, something small like an allergic reaction to flea bites (flea allergy dermatitis) causes a dog to lick almost constantly in an attempt to “cool off” the area, which actually makes matters worse.

As a dog with both long hair AND a thick undercoat, the Pomeranian is especially susceptible to hot spots.

Hot spots, known medically as acute moist dermatitis, generally occur on long-haired dogs or short-haired ones with dense undercoats, like the Siberian Husky. Hot spots usually occur along the side of the chest, over the hip, or the paws, all areas easily reached by a canine tongue. They appear as circular lesions with moist, inflamed, raw and hairless characteristics. They can become quite painful and expanding rapidly with constant attention from the dog. One that originates as the size of a quarter can be eight inches in diameter within 6 hours. A secondary staphylococcus infection is likely, breaking down the top layer of skin, causing pus to enter surrounding hair, matting it.

Hot spots are more common during the summer, since rising temperatures mean more time outside with more potential skin enemies for your pup. If you find one of these “hot spots,” you should trim hair around your dog’s lesion. This allows air to get to the inflamed tissue. You should keep the area clean, using a water-based cleaner or Betadine, making sure you rinse away the cleaner after its application.

Mom uses a home remedy involving Black Tea bags. Apparently, black tea contains tannic acid, which helps to dry out the sores. To use this remedy:

Soak a bag of Black Tea in hot water.
Remove the bag from the water, letting it cool to a temperature comfortable to the touch.
Place the tea bag directly on the hot spot for about 5 minutes.

You can repeat this application several times per day. If you do not have any black tea handy, you can also dry out the sores with Witch Hazel. Do not let your dog suffer with this. If you do not see any improvement within 2 days, take him or her to the vet, where they may prescribe some oral corticosteroids and a topical antibiotic to tackle the hot spot.

A “cousin” of the hot spots, acral lick granulomas occur similarly to hot spots, but they typically appear on the “wrist” or “ankle” solely due to the incessant licking by the afflicted dog. This occurs likely to a compulsive desire on the part of the dog to lick the area without any physical stimulus.

My brother, Tax, has been licking and scratching a spot all day, so I suspect that tea bag Mom just had is not for a gallon of sweet tea!

Tags: acral lick granulomas, acute moist dermatitis, allergy, black tea, circular lesion, corticosteroids, dense undercoat, flea allergy dermatitis, hairless, home remedy, hot spot, inflamed, long hair, moist, paw licking, short hair, skin irritation, staph infection, tannic acid, topical antibiotic, witch hazel
Posted in BEHAVIOR, HEALTH | 2 Comments »

My German Shepherd Acts Aggressively Toward My Husband… YIKES!

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

It can be very scary when a dog acts differently toward one person or a group of people over others, especially when that dog acts aggressively. Have you encountered something like this?

A three year old spayed German Shepherd acts aggressively toward a particular man. She acts perfectly fine with everyone else but she does not like or trust him. His erratic actions hinder their relationship, as sometimes he is calm with her and others “he yells and swats.” If he is laying on the bed, she will lay by him and ask for attention, but as soon as he gets up, she tenses. She is a “one person dog,” though she tolerates petting from others. She has never snapped at or bitten anyone, other than this man. Her body language when she shows aggression include a wagging tail, low rear and upright ears. The biggest problem is that the man described is also the owner’s husband.

First, let’s address the body language she displays. Contrary to popular belief, a wagging tail is not always a friendly sign. Her lowered rear end, probably a crouching position, is an indication of her fear. The erect ears shows that she is “on alert.” When you couple that with the barking, charging, and crouching, you have a dog that is trying to figure out a human, the husband. What happens? Is it a snarling, vicious bark? I doubt that he needs to defend himself from an attacking dog, since they are both still in the house. To me, this sounds like an attention bark, since it probably gets her attention. Even though it may be corrective or negative, she gets attention.

Photo via Flickr (garryknight)

The real problem here is the human factor. If you want this man to be safe, then HE better be ready to make some changes. The husband is not PART of the problem, he IS the problem. When she is lying next to him and they both are calm, the dog feels safe. However, when he gets up, the dog responds by tensing up, as if she expects him to strike her. She certainly shows signs of fear around him. What I worry about here is how fast that fear can turn into aggression. Unfortunately, in a situation like this, when she does bite, she will be likely be put to sleep, when there are things HE can do to rectify the situation.

Dogs do not like to be yelled at anymore than humans do. They certainly do not like to be “swatted” either. The unpredictability of her relationship with the husband ruins it. Some dogs may take this for their whole life, while some dogs may snap one day inflicting a bite that may cost them their life.

Remember, adult dogs have 42 teeth in our mouths. These teeth serve a purpose, biting down hard, holding the meat and pulling it away from the bone. Why would a human think they can take that on? The average German Shepherd bite unleashes a force of 238 pounds of pressure. They make great police dogs, because not many people can withstand or overcome that bite to get away. Only an idiot would try to intimidate that!

For this situation to continue incident-free, the husband needs to learn some canine communication skills. First, it is never acceptable to strike a dog. If you do, you deserve to be bitten! As for the yelling, most dogs have a very keen sense of hearing. Sometimes, my Mom will whisper commands to me. I think she is just testing my hearing. This dog is confused. She wants to understand what she does that causes the yelling and swatting. Since most of of do not use reason or logic, it is the person that must make the change.

He needs to know that the dog does not understand his actions and barks and charges out of frustration, as if she is asking him, “Why do you yell and swat at me? It frightens me and I really just want to be loved.” He MUST change his ways if you want him to be safe around her. Once she knows to expect a calm demeanor from him, you can work on building a stronger relationship between the two of them.

Tags: 42 teeth, AGGRESSION, alert, bite force, BODY LANGUAGE, calm demeanor, fear, German Shepherd, human factor, husband, low rear, pounds of pressure, relationship, swatting, upright ears, wagging tail, yelling
Posted in AGGRESSION, BEHAVIOR, BODY LANGUAGE | 1 Comment »