Maisie* is a wonderful girl. A Scotty/Cairn mix, she is adorable, brilliant, and not just a little busy. When her owners joined her to their family, she was reported to be paper trained, which often means the breeder kept the litter on papers, that they relieved themselves on paper.
Thus it was with Maisie. She was unreliably housebroken.

Cooper could not be left alone, a pit bull, retriever, Dane mix. His owners, a couple who never gave up on any pet, made extreme efforts to have someone with him always. Even a few minutes alone in a house, he destroyed a couch, a mattress and the doorjamb. Cooper’s owners believed he had “Separation Anxiety”
Suzette’s owner thought she was timid; she rarely touched the ground. This was fine for both Suzette, a miniature poodle, and for her owner. She whined and barked at everything that came close and Suzette’s owner would hold her for comforting. The problem emerged when, enrolled in dog training, Suzette bit the trainer’s shoe and growled at her owner during the “Leave-It” exercise. Fearful Suzette was a bully!

Noah’s family despaired at training him not to chew on their belongings. Whenever he was reprimanded, he found a shoe or some laundry to gnaw, hidden behind the couch. A tiny Chihuahua, they believed it was out of spite.

Kiki, an English Mastiff, was unclear about many things. She leapt upon every living creature, dog, cat or human, as though in effervescent greeting. She also pulled at the leash, lunging to get to the sniff-stop. Her family is at a loss as to how to deter her from this joyous conduct. Were she a Pomeranian, they would doubtless disregard most of these as problems, but her sheer size demands a better solution. She is impervious to the squalls of the flattened and slobbered on cat, the snaps and feints of the canines she encounters, and she has to be shut away when visitors arrive, lest they, like the cat, be covered in dog hair, spit, and bruises from her bountiful greetings.

When Yukon was rescued from roaming the streets, his amber eyes spoke of intelligence and fear. A husky-wolf hybrid, he has learned every command, but simply chooses to ignore most of them, or hesitates a long pause until, it appears, it is his choice to sit, lay down, come to call, or get off the couch. His family now includes three cats and the mother and daughter who have adopted Yukon are fearful that he might harm the cats. He also, whenever possible, goes on a walkabout the neighborhood, returning at will.

Dog mentality is not like ours. We love our dogs. Whether they reside at our feet or outdoors to protect the stead, they are unfailingly part of the family. So successfully interacting, we attribute human emotions and motives to their conduct. The truth is, they are not so much like us.

They are keenly smart, exactingly affiliated to their household or pack, have a deep need to fit into a hierarchy, and will respond dependably to this order. They experience no guilt, no spite, no jealousy, no shame. They read body language and observe the rules of conduct in the home, doing what dogs do without fail. They do not have abandonment issues as we would experience and do not have separation anxiety as we do. They simply long to be with those to whom they belong and being without will cause an effort on their part to rejoin, or self comfort in an effort to cope with being left alone. They get bored easily, being intelligent.

They don’t even experience love on the same order as we humans do. In our lives we leave our parents, often moving to a far corner away. Or we, as parents, push our young out into the abyss of adulthood. We break off with old friends, break up with lovers, divorce our mates and lose contact with those to whom we once belonged.

A dog will never do this. Once a dog is yours, the affiliation is hardwired into the brain. This is why you can beat your dog (and people once often did as part of “training”), fail to feed and water, neglect and ignore—you dog will still love you and grovel for a kind word. Their love is unconditional, abiding and pure.

Efforts at training include housebreaking, learning to do things by command, keeping from chewing anything that fits in the mouth, not stealing food, walking nicely on a leash, abstaining from nuisance conduct such as: digging, barking incessantly, nipping heels and hands, jumping up, piddling in greeting, eating the family pets and starting trouble with the neighbors’ children, animals and garbage.

In this column we will explore the logical dog brain, wonder at how clever it is, how it was designed to truly be man’s best friend. Each case mentioned has a logical reason, which, when understood without human pathos, will lead us to a better solution.

Many trainers will employ devises to prevent the dog from acting out these “emotions”, including crating, shock collars, harnesses and head halters, and myriad other efforts to quell the action. In truth, if the cause is an emotional, dog-driven need, then stopping an action will only create the need for other outlets. The dog will find other ways to express their needs, which are simple. They must have proper outlets for behaviors bequeathed by their breeding. Beagles have to dig and bark. German Shepherds must herald every new event with a vocal cascade (usually three barks). Retrievers must have something in the maw to feel complete, Vizlas desire to roam. Most terriers would love to have a go at the family hamster. Cattle dogs and other herding breeds feel the need to have everyone clumped together, be they other dogs, children or sheep.

Dogs need to develop patience for the departure and arrival of family members. They need to feel secure. They also need to grasp in their dog-brain, that they are the dog. It will never be their turn first over humans, they are the lowest in the human hierarchy, and will be the happier for it once it is settled. Dogs like order. They like routines.

In future articles, we will talk about their concept of hierarchy. We are not pack members. They can sit in the lap. They can sleep in our beds. They can request a treat or a walk or a time of play, but they cannot ever demand.

Maisie, Cooper, Suzette, Noah, Kiki and Yukon are well on their ways to being better dogs, as their family members require them to ask nicely, and to serve. While it is important to treat a dog like a dog, they are pets, after all. With a little clarity and mutual understanding, we can enjoy them. In the lap or at our sides, in our beds or guarding the stead at night, they simply want to know what is required of them.

*Though Maisie is her real name, most of these pets’ names have been changed to protect the guilt-free misbehavors. All of them are based on the conduct of specific canines.
Kristen Craig nee Lauterbach has been involved with training a variety of animals since she was very young. Horse crazy, she spent most of her free time at a local two-bit dude ranch, salvaging auction horses for sale to homes. She became the neighborhood shaman, offering help, advice, training and care to the pets in her community of friends in Claremont, CA.
She has trained Zoomobile animals and delivered lectures in Oakland, ran the National Cat Protection Society in the now defunct Long Beach branch, directed the Alameda Animal Shelter and had the good fortune to work alongside and learn from a young Ian Dunbar.
She is currently training dogs in the San Diego area.

Lydia, the 13 year old CattledogXBasenjiXBeagle
And Kristen, sharing some thoughts.

Starvation, Illness, and Freezing Temperatures…a Recipe for Certain Death as Animals Are Left to Their Own Defense.

This week several animal rescues and advocates from Central and Southern California caravanned to a property ("the compound") located in a remote area within the city of Lancaster, California. Their mission; save lives. Over one hundred dogs, dozens of cats, chickens and tortoises had been surviving with little to no care. Decaying carcasses were left to be consumed by the animals, stagnant, green and black water and bread covered in feces and flies were the only sources of sustenance, medical care was never a consideration. In a matter of hours through postings on Facebook, and urgent phone calls rescuers were made aware of the desperate situation. Nine vehicles and twenty five caring individuals arrived the next day, only then did the animals ever stand a chance at survival.

After several days of no action from local authorities, No Stray Left Behind, a non-profit dog rescue located in Ontario, CA and several other animal rescuers took action on their own. The remains of over twenty five dead dogs were removed; large barrels of dog food and numerous bags of cat food were donated and brought to the site. Rescuers ascended upon the property to do whatever was needed for the animals. Immediately upon arriving cries were heard from puppies found lying on a filthy blanket in a fly infested dog crate. In a corner of the crate lay the decaying, tiny lifeless body of a female pup less than two weeks old, her litter mates squirming and crying out just inches away. The pups were dehydrated, extremely hungry, very lethargic, bloated and distended bellies and on the brink of death themselves. At the end of a long arduous day full of emotion, over fifty dogs and dozens of cats had been given food, fresh water, medical attention, soft clean blankets and placed lovingly in crates to be taken to safe havens. Over thirty dogs still remained at the compound; there were not enough crates and vehicles to get them all. The next day more rescuers came to the site to provide the same care and rescue for the remaining animals. At least ten of the rescued dogs were pregnant; three more had litters from two to four weeks old. Dogs were missing their eyes where they had sustained injuries from coyote attacks, while another hopped around on three legs as one leg was missing its paw. A resident of the compound was asked what happened to the dog's paw the response was that the dogs leg had been ran over by a car and that her mom, who also lived on the compound "tried to stuff it back together" to heal allow the foot to heal "but the foot part just fell off".

These animals were the result of hoarding. The deplorable conditions the animals were living in, the disease infested water, lack of nutrition and veterinary care led to horrible deaths for many and dozens more are in need of emergency aid. No Stray Left Behind is a 501(c)(3)non-profit animal rescue serving southern California; their operation is funded through tax deductible donations. For information on how you can help with food contributions, veterinary care donations, volunteering or becoming a foster parent to these and other animals in need please contact the rescue at www.nostrayleftbehind.com. A pay pal account has been set up on the site to accept monetary donations.

If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Sandy McKay or Carrie Erskine, please call 951-692-8341 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it