The Diane Rehm Show

I am listening to your show and would like to hear Ms. Arnold's opinion of the Invisible Fence. I just heard her say that we have to get rid of shock collars. My dog has been kept safe within my property for 5 years using an invisible fence. I know that some people believe this is cruel. He has been only shocked once during training and has forever more stayed away from the line. I adore my dog and would never do something that would hurt him. If you feel that this is cruel I would be very interested in your opinion on how to keep my beloved dog safe from roaming and away from the road.

How do you know if your dog would be a good candidate to be a companion dog? The shelter thought she was an Australian cattle dog and rat terrier mix. My dog bounces, like a Jack Russell and she nips like a sheltie and she is a very sweet dog. She weighs about 24lbs. Licking is something she does all the time. Would that make her not a candidate as a companion dog?

Please ask your guest to comment on the growing phenomenon of medicating dogs with psychoactive medications designed for humans (e.g., Prozac, benzodiazepines).

I own a rescued American Pit Bull Terrier, River, who was doused with gasoline and set on fire in July 2005. She was found near death, but thanks to donations from a local animal rescue, she was rehabilitated. She was left with extensive scarring, one eye and some symptoms of posttraumatic stress, but has been a wonderful dog for us. I worked with her extensively in obedience training, and she is loving and well-behaved. Last year, she began having problems with anxiety in public places, and the veterinarian suggested Prozac. She has improved somewhat, but I was wondering what your guest has to say.

Thank you,

Liz in Oklahoma City

Jennifer: Duffy, a rescued corgi sitting under my desk, wants you to know that he agrees with you completely!

I recently visited several dog parks in Louisville KY. They were all wonderful. One in Particular was 4 acres, gated, with trees and benches. It also had an attendant. In order to get in you had to be a member with updated records on file. It cost $30 a year but was well worth it. Owners were given a card to swipe the gate and you could go to any of the dog parks in Louisville. This is a wonderful idea and we have nothing like it in Dallas, Texas. What do you think of this?

I have adopted a previously abused and neglected retriever mix who has truly helped me create a wonderful home. She was 15 pounds underweight. She has so much love in her eyes now compared to the first day I brought her home. She loves to lay at my feet, play and chew on her toys, and she smiles all the time! She really smiles! My question is: how to train her to be a kanine assistance dog? I am blind in one eye and the vision in my right is getting worse as well. She is an excellent dog but I feel that the abuse she suffered has slowed her neural processes because potty training her has been very hard (I have a bell on the front door that she rings when she needs to go out but it seems that every two and a half weeks she has an accident). I do not negatively respond to this; I take her outside directly after the accident and if she urinates outside I give her a treat. She also gets very aggressive towards certain men and women and when I become legally blind, I want to know that she will not attack someone because of the way they look until a certain act has happened upon me. Thank you!

I adopted a greyhound one year ago. Those of us who live with them recognize that it takes a full year or more for these dogs to recover from their trauma before you can see their true personalities.
I'm a counselor. My dog "Merit" goes to work with me everyday.
She is a gentle spirit, playful partner. Like most greys.
What can you tell us about the special ways of dealing with greyhounds.

Dogs Deserve Dialogue by Judy Moore is a great training book that uses positive training methods. I used the techniques to train my two rescue mini dachshunds. It made all of our lives easy to manage. Thanks Ms. Arnold for your wonderful contribution to the world!

I have a blind friend who adores her dog.

She told me so many blind people she knows are horrible owners, don't like their dogs and treat them badly.

I am astounded.

It upsets her so much. She says she has many stories but it was too painful for her to talk about.

I was also shocked to hear that owners are not monitored. What I mean by 'monitored,' is to check in with owners in a chat fashion. How are you doing with this dog? What can we do to help? Would you do better with another dog? Do you even deserve a dog if you can't reciprocate its care?

Through this friendship it also struck me that even if someone adores their dog, because of their disability, the dog doesn't get much free exercise time.

Elivia

Thank you for a wonderful show emphasizing new ways that dogs can assist people with disabilities. When my husband suffered a severe anoxic brain injury from a heart attack and cardiac arrest, he had to learn to read, write, walk, talk, think, and remember all over again. Molly, our shih-tzu pup, became Alan's rehab guide and constant companion. I credit Molly with 50% of Alan's progress. I share the story in my memoir Professor Cromer Learns to Read: A Couple's New Life after Brain injury, and on my website www.janetcromer.com.

Janet Cromer, RN, MA, LMHC

While I can certainly appreciate how Ms. Arnold is educating the public about training methods for dogs, I have to disagree with her belief that positive reinforcement works for all dogs.

Saying that this method is appropriate for all is like saying that there is only one right way to raise a human child!

Positive reinforcement works great for dogs who come from fairly normal backgrounds. Our first dog, a Shepherd mix, did great with positive reinforcement. He responded perfectly to treats, and as a result, we too subscribed to the positive reinforcement theory and looked down upon those dog parents who didn't.

However, once we adopted a badly abused German Shepherd rescue male, we received a rude wake up call and realized that some dogs need so much more than treats and high pitched squeaky voices to learn how to live in this world.

With our Wyatt Ray, we went from training with treats and the Gentle Leader head collar, to gradually progressing up to a prong collar, then an "e-collar" as Ms. Arnold so despises, then a slip collar, and finally began training with an incredible trainer who specializes in GSDs and aggressive breeds, and one who practices the dominant, wolf-pack training methods.

This is the method that finally sank in with our boy, this is what he needed to learn to trust us, to learn that aggression isn't going to get him what he wants most. While he still isn't perfect, and neither are we, what we thought was a hopeless situation is now something we can manage.

This learning experience has been a wakeup call, and we will never, ever point our fingers at those dog parents who use more dominant training tools and methods for behavior control. We are completely humbled.

Face it; while treats and positive reinforcement are great for some dogs, they do NOT work for all dogs. If more people knew this we would have far less dogs end up in shelters.

LOVED this show! Thanks for having it, Diane!

While I enjoyed listening to Diane and Ms Arnold discussing the book and life stories, I am completely aghast at how apologetic Ms. Arnold was to breeders. She kept saying how afraid she was of angering breeders. Why?? So much breeding has gotten out of hand with puppy mills and these Boutique breeds. I would love to think that all breeders are reputable but without laws to place restrictions on them and guarantee the safety of the animal I just find it appalling that Ms. Arnold was so afraid of offending them. And btw, I hate to tell you but boutique breeds are nothing more than mutts at a higher price. Don't buy, adopt.

I applaud Ms. Arnold's organization and her dedication to helping dogs become helpers for people with disabilities but had to write to disagree with her words about what she called 'alpha' training, which we call psychological training as followers of Cesar Millan's techniques. We are not mean or hurtful to dogs- we love dogs and teach owners how to manage them so that both dog and human have the most enjoyable relationship. Ms. Arnold disparaged thousands of dog trainers in the country who balance dogs and help them live longer and happier lives along side their families. We think Diane should have our company, B&L Dog Training, on her show to talk about what we do and why Ms Arnold 's information about pack leader training was not based on the facts or success stories for balancing dogs using psychological training.