Animal Sniffers and Sixth Senses

We live in a houseful of sniffers. Anything new, in a different place, or that could possibly be food gets sniffed by our two cats and dog. The bird checks out the new and unusual with his calls and screeches.

As we observe how the animals who share our home carefully inspect and analyze objects with their noses, it's a reminder that we're living with a different life form -- one that doesn't approach the world as humans do.

Animals have their own ways of viewing the planet. No matter how hard we might try, we'll never experience the world as they do. We can't imagine what we'd understand if we explored life with the noses and licking tongues of dogs and cats, the ultrasound of dolphins, or the pecking of birds.

And then there is the animals' sixth sense. The mystical, spiritual, extrasensory sense that many of them seem to have in abundance. Anyone who lives with an animal and has an open mind and heart has to admit that there are just some things animals seem to know.

Early on, after we started Angel Animals Network, a reporter from our local newspaper, the MINNEAPOLIS STAR-TRIBUNE, came to our house. She was doing a story about this strange couple who were collecting, writing, and publishing stories about the spiritual nature of animals.

The reporter got out her tape recorder and placed it on the table in front of us. Then she proceeded to ask questions. We answered them as honestly and carefully as we could.

Our cockatiel, the yellow, orange-cheeked Sunshine, sat on his perch in the living room where the interview took place. Mostly he remained silent. Occasionally he would join in the conversation with a chirp, a song, or a string of words that were unintelligible to the reporter.

Later, in the article that appeared accompanied by a half-page photo of us walking around Lake Harriet with our yellow Lab Taylor, the reporter commented on an unusual thing she had observed in our home. Listening the tape recording of the interview had been quite a revelation for her.

Every time the reporter asked a question of a spiritual nature, Sunshine seemed to chime in with a comment. Only questions about Spirit, God, or miracles caused him to express an opinion. She was amused but also mystified by Sunshine's ability to sense when the subject matter had turned to a less mundane or more unearthly topic.

When have you noticed animals in nature or your pets displaying a sixth sense?

Allen and Linda Anderson
Angel Animals Network
www.angelanimals.net

Something old and something new sent two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer Jon Franklin on a quest to document the transition of wild wolf to family pet.

The old thing was a photo — a man and puppy, exhumed from a 12,000-year-old grave. The new thing was a wife — he married a dog lover. Though he’d never been a dog person, Franklin gave in, and soon he and his wife were sharing their home with a clever poodle named Charlie.

Between watching his own dog evolve from puppy to family member, and his interviews and research, Franklin spent 10 years studying the origins and significance of the dog, and its peculiar attachment to humans.

The result is “The Wolf in the Parlor: The Eternal Connection Between Humans and Dogs.”

Franklin — a former science writer for Baltimore’s Evening Sun, now a journalism professor at the University of Maryland –  builds on evolutionary science, archaeology, behavioral science and his firsthand experience, arriving at the conclusion that man and dog are more than just inseparable; they are part and parcel of the same creature.

A few weeks ago the nice folks at Thundershirt sent us one of their shirts to test. At first we weren't sure we were good test subjects since neither Gracie or I have any thunder or lightening phobias.

But after reading their materials, we discovered that the Thundershirt can not only help pups with terrifying bouts of phobia during thunderstorms, it has been proven to work with whatever situation that makes your dog anxious, fearful, reactive or over-excited.

Instantly, Mum and I thought about Gracie.

You may remember that we talked about how Mum and Gracie are taking trips to new and different places almost every weekend. To the pet store, to shopping centers, to wide open fields and more, to help her overcome some of her anxiety in new and overwhelming sites. She was working through some of them, but still would get spooked at what I thought were the weirdest things. Like when we went on that hike in the woods down by the river a week or so ago. A branch snapped and she jumped about a foot in the air with all fours.

So we told the Thundershirt folks to send on one of their shirts to fit Gracie and thought we'd give it a try and see if it made any difference in her anxiety levels in these strange places.

Here's what happened...

The first test, Mum put the Thundershirt on Gracie for one of our two mile walks around the neighborhood. Every time we get to a certain cross road on the walk, there is a big field to the left where we stop and sit before crossing the street. Gracie gets all buggy eyed looking over at that open field. So much so that she takes a while for Mum to get her attention, and to sit at the cross street, even with treats right at her nose.

The day she wore the Thundershirt, Gracie walked right up to the crosswalk and sat, waiting for her treat. Yes, she glanced at the open field, but then looked right back at Mum, then did her nice 'side' sit before crossing the street.

Ok, so that was a fluke right? We ventured on the walk. Usually Gracie will manically try to get into nearly every tall grass planting where people have covered up their utility boxes in front of their house. Makes for a challenge to keep Gracie's focused on a two mile walk, when she's trying to get into those areas at nearly every house we pass.

This time with the Thundershirt, she only tried to get into the ones that had a lot of grasses planted, and completely by-passed most of those areas, even without Mum saying a word.

Ok, maybe another fluke.

So the next test was for Gracie to wear the Thundershirt on her trip to the pet store. Usually Gracie will be all buggy eyed, excited, get spooked by the slightest unusual noise.

This time during her test with the shirt, she was completely alert, but didn't jump around when she heard a big noise. During our last trip when she was greeted by a not so friendly dog at the store from a bit of a distance, she didn't start massively drooling like she usually does with an aggressive dog. And Mum was able to distract her from the tense situation and immediately get her focused and sitting for a treat away from the situation.

Mum even had her doing bangs near the front electronic door, which usually made her jump a few inches off the ground when it opened unexpectedly.

After Mum and Gracie would leave the stores on their weekend trips, they would take a nice little walk down the shopping strip center walkway. This is where Gracie would usually go over the top, looking over her shoulder, going sideways away from a passing car, jumping all fours off the ground when we would pass more stores and their electronic doors would open.

But this time with the Thundershirt, Gracie was alert, but happily interested in everything going on around her. She tried to get into the stores when their electronic doors would open. Mum had her focused and sitting immediately when she asked.

We were just amazed. Mum believe she got about 80% more focus from Gracie during all the tests, and the best part is Gracie wasn't as stressed or anxiety-ridden. Sometimes 80% is all you need to help overcome some stressful situations, and get back on track, you know?

Here's what the company says about the Thundershirt and how it works.

"Thundershirt's gentle, constant pressure can bring calm and focus back to your dog. A terrific solution for many types of anxiety including thunder, fireworks, separation, travel, and crate anxieties. And a terrific solution for eliminating "bad leash manners" such as barking, pulling or reactivity towards other animals and people."

We watched a few videos they have available of thunder/lightening phobic dogs (you can see them on our site page) that wore the shirts during thunderstorms, and we were amazed at the results they are getting. Our friend Joe Stains video is on the page...looked like he was helped a lot!

The company says that the Thundershirt is 90% effective for noise anxiety and about 75% effective for other types of anxiety (like Gracie).

We liked the Thundershirt so much that we decided to add it to our offerings at JohannTheDog Direct! If you're interested, head on over and let us know what you think, if you have any questions, or comments!

Does your dog miss you when you’re gone? Do you find that when you leave he can’t stand it? Does he understand the passing of time and know how long you’re away?

If your dog is well behaved when you’re home and only turns into a terror when he can’t be with you, then he is probably suffering from some form of separation anxiety. It is estimated that 10 to 15 percent of the canine population experiences some type of this problem.

Dogs are considered to be pack animals, so they prefer to be part of a group, and have a “pack leader” to follow and look up to. The dog’s owner becomes the “pack leader” in the eyes of the dog, and when the leader isn’t there to follow, the dog feels abandoned. This abandonment leads to anxiety and frustration that your dog has to deal with in the only way he knows how–what we call bad behavior.

In severe cases, anxious dogs will act out even when their owner is simply in another room with the door closed. Common ways of acting out include destructive behavior, excessive barking, house soiling, attempts to escape, loss of appetite, inactivity, seeming sadness or depression, and psychosomatic disorders such as diarrhea, vomiting, and excessive coat licking. Also, a dog suffering from separation anxiety will often closely shadow you when you’re together.  

Some dogs simply do not ever gain enough confidence in themselves to be on their own. For some, it’s because they were left alone for too long when they were puppies. Others have had the hard luck of being abused or neglected. There are some poor pups that are pushed from home to home until they finally end up in an animal shelter. Needless to say, they are probably afraid of being left again.

There are many different ways that you can help your dog deal with his fear. The first thing is to teach him that you can be trusted to come back. When you return from being gone, avoid a big fuss and simply go about your business. The expectation of a big to-do when you come home only increases his anxiety.

Another strategy to help you deal with the problem of separation anxiety is to take your dog out for a good walk before you leave the house. Not only will you spend some quality time together, it will also help wear him out, making it more likely that he will spend his time away from you sleeping. Another benefit to the long walk is that once he understands the pattern, he will have something to look forward to and, hopefully, associate your leaving with something good. And the exercise will be great for both of you.

With enough time and patience, you can teach your dog that you love him just as much as he loves you. Eventually, he will realize that you won’t leave him.

For more information about removing separation anxiety, read a related article here.

Every veterinarian gets this line. It pumps our egos and fills us with the kind of joy only animals can add to working lives otherwise filled with fearful animals who run the other way once they catch wind of us. Never mind that these animals who “simply adore” us often fall into this category, too.

“No, really. Everywhere else they’ve had to muzzle her. She must really love you.”

OK, I’ll buy it. But just barely. And only because I truly want to believe they like me better than others. After all, who among us is immune to this kind of compliment? Being “chosen” by an animal as trustworthy and likable––no, “lovable”––is undoubtedly the ultimate kind of appreciation.

All egotistical veterinary leanings aside, I do believe it’s true. Animals do like some humans over others. One of my sister’s dogs is a perfect example:

A rottie-malamute mix, he’s so wolf-like and aloof you’d never know he truly liked you except for his willingness to greet you with his modest tail wags and upturned face. But when he doesn’t like you, you know it right away. He barks and growls. It doesn’t happen often but I’ve seen it. And it’s scary. Good thing he’s immaculately trained and stands down on a quick command.

The strange thing is, we have no idea what makes him so capable of distrusting certain random individuals who seem perfectly nice to us. A smell? A sign of fear? A hesitation? When I saw it happen it was in response to a serious dog lover. Weird.

Occasionally, I can also recognize a true “click” with some of my patients. Though they mostly live in abject terror of my presence, they will sometimes pull on their leash to get to me, ignoring all others along their path. I even have a couple of kitties who love their hospital stays, their owners swearing up and down that they love to lie in their carriers when at home, seemingly begging for a vet visit.

Like other veterinarians I know in this area, I have clients that charter flights from the Bahamas to bring their pets to me. They’ll drive a couple of hours to see us. Because they claim that one of their pets will see no one else. Gotta believe it’s true or else they wouldn’t go to these lengths.

“I wish she’d see Dr. X in West Palm. He’s so much closer, but she won’t go there.”

Is it our clients who are crazy? Or is their pet's behavior truly the result of basic affinities our pets will inevitably feel? As the occasional object of pet devotion and witness to the pros and cons of their emotional behavior, I’m certainly capable of believing it’s the latter.