THE GERMAN SHEPHERD SENTINEL

MAY 2006 - NEWSLETTER OF THE

GSDC OF GREATER RALEIGH

Pat Embrey, Newsletter Editor

1390 Sanders Road, Benson, NC 27504

PH: 919-934-6232, E-Mail: VonRillca@aol.com

Website: www.gsdcofgrraleigh.org

May 2006 Sentinel Information

1. Board Policy on Dogs at Club Sponsored Events

2. May Meeting Information

3. April Minutes

4. ASPCA Says Cocoa Mulch Dangerous

5. Validity of Penn Hipp Evaluations

6. AOA Presentation

7. Dog Fights

BOARD POLICY ON DOGS AT CLUB SPONSORED EVENTS

The GSDC of Greater Raleigh welcomes your German Shepherd at our events, including meetings. However, the following rules must be followed:

Anyone with an aggressive dog (one that growls, snaps, or is in any way aggressive towards other dogs or people) must be muzzled.

Dogs will be free of loose hair and external parasites (fleas or ticks). Please brush your dog prior to bringing it to the meeting as we must clean up the room after we are finished.

For the safety of all members, guests and their dogs, it is strongly recommended that all dogs be kept up to date on their vaccinations. ALL dogs that are old enough, MUST have a current rabies shot.

May 2006 MEETING INFORMATION

The next meeting of the German Shepherd Dog Club of Greater Raleigh will be held on Wednesday May 3^rd at the Exchange Park on Spring Forest Road. Socialization will begin at 7:00 PM with the program starting at 7:30 PM. Sarah Bridges will be furnishing refreshments this month. The Program will be on Pet Nutrition given by Ken Bush with Nutro Products will speak at the meeting about pet nutrition and products available through Nutro. In addition, we will prepare dog treat mixtures for club members (and guests) to just add liquid and bake once they are home. Recipes and basic ingredients will be provided at the club meeting. There is no additional charge to attend this meeting - all recipe ingredients will be provided a no cost.

GSD Club Yard Sale…..don't forget the upcoming yard sale on Saturday, May 13. The location has moved from the Embrey residence to the Bjelica residence since Mary's neighborhood is have a subdivision yard sale and we expect more people traffic. Please contact Mary Bjelica if you have items to donate for the yard sale to make arrangements for pick-up or drop off. It may be possible to bring items to the May club meeting for Mary to transport them to her house depending on the amount. Mary will store items at her house and donate to Cause for Paws Thrift Store any items left; unless you indicate you want them back. Mary can be reached at home on 919-661-9171 after 6:00 PM, at work on 919-785-9273, or cell 919-819-1062 (please note her cell phone number has changed).

GSDC of Greater Raleigh

Meeting Minutes of April 5, 2006

Program: We showed a video by Dave Rinke about the AKC standard for the German Shepherd Dog that was presented at a judges’ seminar in 2005. The information was well-presented and interesting.

Meeting: We have been approved to have our show along with the Tarheel circuit next year as we did this year. This year’s show was a 4-point show both days. Royal Canin provided a wonderful buffet for us this year as well as several bags of dog food for our raffle. Deeda wants to consider a silent auction for next year’s show. A motion was passed to sell the trailer. We are having a yard sale for the club on May 13 and ask for donations to sell and volunteers to help with set up and sales. Please contact Mary Bjelica about the sale – it will be at her house to coincide with her neighborhood’s yard sale.

The following new members were voted on and their applications read:

Third reading: John Poli

First reading: Natalie Kauftheil

Toni Pals

Welcome to our club!

Treasurer’s Report: Sarah Bridges presented our Show report as well as the monthly report. We still have bills outstanding, but the Show was definitely a success. Also the membership list has been updated. If you still have not paid your dues, contact Sarah.

Brags: Sarah Bridges dog Doc got 2 points at the all-breed show on Thursday. Yvonne Kowalczyk’s dog Britney got all the points needed to finish her Championship. Congratulations to Sarah and Yvonne. Any members who win at shows or have other accomplishments should contact me (Pat Embrey – 919-934-6232) so I can put the Brags in the Newsletter.

The following article came from the Wisconsin Veterinary Website, along with many other articles saying basically the same thing. This appears to be the very pretty mulch in a red color that is in many of our local yards.

ASPCA SAYS COCOA BEAN MULCH COULD HARM DOGS

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' Animal Poison Control Center is warning dog owners of the dangers of cocoa bean mulch. A retrospective study of case data collected by the center from January 2002 to April 2003 found that dogs that consumed cocoa bean shell mulch might have signs consistent with methylxanthine toxicosis, which is similar to those seen with chocolate poisonings.

The data suggest the most common signs that occurred following ingestion were vomiting and muscle tremors. Although it wasn't possible to quantify exact amounts involved in these adverse events, anecdotal evidence appears to indicate that the severity of clinical signs increases when larger amounts are ingested.

"Since the updated data confirm that dogs can exhibit certain clinical effects after consuming cocoa bean shell mulch fertilizer, the ASPCA advises pet owners that they should avoid using this mulch around unsupervised dogs, and dogs with indiscriminate eating habits," said Dr. Steven Hansen, senior vice president of the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center.

Cocoa bean shells are a by-product of chocolate production and are frequently used for landscaping by homeowners. Some dogs find the mulch attractive and ingest varying amounts. In general, while unprocessed cocoa beans contain approximately one percent to one percent theobromine and 0.07 percent to 0.36 percent caffeine, the theobromine content of processed cocoa bean shell mulch reportedly ranges from 0.19 percent to 2.98 percent. Dogs are known to be sensitive to these chemicals, called methylxanthines.

The full study is available at www.apcc.aspca.org/cocoabeanmulch. health department

________________________________________________

Following is an interesting discussion on the validity of Penn Hipp X-Rays. I have used it in the past, but my main complaint is the fact that you can’t follow the statistics in Penn Hips through the generations of dogs the same way you can with the OFA statistics.

VALIDITY OF PENN HIPP EVALUATIONS

Chuck Kruger DVM
_www.dockruger.com_ (http://www.dockruger.com)

I am the one who discovered the validity of Penn Hipp in the mid seventies. The best time to do it is 4-41/2 months of age. this will give you 99% accuracy. The OFA at the same age may give you 50 - 60% accuracy. I tried to develop a method of EARLY hip status detection...Two years is a long time to
wander around the forest without knowing where you are really going.

Penn Hipp works on dogs that mature over 50 lbs..the smaller dogs do not fit
the same criteria as the big dogs. The Penn Hipp people have changed the criteria for normalice to fit the breeds(the smaller ones....this I think in a major mistake ,,For example I have checked many Corgis, and Cocker Spaniels...NO consistency with the initial criteria established by Penn Hip...What happens is in a dog that has more then 3mm or laxity in the joint, the hips are NOT genetically normal. The larger dogs will show wear at some point up to four years of age. It is simply (for the most part) physical trauma to the loose joing. Smaller dogs do not carry trhe weight a large breed does, thus the pressure on the joints is nowhere the amount on a small dog’s joints. Thus the wear in the joints is not as great, depending on the integrity of the bone. The age at which Hip Dysplasia appears will be determined. It may take up to 4 years for the HD to be expressed even in a larger breed dog....AND, it may never be expressed in a
small dog with great bone hardness.

Why do you see many veteran dogs limping???? Late onset HD...good at 2 years,
good for a number , but at 8 years a limping dog.
Unfortunately to determine the presence of HD by OFA x-rays, you should
wait till at least 4 years, maybe even 5 years.

For the above reason I feel the OFA numbers are only good at 2 years in about 85% of the dogs. I cannot tell you how many older dogs have HD when they have a number from the OFA at two years. If one is to subscribe to OFA, you should recheck your dogs at 4 to 5 years with conventional x-rays. This would establish the TRUE GENETIC status of your dog. Otherwise there may be inconsistent producing.

As an experiment I started in 1973, I found that after breeding three generation of hips with less than 3mm of looseness, we got 100% normal hips. We bred only for hips, and some of the 4 generation dogs looked it. BUT others maintained the qualities we wanted.

*If you doubt what I am saying, contact Scootie Sherlock as she accompanied me on this hip palpation journey for many years. Scootie still palpates her pups. (Unfortunately, we no longer have any Vets around that do palpation, in our area, but that is another story. Pat)

So at any rate the question I have tried to answer, “Is Penn Hipp a valid technique....YES....Now if we could get the vets to cooperate with the breeders and
keep the price down, it would be a lot better. When you consider an IV
anesthetic of Sodium Pentothal, may cost up to $5, the X-Ray film is about $.50 a
plate, and a shot of atropine is 25 cents....the rest is professional fees...The Penn Hip procedure can be done with a profit , for $50.00......But I don’t want to get started on Vet fees!!!!!

Hope this helps someone...

Following is a proposal to be presented to the Board of the German Shepherd Dog Club of America, that the following award be given to any of our members whose Champions are able to meet the criteria necessary for the award.

AOA Presentaion

Helen Franklin

The award, AOA will be presented by Dania Karloff to the Board the end of this month. It is the same as an AOE ‘(Award of Excellence) without the "Select." In other words, to obtain an AOA award, your AKC Champion must also be certified hips and elbows, have an AKC training degree and have a temperament certificate. Your AOA dog can achieve the ultimate AOE degree if it becomes an ROM. The ROM will equal the "Select." This is a way for dogs that have become "The Total Dog" that are not able to attend the Nationals, still can achieve an AOE. The award of "Select" is one person’s opinion, on one day, with one performance. An ROM is equally if not more important. What would the other countries say if we also had the TOTAL dog? They are pretty, but can't work. Wrong. They are pretty but spooks. Wrong. They are pretty but crippled. Wrong. If our champions have obedience, temperament, and physical soundness...no other country can say their dogs are superior. We've proved them wrong. Our dogs are also capable of having it all, and we can prove it. It will be interesting for you to see which Board Members object to AOA, if any. This is a win, win program that our breed can only benefit from. What a legacy
we would leave if all our champions had the three other titles as well. Tell your Board of the German Shepherd Dog Club of America what you think, please. board@gsdca.org

The AOA title would be available to members of the GSDCA that owned the dog at the time all the titles were obtained, upon confirmation from the chairman. It would be available to past dogs that earned all four titles and future dogs...if passed.

Titles: AKC Champion
   Cert. Hips & Elbows
   AKC training degree
   GSDCA Temperament Cert.

Proof of these accomplishments would need to be sent to the chairman and a letter of acknowledgment sent to the owner.

Helen

I have decided to put this in The Sentinel, as I had a fight between two of my old bitches who seemed to be best friends. They were not seriously hurt, but it seems even when you think your dogs won’t fight, it can always happen unless you are VERY vigilant. So don’t become complacent as I had done, a fight can happen.

DOG FIGHTS

ED FRAWLEY

To a caring dog owner, having their dog bitten is almost as traumatic to them as being bitten themselves. Many fights between dogs are avoidable, but once started they are very difficult to break up. Fights often take place when dogs are allowed to roam free, walked off a leash, or are able to rush out at other dogs passing their home. Preventing contact between two dogs is one of the main reasons why a dog has to be on a leash in a public place.

Why Do Dogs Fight?

Fighting between dogs of the same sex is common and will occur naturally unless a dog is taught not to do so. Dogs have always fought over food, the right to mate, the position in a pack, and in defence of their young or territory. Today many of these circumstances still occur, although individual dogs may vary in their inclination to fight because of their breeding, socialization, experience and training.

Breeding

A dog of any breed may fight another dog it has not been adequately socialised to other dogs, or has been deliberately or inadvertently trained to be aggressive. Some breeds of dogs and individuals of breeds have been selected for their fighting or guarding qualities, and may be more likely to fight other dogs.

Male dogs will usually fight with each other more than female dogs do, but fights between females are common when one or both are in season. Prospective owners should choose their dog carefully. If purchasing two dogs a person should obtain one of each sex and have them sterilized if they are not going to be used for breeding.

Socialization

Dogs that have been well socialized with other dogs from an early age are less likely to fight. (But it can occur. Pat) Aggression between dogs of the same sex does not usually develop until just before or at sexual maturity, so an owner has plenty of opportunity to prevent it from occurring.

Protection

Fights between strange dogs frequently occur when one of the dogs is protecting its territory, its owner or itself. Dogs allowed to wander onto the road will usually claim its owners front verge and the road as their own, and may attack other dogs passing by.

Owner

Dogs on a leash sometimes become very possessive of their owner. Fights often break out between two dogs on a leash passing close by each other, or when two dogs are off the leash and their owners are in close proximity. Owners with aggressive dogs must take particular care when near other dogs. Many dog fights begin because an owner's attention is elsewhere and the dog is not corrected immediately after an incident occurs. What may happen when two dogs meet cannot always be predicted. A normally friendly dog may take a particular dislike to another dog and start a fight with it.

Prey Catching

A smaller dog may be attacked and killed by a larger dog when its movements or sounds are mistaken for prey. Dominance/Subordination: Two dogs that fail to establish or maintain a dominant-subordinate relationship will fight. This may happen with dogs that meet infrequently, live together and are evenly matched, or have an owner who interferes with their relationship. Where two dogs are living in the same household their owner must ensure that one is dominant and the other subordinate, and then continue to reinforce the dominant dog's position.

Treatment For A Dog That Fights Other Dogs

Sterilization

Castration can reduce fighting in male dogs, as the operation is responsible for changing both the odor of the dogs and consequent other dog's reactions to it and the amount of testosterone (the male hormone which precipitates the aggression) that is produced. Female dogs may also be aggressive towards each other, but male/female fights are less common. When the fighting is due to a dog being frightened or protective, or if a dog has been trained to fight, sterilization will have no effect. If sterilization has no effect, a progestion (synthetic hormone) treatment may have to be give by a veterinarian in conjunction with training and behavioral therapy.

Conditioning To Other Dogs

A dog that fights other dogs can be conditioned through supervised interactions to accept other dogs in close proximity. An unfamiliar dog should be brought towards the problem dog to a distance where no aggression occurs. The dog that is aggressive must be must be facing the approaching the facing dog and is to be rewarded for not barking or growling. Several trials will need to be conducted over a number of sessions with the dogs the same distance apart. Over a period of several weeks the distance between the two dogs can be gradually decreased, if no aggression occurs at each set distance apart. The procedure must be repeated with different dogs until the problem dog's behavior changes. Less structured interactions can take place as the dog progresses.

Preventing A Dog Fight

Obedience Training

This alone will not stop two dogs from being aggressive towards each other. However, the control that owners gain over their dog through training can assist in both preventing and breaking up fights, as the dog is more likely to obey any commands given.

Body Language

Preventive action can be taken by owners who understand the body language and facial expressions of their own and other dogs.

Common Signs Of Aggression Or Dominance In Dogs Include

Slow and deliberate movements when approaching other people's dogs A stiff-legged walk and an enhanced profile Ears erect and the hairs on the back and neck raised A lowering of the head and extending of the neck forwards Tail horizontal or upright A direct stare Pronounced and frequent lifting of the leg and urination Growling, snarling or the curling of the upper lip

Walking The Dog

Some dogs will approach another dog, investigate and wait for a reaction from it. Others will attack without warning, or from behind cover. Little can be done when this occurs. When one dog is being walked on a leash and another not on a leash approaches, every attempt must be made to prevent the dogs from making contact with each other. The owner of the leashed dog should leave the scene with their dog by backing away, slowly and cautiously and keeping between the two dogs. Fortunately most dogs that are aggressive towards other dogs are not aggressive towards people. If the owner blocks their dog from the other dog, it may defuse the encounter.

Increasing The Distance

The distance from the other dog must be gradually increased, If the threatening dog follows, commands such as "Stay" or "No" should be given. Often dogs will obey these. Actions by owners such as turning their back immediately or quickly, striking out or moving forward and allowing their dog to challenge the other dog, may cause the offending dog to attack.

Breaking Up A Dog Fight

Separating two dogs that are fighting can be dangerous as not all known methods are effective with every pair of dogs. Dogs fight at different intensities and for different reasons. Learning how to avoid situations that can lead to a dog fight is better than having to break one up. Frequently one or both dogs will redirect their aggression towards the person attempting to break up the fight. Whether this is considered to be a dog attack on a person will depend on the circumstances leading up to the incident. Often dogs do not recognize their owners immediately in these situations and bite them when they come too close.

Owners in other instances can accentuate a fight by intervening, as the dog will then fight not only to protect itself but also its owner.

Techniques Separating Two Dogs

If there are two people available, both dogs should have their hindquarters lifted off the ground and then be dragged backwards by the tail. This will confuse the dogs and may cause them to relax their grip on each other. If the hindquarters are not lifted first, the dog may anchor itself by its front feet. Further injuries can then be caused to the other dog. In dogs without tails, the hind legs should not be substituted for the tail, as the dog can easily turn around and bite the person holding it. Grabbing the head or shoulders of one or both dogs is dangerous unless the person doing so can get directly behind the dog's shoulders and have the strength to control its head.

When One Dog Is On A Leash

The leash should be jerked sharply and a firm "No" given. This should be followed by the command "heel". If the two dogs break apart, the owner may be able to walk their dog away or keep it from the other dog. Releasing the dog from the lead and calling it whilst walking away is usually only effective in trained dogs that are involved in minor scuffles.

Using A Blanket

A blanket can be thrown over the heads of both dogs to confuse them. This may stop the fight and allow time for one or both dogs to be removed.

Distracting The Dogs

Throwing a noisy object at the dogs, or making a loud sound near their heads to startle them may gain sufficient time to stop the fight. A succession of commands such as "No" or "Stop" should be given at the same time.

Water

Water can be poured over both dogs, or squirted into their faces if a bucket or hose is readily available.

This past week I had an incident at my kennel that reminds me how important it is for everyone who works with dogs, or owns dogs to know how to break up a dogfight without getting hurt.

I will start with a warning. Unless you have a lot of experience do not try and break up a dog fight by yourself. Never step in the middle of two loving pets and try and grab them by the collar to stop a dog fight. If you try this, the chances of you being badly bitten are extremely high. People don't understand that 2 animals in the middle of a fight are in survival drive. If they see you at all, they don't look at you as their loving owner. When you charge in and grab them they either react out of a fight reflex and bite, or they see you as another aggressor. When they are in fight or flight they will bite you. You can take that to the bank.

Here is what happened at my kennel this week. The wife of a friend came to the kennel with her daughter. She told my secretaries that I had said it was OK to go in my whelping rooms to show her little girl our puppies.

I had never told her this. Anyway, that does not matter. When she left, she did not latch one of the kennel gates properly (this was also an employee mistake for not checked the gate).

Later, one of my kennel staff let another bitch outside. The first bitch jumped against her poorly latched kennel gate, and it came open. She ran outside and started a terrible dog fight. I had not told this young kennel person how to break up a dog fight in progress. He ran in and tried to grab both dog collars. He was bitten very badly in the forearm and hand before I could get on scene and break up the dog fight the correct way.

The safest way to break up a dog fight requires 2 people. Each person grabs the back feet of one of the dogs. The dog back feet are then picked up like a wheelbarrow. With the legs up, both dogs are then pulled apart.

Once the dog fight is broken up and the dogs pulled apart it is critical that the people do not release the dogs or the dog fight will begin again. The two people need to start turning in a circle, or slowly swinging the dogs (this could be difficult with a German Shepherd. Pat) in a circle while they back away from the other dog. This stops the dog from curling and coming back and biting the person holding their legs.

By circling the dog has to sidestep with its front feet or it will fall on its chin. As long as you slowly continue to back and circle, the dog cannot do any damage to you. To insure that the fight will not begin all over again when you release the dogs, one of the dogs needs to be dragged into an enclosure (i.e. a kennel, the garage, another room) before the dog is released. If you do not do this, the dogs will often charge back and start fighting again or if you release the dog too quickly the dog will turn and attack the person who had his feet.

Dog fights are a very dangerous thing to try and break up alone. You should never rush in and try and grab the dogs to pull them apart. They are in high "fight drive" and are not thinking clearly when fighting. If someone grabs them they will bite without even thinking about who or what they are biting. This is how your loving pet can dog bite the living crap out of you in about a second and a half.

In reality it probably doesn't even know it's biting you. I compare it to a bar fight. If a person comes up behind 2 guys fighting and just reaches out and grabs the shoulder of one of the combatants most of the time the fighter is going to turn and throw a punch without even looking at who or what he is hitting. This is because his adrenaline in pumping and he is in "fight drive".

The worst case scenario is that you are alone when a serious fight breaks out. There are a couple things that you must keep in mind:

Keep your cool you have a job to do.
Do not waste time screaming at the dogs. It hardly ever works.
Your goal is still the same; you must break up the fight without getting hurt.
Go get a leash (allow the fight to continue while you do this).
Dogs are almost always locked onto one another. Walk up and loop the leash around the back loin of the dog by either threading the leash through the handle or use the clip. I prefer the thread method.
Now slowly back away and drag the dog to a fence or to an object that you can tie the leash to. By doing this, you effectively create an anchor for one of the dogs.
Then walk around and grab the back legs of the second dog and drag it away from the dog that is tied up. Remember to turn and circle as they release.
Drag the dog into a dog pen or another room before you release the back legs.
Go back and take the dog off the fence and put him or her into a dog kennel.
Sit down and have a stiff drink (or two).

People talk about using cattle prods or shock collars to break up 2 pets that fight. I can tell you that many times this is not going to work. The electric cattle prod or electric collar will only put the dogs into higher fight drive. When they are shocked they will turn and bite the prod, or when they are shocked they will think the other dog is causing the pain and they will fight harder. An electric collar is best used in conditioning training, but not during an actual dogfight.

I had a friend tell me that using a stun gun works. Not to actually shock the dog, but just to hold it in your hand and allow it to snap. The sound of the electrical snap is supposed to cause the dogs to stop fighting. I will muzzle 2 of my dogs and let them go at it to see if this works. I will be surprised if it works on 2 really strong dogs going after each other.

A point I would like to make is that if you see two dogs out there squaring off through body posturing (i.e. one dog with stiff legs and tail straight up in the air putting his head over the shoulders of the other to show dominance) do not run out there screaming "NO NO NO!!!!" Most of the time this is going to trigger the fight. A lot of times dogs will posture and one will give in and back away. They settle their dominance issue without a battle. I NEVER, NEVER, NEVER recommend testing this situation. It's not worth the fight that erupts if you are wrong. But I can tell you of a couple of situations at my kennel where I went outside and 2 males were loose that I would have thought would fight to the death. Obviously they determined that today is not the day to argue. I also know that had I gone out screaming before they settled it themselves there would have been a nasty fight.

If you have 2 dogs that you are trying to get to live together it’s best to make them wear muzzles all the time. Try the Jafco muzzles I sell. They are cheap and effective for this work. With muzzles on you can safely step in and really get after the dogs. It's important to make sure the muzzles are properly fit and on securely. It's also a good idea to have the dogs wear 18-inch draglines. When one of the dogs even acts like it is going to challenge the other dog you need to get after it. If the dog shows any sign of aggression towards you, take it to the ground and ALPHA ROLE it. **** DO NOT EVER TRY AND ALPHA ROLE A DOG WITHOUT A MUZZLE ON!!!!!!

Remember that females usually fight with females and males usually fight with males. It's seldom that a male and female will fight. When a male fights with a female it usually a very dominant male who is displaying his dominance over the female and she wants nothing to do with it. I have had to gas one of my stud dogs twice when he got into it with a female who did not want anything to do with him. This usually is going to happen with a dominant male who is very self confident, and thinks that he is the pack leader. You will also have males with strong sex drive go after a bitch that is not receptive to them.

The bottom line on dog fights is that unless you are trained it is best to never step into the middle of them. In the worst case, let them fight. It may resulted in death or severe injury to one of the dogs, but it's not worth the damage it could cause to you if you make a mistake trying to end the fight.

DOG BITES:

A last word of warning. If your or someone you are with gets bitten and has to go to the emergency room, the most common treatment is to leave the dog bite wounds open so they can drain. They normally should not be stitched. The only time most doctors will stitch up a dog bite is if it's on the face. By closing the wound there is a much higher chance of infection. If the doctor that you see wants to stitch normal puncture wounds, ask for a second opinion. Because of my experience with police dogs I knew better than to allow my hospitals physicians assistant to stitch my employee. I voiced my concern but she insisted on stitching. I should have asked for a doctor's opinion. The wounds got infected and we had him back in the emergency room (at a different hospital) 2 days later. They took the stitches out, inserted packing and put him on "IV's " with antibiotics.

Feisty Females

By

Vicky DeGruy

Female dogs climb the canine corporate ladder with ferocious determination

Q: I am the owner of two fighting female dogs. These dogs haven't always fought. Until recently they've been very peaceful. However the last few nights as one growls at the other, another fight begins. One dog is a spayed eight-year-old Cocker Spaniel. The other is an unspayed three-year- old English Springer Spaniel. Is there any thing I can do to bring them back together? Would spaying the Springer be the answer? I don't want to give up one of the dogs. Please help!!

A: Although neutering male dogs can sometimes help prevent fighting, spaying females seldom has the same effect. Your problem is far from hopeless, though, and giving up one of the dogs doesn't have to be an option.

Dogs fight for many reasons and the most common, especially in dogs of the same sex, is a dispute over their status in the family "pack" Dogs were designed by nature to run in packs with a clearly defined order of authority from the top dog on down. As long as everyone knows his or her place and follows orders, life is usually peaceful.

With most dog packs, it's easy to see who's boss and how the rest of the dogs fit within the order. Watch your dogs interact -- which one takes the best toy, goes out the door first, gets to eat first and takes the best sleeping place? This is the "alpha" dog, the leader of the canine pack. The alpha dog achieves his (or her) rank by being smarter, stronger or sometimes just more domineering than the rest. Some dogs are born leaders, others fall into the alpha role because no one else wants the job. Most dogs don't mind holding a subordinate position and seldom challenge the alpha dog's authority.

Trouble starts when a lower ranking dog tries to move up the pack ladder or "forgets" his place. This can be a young dog entering his adolescent (teenage) stage or a subordinate pack member that senses the alpha dog is getting older, weakening or losing his authority.

The alpha makes and enforces the rules. Alpha dogs enforce their authority by the use of stern eye contact, growling, dominant body postures and if that fails, biting and fighting. If you watch your dogs closely, you'll see examples of this eye contact and posture in their daily activities.

Your dog's "pack" includes his human family as well as the other dogs in the household. You are alpha in this pack. You have the right to make the rules and it's up to you to enforce them. Hopefully, your dogs recognize your alpha status and you've reinforced it through training and consistent discipline. As alpha, you have every right to make and enforce this rule: "There shall be no fighting!"

It's always easier (and safer) to prevent a fight than to try to stop one that's already in progress. Very few fights start without reason even if that reason is only clear to the dogs. If you pay close attention to your dogs, you'll be able to see the beginnings of an argument -- a dirty look, a low growl, a shove -- and be able to nip it in the bud.

When you see one of your dogs "talking trash" to the other, correct her in a firm, deep, sinister voice: "That's enough!" or "Leave it!" If you enter the scene late and don't know who started it, scold them both. If you catch them while they're still thinking about arguing, you'll be that much more effective. If your dogs are a little more serious and aren't responding to your verbal correction, you can leave short leads on them so you can give them leash corrections. Don't be afraid to sound tough; you want them to understand that this behavior will not be allowed, period. Make it clear that if they want to fight, they're going to have to fight with you first!

If your dogs are fighting when you're not home, it's safest to keep them separated at those times. Most fights, though, occur in the presence of the owner and are a result of competition over attention, food, toys and of course, pack status. You can help prevent these disagreements by recognizing the highest ranking dog in your pack and favoring it with your attention. This is the dog you should pet first, feed first and let out the door first. Giving alpha privileges to a lower ranking dog, even if it might be your personal favorite, confuses the others and can lead to fighting. All the dogs will be more secure and comfortable with each other when they're clear on where they stand in the pack.

There are some dogs that just aren't going to get along no matter what. Some breeds are less sociable than others and some are known for fighting. In these cases, a permanent separation may be the best answer. This doesn't mean you have to get rid of one of the dogs. Those of us who keep multiple dogs including ones that don't get along are familiar with a system we jokingly call "musical dogs." One dog spends part of the day with the family while the other is crated, outside in the yard or in another part of the house. Partway through the day (or at any interval you want), you switch them. It's not as cozy as having all the dogs together but can be a very workable solution.

Obedience training for all dogs in the pack is recommended. If your dogs have already been through a class and understand commands, practice with them on a daily basis. A long "down" is great for cooling the heels of a rambunctious younger dog. A good drill is to put all your dogs on a "sit/stay," then call each one to you individually for attention or a treat -- the alpha dog first, of course!

Hope you have enjoyed this issue of the Newsletter. As usual, I would love for any of you to send me articles of interest, or at least give me some ideas.

Pat Embrey

THE (REAL) EDITOR AT THE COMPUTER

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