AVMA and AAHA Oppose Raw Diets

In August the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) had a conference in California. A policy was passed which stated their official opposition to pet owners feeding raw diets.

The amended text is in red. "Avoid feeding" was changed from "Never feed" to sound less bossy.

Raw or Undercooked Animal-Source Protein in Cat and Dog Diets
The AVMA discourages the feeding to cats and dogs of any animal-source protein that has not first been subjected to a process to eliminate pathogens because of the risk of illness to cats and dogs as well as humans. Cooking or pasteurization through the application of heat until the protein reaches an internal temperature adequate to destroy pathogenic organisms has been the traditional method used to eliminate pathogens in animal-source protein, although the AVMA recognizes that newer technologies and other methods such as irradiation are constantly being developed and implemented.

Animal-source proteins of concern include beef, pork, poultry, fish, and other meat from domesticated or wild animals as well as milk* and eggs. Several studies [1–6] reported in peer-reviewed scientific journals have demonstrated that raw or undercooked animal-source protein may be contaminated with a variety of pathogenic organisms, including Salmonella spp, Campylobacter spp, Clostridium spp, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus. Cats and dogs may develop foodborne illness after being fed animal-source protein contaminated with these organisms if adequate steps are not taken to eliminate pathogens; secondary transmission of these pathogens to humans (eg, pet owners) has also been reported.[1,4] Cats and dogs can develop subclinical infections with these organisms but still pose a risk to livestock, other nonhuman animals, and humans, especially children, older persons, and immunocompromised individuals.

To mitigate public health risks associated with feeding inadequately treated animal-source protein to cats and dogs, the AVMA recommends the following:

• Avoid feeding inadequately treated animal-source protein to cats and dogs
• Restrict cats’ and dogs’ access to carrion and animal carcasses (eg, while hunting)
• Provide fresh, clean, nutritionally balanced and complete commercially prepared or home-cooked food to cats and dogs, and dispose of uneaten food at least daily
• Practice personal hygiene (eg, handwashing) before and after feeding cats and dogs, providing treats, cleaning pet dishes, and disposing of uneaten food

The AVMA recognizes that some people prefer to feed raw or undercooked animal-source protein to their pets. The AVMA recommends that veterinarians inform pet owners of potential risks and educate them on how to best mitigate the risk of pathogen exposure in both handling the food and in managing pets consuming undercooked or raw animal-source protein diets.

The old policy can be viewed here to compare, which includes the sources cited.

Due to the uproar created when pet owners and raw feeders became aware of the potential for this policy, the AVMA responded in July previous to the conference:

The AVMA cannot, and will not, regulate what pet owners choose to feed their pets. If you already feed raw food to your pet, that’s your choice. This proposed policy is about mitigating public health risks, not about restricting or banning any products. Our policies are intended to present the scientific facts, which in this case are: 1) Scientific studies have shown that raw and undercooked protein can be sources of infection with Salmonella, Campylobacter, Clostridium, E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus. These infections can sicken pets and pet owners alike, and can be life-threatening; 2) unless a raw protein product has been subjected to a process that eliminates pathogens that can make pets and people ill, it poses a significant public health risk to both pets and pet owners. Our policies are based on a thorough review of the scientific literature and are drafted by veterinarians with expertise in relevant fields (in this case, public health).

It's pretty clear that the reason the AVMA opposes raw diets is because of the concern of pathogens spreading to and affecting humans. How valid are these claims? I was quite aware of the dangers of handling and eating raw meat because of the potential to come into contact with harmful bacteria and become seriously ill or even die long before I ever even heard of feeding raw meat to pets. Walk into any grocery store with a meat department and you'll see people grabbing packages of meat to take home. What happens when they use it? They touch it. They hold the meat so they can trim fat, or dredge it in flour, or form ground meat into burger patties. Then what? They wash their hands, knives, cutting boards, plates, counters, pans, and anything the meat could have come into contact with. Why would raw feeders be assumed to handle raw meat any differently? If anything, raw feeders are usually more aware of the potential hazards due to frequently handling raw meat.

Veterinarian Ashley Hughes, DVM spoke about the new AVMA policy to WUSA9 news. She says, "So if you have children in the house, or elderly in your house, or anyone who is immunocompromised, its dangerous to feed raw food." WHAT?! Is she serious? She seems serious. So what about handling raw meat for yourselves? Raw is so "dangerous" that children or elderly people or immunocompromised people should never ever be around raw meat? Sorry, no more steaks or chicken dinners if you are a child, elderly, or immunocompromised.

As Dr. Karen Becker says,

If “…bacteria is very difficult to get rid of, even with proper washing of bowls and utensils,” as claimed by Dr. Hughes, why aren’t millions of people across the globe being made ill all day, every day from preparing meals for themselves and their families?

There is also mention of coming into contact with potentially harmful pathogen from the dog or cat's poop. Have you ever scooped the yard or litter box and promptly licked your fingers? Yum! No. I bet the first thing you do is wash your hands because you're aware that poop can harbor dangerous bacteria, and you possibly have exposed yourself to such nasties by getting rid of the poop.


As if the AVMA policy wasn't enough, the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) revealed their "Raw Protein Diet Position Statement." You can guess what the reasoning is [bold added].

Based on overwhelming scientific evidence, AAHA does not advocate or endorse feeding pets any raw or dehydrated nonsterilized foods, including treats that are of animal origin.
Homemade raw food diets are unsafe because retail meats for human consumption can be contaminated with pathogens. Studies that have been done on both commercially available and homemade raw protein diets have found a high percentage (30–50%) of them contaminated with pathogenic organisms, and up to 30% of the dogs fed such diets may shed pathogenic organisms in their stool. Many of the pathogens found in raw protein diets can be transmitted to the human population by contact with the food itself, pet or environmental surfaces. A disturbing number of these organisms have also been shown to be resistant to multiple antimicrobials.
Raw protein diets are now demonstrated to be a health risk for several groups, including:

• The pets consuming the diet
• Other animals in contact with these pets or their feces
• Human family members
• The public

People at highest risk of serious disease from the enteric pathogens found in raw diets include those that are very young, old or immune-compromised. These are the very groups that are the focus of most animal-assisted intervention (AAI) programs. It is especially important that therapy pets involved in AAI not be fed raw protein diets.

AAHA is committed to the human community, the veterinary medical profession, our AAHA hospitals and the patients we serve in recommending the best known medical practices using evidence-based medicine. We value the relationships between our pets and their families, along with the positive impact that they have on the larger population, such as in AAI programs. Feeding a raw protein diet no longer concerns only each individual pet, but has become a larger community health issue; for this reason, AAHA can no longer support or advocate the feeding of raw protein diets to pets.

There is a lot of concern from the AVMA and AAHA about raw food diets harming people. How many people have actually become ill or died from feeding a raw diet? Ironically enough, one of the studies the AVMA uses to try to support their argument says no person has ever gotten salmonella from feeding a raw food diet [bold added].

“The increasing popularity of raw food diets for companion animals is another potential pet-associated source of Salmonella organisms; however, no confirmed cases of human salmonellosis have been associated with these diets.”

“To date, there have been no published reports of salmonellosis occurring in dogs as a result of exposure to natural pet treats.”

“To date, there has been only one published report of salmonellosis occurring in cats as a result of exposure to raw food diets. Septicemic salmonellosis was diagnosed in 2 cats that underwent necropsy at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia (Athens, GA).”

“To date, raw pet foods have not been associated with salmonellosis in humans; however, identification of Salmonella contaminated food and Salmonella shedding by pets that have been fed raw food diets should raise concern.”

With all this concern about the public's health, maybe the AVMA and AAHA need to make stances against dry kibble which have time and time again made people sick. From January 1st, 2006 to December 31, 2007 a strain of salmonella infected over 70 people in 19 states. Dry dog food was identified as the source. In June, 2012, the CDC posted their final update about a "Multistate Outbreak of Human Salmonella Infantis Infections Linked to Dry Dog Food":

A total of 49 individuals (47 individuals in 20 states and two individuals in Canada) infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Infantis were reported.

• The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (2), Arkansas (2), California (3), Connecticut (2), Georgia (2), Illinois (4), Indiana (1), Kentucky (1), Michigan (2), Minnesota (1), Missouri (3), New Jersey (2), New York (5), North Carolina (5), Ohio (3), Oklahoma (1), Pennsylvania (3), South Carolina (2), Texas (1), and Virginia (2).
• Among the 24 patients with available information, 10 (42%) were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
• Epidemiologic and laboratory investigations conducted by officials in local, state, and federal public health, agriculture, and regulatory agencies linked this outbreak to dry dog food produced by Diamond Pet Foods at a single production facility in Gaston, South Carolina.

Yet no person- including children, elderly, and immunocompromised persons- has ever been reported to have gotten salmonella from feeding a raw diet.

Oh and the AVMA and AAHA both failed to state or recognize that both dogs and cats naturally have salmonella in their GI tract.

To look deeper into why these pathogens are *not* a significant risk, see this post by veterinarian Dr. Jean Hofve: "But which, if any, of these organisms presents a real risk to pets, people, or both?"


Perhaps the AVMA and AAHA may have ulterior motives?

The AVMA is sponsored by Hills, and the AAHA is also sponsored by Hills. That is, Hills Science Diet. You know, that food your vet is trying to make you buy or even trick you into getting a "prescription" Hills food. Is that really a big deal for them to be sponsored by pet food companies? Really, it is. They are sponsors. They give to them. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. Hills pledged $1 million to AVMA in 2004. The AVMA in 2006, the 3rd year of a 5 year contract with Hills, was bragging about the Hills sponsorship. Then in 2008 when the contract expired, the "AVMA created a four-year “AVMA Platinum Partner Program” with Hill’s Pet Nutrition. The AVMA got more than $1.5 million from Hill’s, in exchange for promotional favoritism. This relationship is a clear conflict of interest with the proposed policy." [source]  Another big sponsor of the AVMA is Purina. You know, that food made by the candy company. No, not Mars which makes Pedigree. The other candy company. Nestle.

It's unclear whether those who had a vote and sit with the AVMA also have interests in pet food sales, as it's increasingly difficult to determine exactly who the people are atop the pet food companies. "Discovering who works for pet food companies has become more difficult since 1994." [source and an excellent, though quite dry, read about the pet food business]. Regardless, the AVMA and AAHA wants to keep their big sponsors happy.

The Delta Society is supported by Purina as well with Purina being "the premier sponsor of Delta Society". Guess who won't allow service animals to be raw fed. A strong link can be made when we see that on the board of directors is "Chair, Brenda Bax, Marketing Director, Purina". Sitting at the top of the board of directors is a woman who works for Purina. In some way I can respect the Delta Society's stance because it is a serious risk for a dog that has just eaten its raw meal to walk into a hospital and lick an immunocompromised patient on the mouth. Oh but wait. A dog that has just eaten kibble can also easily spread salmonella too! Remember all those recalls and sick people from dry dog food?? So we know that's not Purina's real concern.

Both the AVMA and AAHA have no science to support their claims of the pathogens from raw meat posing a threat to people. People handle raw meat all the time and do not get sick because they know the risks and understand how to handle raw meat and clean affected areas. Both the AVMA and AAHA ignore that dry pet foods make people sick. Both organizations clearly have big supporters that are manufacturers of dry pet foods. I think we know what's going on here. Healthy rawfed pets don't need $300 teeth cleanings. They don't need to buy "prescription" food or medications to control their IBS, chronic pancreatitis, allergies, dry skin, tumors, seizures and a host of other problems caused by or agitated by commercial pet foods. Vets are losing money, and so are the makers of commercial pet foods. Maybe they think these official policies will scare people aware from real species appropriate food and onto their corn-based expensive diets specifically designed for my small breed, 9 year old, active, allergy prone, dog with dry skin, and with X and Y conditions. Think again.


Edit: I want to really really stress the importance of being safe when handling raw meat. People do get sick or die from handling or eating raw meat due to the bacteria. No case has been directly linked to feeding raw to pets, but that does not negate the possibility that it could happen. Your veterinarian is good to mention the potential for infection. Raw meat, and processed diets as well as treats, do carry a risk. Please be aware, and be safe!

Mrrf

Diesel makes a lot of noises. He whines and grunts and snores and makes a "mrrf" sound. Even my huskies don't make so much noise!

Sometimes he will look at me and mrrf and whine. I'm not sure why. Boredom? Frustration? Attention seeking?

He also talks to Denali quite a bit, and sometimes they "sing" together. In this case there was an elk antler chew involved but sometimes they'll lay on the floor shaking their heads around playing "Bitey Face" as I call it, and singing to each other. 

Diesel often makes noises when he sleeps too. He snorts, snores, barks, and with those big floppy drool-filled jowls of his he sounds like a horse.


For the noises he makes, particularly the mrrf noise, we have taken to calling him Mrrfy (Murphy) as a nickname. He responds to it, but he's such a people pleaser that I'm sure he'd respond to any word if you said it excitedly!

Raw Treats

A very common question in sticking with a raw diet concerns treats. What kind of treats fit the diet? Most treats are based on flour and corn which are definitely not part of a species-appropriate diet. What to do?

It's all up to you. Personally I am not opposed to giving store bought treats that contain "forbidden" ingredients as treats I give are tiny (no bigger than the size of my pinky finger nail) and not a significant amount of the dog's diet. That said, I do try to find the best treats I can when getting store bought treats and I keep a close eye on treat recalls.

There is a way to stay completely raw and not use any cooked or processed treats. A small squeeze tube or bottle can be filled with ground raw meat and stored in the fridge. To reward the dog, simply squeeze the tube and allow the dog to lick up the meat that is squeezed out from the end. One of my favorite things about using squeeze tubes is that your hands stay completely clean! No funky treat smell! By using the tube with raw meat you also have in your hand a very high value treat that will help keep your dog's attention even in the most distracting and demanding environments. They are a great option for staying totally raw but there are some cons. The tubes or bottles may be hard to clean. A small bottle brush should do the trick. They may leak or break so be gentle with them and put them in an open tupperware in the fridge to prepare for potential leakage. They also must be kept refrigerated which eliminates the ability to have treats on hand in key locations for training such as at the front door, back door, and by the dog's crate. These are great for doing regular training sessions of 5-15 minutes long where the tube won't be out of the fridge too long and the dog is being frequently rewarded. Remember you are handling raw meat and while you may not directly come in contact with it, you are still in its presence and should wash your hands after using these. If your dog licks you after taking some meat, he just licked bacteria onto you! [Note: You should also wash your hands after handling store-bought cooked and processed treats too!]

Here are some examples of squeeze tubes; these are from REI but you can find similar products in most any store that has a pharmacy or camping section, or with toiletries and travel sized items.

For me, squeeze tubes are a wonderful idea but are a bit impractical for most situations when I need treats. If they'll work for you then go for it!

Another option is dehydrated or fridge-dried treats. Dehydrators are expensive for my taste and can be difficult to clean but you can make wonderful treats out of liver, other organ, or thinly sliced meat. To make fridge-dried treats, cut the meat or organ into treat-sized pieces or thin slices. Put them in the fridge on a plate, baking sheet, or a tupperware. Do *not* cover them. The bacteria that makes meat gross and rotten is anaerobic, meaning it thrives when no oxygen is present. Keep the air flowing! Nothing bad will happen to it or to your other food. If you live with other people you definitely want to make them aware of your project so they don't accidentally eat it or use it. After 3-5 days the meat or organ should be nice and dry. When it's dry enough to rip apart, it's ready. Keep in mind this is still uncooked meat, so again you should wash your hands after giving these treat.
Here are a couple different kinds of dehydrators.

Cooking the meat is also an option. Most common seem to be liver treats and chicken. For liver treats: Boil water. While it is heating up chop the liver into chunks. Put the liver in the boiling water for about 10-15 minutes until it is no longer pink. Preheat the [toaster] oven to 200* F. Drain the liver, and you can rinse it if you want. Spread the cooked liver on a baking sheet and let them bake in the [toaster] oven for about 20-30+ minutes until they are dried out. You can take them out when they are still "chewy" or leave them until them are crunchy. Then cut them into treat-sized pieces. These should be stored in the fridge. For chicken, simply cube boneless chicken (no bones!!) and boil it or fry it in a pan. You can choose to cut the pieces up further, or simply break them up into smaller pieces as you give them.

Liver Treats
ehow.com

Cubed Chicken
4littlefergusons.wordpress.com

I've also used people food. For a long time in agility class with Denali I used cut up hotdogs. They were slimy, smelly, high value treats that she loved working for. Cheese and peanut butter are typically great motivators as well and often used as high value treats. Some dogs work best for carrots or bananas even!

Recently, I most commonly get store bought treats. I avoid corn and byproducts as I am not comfortable feeding those ingredients but it's pretty much impossible to avoid flour. Most treats also have sugar, and many have soy (Vitamin E/mixed tocopherols) as preservatives. So why do am I okay giving these treats, hotdogs, cheese, and peanut butter? These type of treats are definitely not in line with a raw diet. I clearly support a natural diet so why bend the rules so far for treats? Because treats are for training! I want to give something special and high value. As previously noted, they make up a very small part of my dogs' diet. I give tiny pieces of treats, often breaking a dime-sized treat into at least 3 pieces. I'm not concerned about a little flour or sugar or such in treats as long as I'm convinced that treats are of decent quality as a whole.


Please choose treats that you are comfortable feeding, whether they are raw, cooked, "people food," store bought, or whatever else. Below are the treats I currently give, but these are by no means the only treats you can give. I chose these treats because they have acceptable, though not ideal, ingredients for my standards. They have also never caused any tummy upset or loose stools for my dogs. Many lower quality treats will cause these issues.


Currently my favorite choice for treats are the Pet Botanics Healthy Omega Treats (the Salmon variety, I haven't seen the others in store but I would try them) which I buy at Petsmart and cut each treat into into about 6-8 pieces. Ingredients: Contains salmon, sweet potato, codfish, cane sugar, glycerin, salt, potassium sorbate and mixed tocoherols (vitamin E). [EDIT 10/23/2012: These treats are a product of China and I will no longer be giving them to my pets. The Chicken treats mentioned below are manufactured in the USA but I will be looking into where the ingredients are obtained.]

From the same company I also buy the regular Pet Botanics Training Reward Chicken Treats which I break into at least 3 pieces, usually 4. I prefer the salmon to these but will get these when salmon isn't in stock. (The beef variety I only bought once as it turned the dogs' poop orange.) Ingredients: pork liver, barley flour, whole grand potatoes, sucrose, chicken, potato starch, glycerine, wheat bran, gelatin, rice flour, flaxseed, salt, natural smoke flavor, garlic powder, phosphoric acid, potassium sorbate, mustard, citric acid and mixed tocopherols

I also have Natural Balance Roll-A-Rounds Crunchy Lamb Formula Treats which are easily smashed and broken into little pieces. Ingredients: Lamb, lamb hearts, lamb kidneys, lamb lungs, whole wheat flour, rice flour, lamb fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and ascorbic acid--source of vitamin C), sucrose, whole ground flaxseed, etc [lots of supplements, vitamins, and minerals].

I often use the Crunchy treats for basic obedience sessions and rewarding daily behaviors, and use the Pet Botanics treats for agility, when teaching new behaviors, and rewarding for outstanding responses to known behaviors.


 There you have it. If you feed raw and want to stay raw for treats, you have that option. If you're like me and don't mind bending and breaking "rules" when it comes to treats, that's fine too. I'm of the opinion that when it comes to treats do what works for you and your dog. Treats are not a major part of the diet, so ignoring some of the "rules" of a natural diet for convenient and motivational treats is fine by me.

Feeding Wild Game (and Roadkill)

Most raw feeders get most if not all of their meat from grocery stores, butchers, abattoirs (slaughterhouses), and the like. Some are fortunate enough to get wild game by hunting or from people who do. I say this is fortunate because the whole idea of feeding raw is to feed as naturally as possible. What is better than wild, naturally fed game then? Another bonus is that, as far as I'm aware, it is illegal to buy or sell hunted game in every state in the US which means this meat is always free.

What wild game can be fed? The best are things wolves would naturally eat. Deer (venison), elk, moose, rabbit, squirrels, and even poultry like turkey, quail, and pheasant.

Since wild animals are obviously not kept pest-free it is wise to freeze them solid for at least a week or so before feeding it to your pet. The Mayo clinic states freezing meat for at least 12 hours and fish for at least 24 hours kills tapeworm eggs and larvae. I like to freeze wild game solid for at least a week to be on the safe side. Remember the clock doesn't start until the meat is frozen solid.

What should not be fed? Wild bear and wild boar (pigs) may not be wise to feed due to the risk of trichinosis. Bear in colder climates may have a cold-resistant strain that is not destroyed by freezing. Do not feed bear from Alaska, Canada, or the northern US states. Bear from lower states is probably fine but personally I'm not sure I would take the risk. Wild boar, common in the southeastern US and Hawaii, are also carriers of trichinosis. Trich is destroyed by cooking so to put meat to good use you can turn it into treats for your pets by fully cooking it and turning it into little pieces of crunchy goodness. I would never feed it raw.  Other animals I avoid include opossums, racoons, and skunks. I'm not sure what would eat a skunk anyway but rabies is a concern. Opossums are known to often be completely infested with parasites such as fleas, ticks, and all kinds of worms. While freezing would technically kill these parasites I wouldn't want to feed it. I also am opposed to feeding carnivores to carnivores and would not feed animals such as mountain lions, coyotes, ferrets, wolverines, etc. While wild wolves are scavengers who would take advantage of any carcass they come across, and are even known to cannibalize and eat members of their own species, the vast majority of their diet consists of herbivores and omnivores.

What parts of the animal can be fed? Pretty much everything. Personally for large game like deer or elk I might remove the intestines and bladder but some dogs will eat it. It's a bit smelly and neither offers much in terms of nutrition so I'd ditch it. For smaller animals I'd leave them completely whole and intact. Even the heads of larger animals are great. The head offers nutrition in the brain, eyes, and tongue. Antlers make great chews for dogs. My dogs even eat the feet of deer! All organs and meat are good. Reproductive organs can also be fed; uterus and penis are fed as meat, and testes and ovaries are fed as organ. Sometimes the animal may be a pregnant female. It is great to feed the fetus. No reason to waste anything!

What about roadkill? I have never fed roadkill but I know of quite a few people who do. It's free meat, and it is perfectly fine to feed in the right circumstances. I know the reaction of most people is "What?! Ew!" but the basic thought is this: if a hunter had shot it would it be ok to feed it? If the answer is yes, pick it up. There are guidelines to follow though. First is to contact the police department or whoever is in charge of clearing roadkill. There is often a legal procedure and sometimes even a waiting list to claim roadkill. You can let them know you want any fresh roadkill for the meat and organs and even have them contact you when there is a fresh kill. Fresh is key. Do not pick up roadkill to feed if it is old and rotting with maggots crawling through it. Wild canids may take advantage of such a carcass but you do not need to risk getting your dog sick. Some dogs may be fine with it but others may not be. Some dogs bury their regular food and dig it up days later to finish it. Personally I don't like feeding anything that I wouldn't want to eat myself. Fresh meat, sure, but not rotting meat.

Animals that have been hit and killed are fine to feed but if it was splattered and crushed and looks like a murder scene it may be wise not to feed it. It's all up to you and what you are comfortable feeding and what the context and situation of the kill is. If the kill is full of glass and debris and oil, don't feed it. If a deer was smacked and broke its neck, why not take it and put it to good use? As with hunted meat, it's fine to feed fetuses as well.


Be safe and use common sense about feeding hunted game and roadkill. If you're not comfortable feeding it at all then don't! If it's old, smelly, rotting, you suspect the animal was poisoned, for any reason at all you don't want it then don't take it. You don't have to feed wild game.

Diesel's Box

Diesel is a smart dog. While he doesn't fit with us, stresses Kaytu, and it will be better for everyone when he goes to a new foster, I know that he is definitely smart. I decided to try "101 Things To Do With A Box" with him. I haven't even tried it on the girls yet but it seemed like the perfect game for him. The basic idea is that it's a clicker training game where you "capture" a behavior by marking it with the click, and then the behavior can be "shaped" by requiring a slight change in the behavior already being presented. [Note: The clicker must be "charged" first so the sound has meaning to the dog.] At first, you mark (click) when the dog even looks at the box. Then you start requiring the dog to touch or interact with the box in some way, and then build on that. After several sessions when the dog has caught on to the game the rules change so that the dog has to do something new with the box each time. Only new behaviors will be marked and rewarded each time. This can initially be frustrating for the dog as behaviors that were previously rewarded no longer work. The dog will catch on and come up with all kinds of interesting things to do. All on their own! Dogs are intelligent and perfectly capable of figuring out ways to train their humans to give them treats. There is no luring or physically touching the dog in any way, and it's good to limit using your voice as well.

I grabbed a shallow box about 10"x13" and about 3 inches deep, and armed myself with a bag of pea-sized treats and my clicker. I picked this box because it's relatively small but big enough to interact with. It also has big flaps to interact with.

I confidently placed the box on the floor and grinned. Diesel looked at me, his forehead wrinkled and one bottom tooth sticking out. He licked, a behavior I've previously taught him. No reward this time! He licked again. Then he licked again. He sat down and licked and smacked his jowls about another 7 times. No reward, that's not what I want. Should I help him? No! I crossed that thought out of my head. He would look at the box eventually, I just had to be patient. Minutes passed. He licked a little more, he walked around a little, and mostly he sat and stared at me with that wrinkled forehead. I admit to poking the box with my foot twice to get him to notice it. He didn't seem to care anyway. I knew I really didn't want to lure him so I didn't try to help him again. Eventually he turned his head to his right, away from the box. Then he looked left, directly at the box. Click! "Yes! Good boy!" and a tasty treat. He did it! It took over 5 minutes which feels like an eternity of waiting when all I was doing was staring at him, but he did it. Within the next 5 minutes he figured out the box was magical. Every time he looked at the box I would click, tell him Yes or Good, and give him a treat.

He was sitting face-to-face with me, the box on his left. He'd look at the box, click, treat, look, click, treat, look click treat, several times then he'd stop and look at me. I remained silent except for my verbal marker and praise after each correct behavior. After pausing for 5-10 seconds to look at me he would look back to the box. He's got it!

Soon he was not only glancing at the box, but holding his gaze to it for a second or two. Time to change the criteria! Any time he held his gaze or leaned toward it I would click and reward. A quick glance was not enough any more. If he leaned in or stuck his head down to it I would click and reward with several treats and excited petting. He is a very affectionate dog who loves petting, it's the ultimate way to show him he was a good boy. It wasn't long before the criteria changed again and he had to touch the box with his nose or mouth.

He was already guiding the game and choosing the path by using his face to interact with it instead of his paws or body. At this point, using his face, he has many options. He could try to push or pull the box along the floor, pick up the box, press down on the box, lick the box, whatever he wanted to do.

He was offering two different behaviors and I was marking them both. I was wondering if he would get confused, combine the behaviors, or choose one over the over. The first behavior he offered was using his nose to push down on one of the flaps. Every time he pressed the flap with his nose, I clicked, said Yes or Good, and gave him a treat. He experimented and found out that this game worked on every single flap! What a smart boy.. he tested! Was it only one flap that worked, or was it all of them? My jaw dropped the first time he tried a different flap then looked up at me with his even more wrinkled, head slightly tilted and ears forward as if he was asking "This one too?" 

He started pushing down harder on it sometimes and each time he did that he received an extra treat or two as well as petting. Gradually the criteria was changing from touching the flap to pressing it down with force. At the same time, he started mouthing the edge of the flaps- easily shaped into picking up the box and I just couldn't ignore it, so I marked and rewarded it the same way as I did the flap press. He would put his lips around an edge. He never progressed to trying to lift, push, pull, or do anything else, and his teeth never touched the cardboard (which was now very gross and slimy). Unless he offered something new on his own, the behavior could not progress to something new.

While marking these two behaviors he suddenly offered a new one. He gently lifted his paw and put it on a flap. I clicked and rewarded him, and cheered him on and pet him. I tried for several days to teach Diesel to shake and could never get him to lift his paw, and here he does it on his own with no lure! He is thrilled with himself and immediately stomps on the box again. "I like this game!" He stomps on the box several more times without offering any other behaviors. As he stomps harder, the box begins to sometimes flip up on its side. How fun! The criteria has now changed and he must step hard enough to flip the box up. He figures this out quickly and is rewarded each time.

While initially a new behavior is rewarded excitedly with petting and bonus treats, the behavior becomes mastered and I gradually give less of a reward by giving only a click, Yes or Good, and a single treat.

I don't think he likes that. Again, he chooses a new behavior on his own even though he is being consistently rewarded for something else. Why would he do that?? I'm honestly not sure why he would unless he figured out that new behaviors are more rewarding. He tentatively lifts his left paw and places it in the bottom of the box. He looks up at me with that extra wrinkly face, head slightly tilted. "What about this?" I click and reward excitedly with petting immediately.

Once again he is thrilled with himself, and once again he offers this new behavior several times in a row without offering any other behavior. Then he stops, looks at me, and pees on the floor. No, that behavior is NOT one I'm looking for. I get him outside asap and clean up the floor. I know better than to stop training. He is a smart dog. What if he thinks training isn't over until he pees? That would be an awful habit to create! I bring him back inside and stand by the box. What will he do?

He gently steps on the flap and looks up at me. Nope, not good enough for a click! You have to make it flip up. I give the first verbal encouragement of the session. "Mhmm," and a slight nod. He stomps on it. He goes back to stomping on the flap to make the box flip up and does this several times. Then he tries placing his paw in the bottom again, which I click and reward. He goes back and forth between the two. For a while he does both about equally but he starts doing more stomps to flip the box on its side than placing his paw in the bottom. It's always his left paw he stomps with or places in the bottom.

I decided to stop as we'd been going for a good half hour by that point. That's an extremely long training session for something new and I had not planned on doing that to him! My initial goal was to get him to touch the box with some part of his body. Once he started to figure out the game he was so engaged and so happy with himself that I couldn't stop. I wanted to know what else he could do! I chose to stop when I did because I didn't want him to get bored or disinterested, and a break is definitely needed after that long.

I set up the video camera to record this whole thing but of course the batteries died about 2 minutes in when all that had happened was me standing there with Diesel sitting in front of me staring and licking his chops. I'll charge the batteries and try to record what happens next session.