About forty percent of the dogs I work with are “rescue dogs.” In its widest interpretation this just means that the dog came from a rescue organization or directly from a previous owner. These days there are so many “rescue” dogs coming up from the southern states that I’ve taken to calling it the “underground railroad.” A stricter definition of rescue would be those dogs that are difficult to place due to age, behavior, or physical disability and are therefore destined for destruction if they don’t find a new home quickly.
Vicki - One of Our Rescued Dogs
Our last three dogs have been “rescues.” Zach was a five year old Airedale. He was available because of a divorce, and when I first got him he thought that running away was the highest form of recreation known to dog. Vicki was a 14 week old American Staffordshire terrier who was available because of nervousness about her breed. Our present Airedale Dazz, we got as a four-year old. He was unhappy that his owner’s lives had gotten so busy with jobs and a new child that there was little time for him. He had taken to expressing his displeasure by pooping in the baby’s room, among other things. None of these dogs had been abused; they just needed some consistent, coherent training to become really wonderful companions.
Dogs that have been badly neglected or abused can present more of a challenge. I remember one German shepherd whose novice breeder had not interacted with the pups other than to feed and clean up after them. As a result they became feral, and this poor dog was terrified of everyone. Fortunately, her owner was determined (dogged you might say) and patient. And then there was the beagle who had been a laboratory animal. She had no expectation that humans could interact with her in any sort of coherent way at all. Again, a patient and persistent handler along with some thoughtful training made the difference.
A dog that has been abused will often exhibit fear aggression or severe timidity. Not surprisingly, a dog that has been used for fighting will often be dog aggressive. A neglected dog might simply be socially retarded or might have more serious issues like distrust, separation anxiety, or claustrophobia. Although such dogs often require more time and patience, the recipe for success is the same; we must convince the dog that their world really is a safe, sane, and predictable place where he or she has certain reasonable and clearly defined responsibilities. Dogs thus rehabilitated often reward their masters with lasting loyalty and affection, but it’s important to be realistic going in and to expect that you’ll probably need to do some serious training with the help of someone who’s been there before.
Recently there was a cartoon on the cover of The New Yorker magazine that made me smile. It was a drawing of a man in a bathing suit sitting in his beach chair a few feet from the water’s edge pointing his remote control at the sun. Similarly the movie “Click” depicts a man who can control the people around him with his hand held remote. At one point when his dog is barking he simply turns down the volume to a less obtrusive level. There’s no question that on some level the idea of easily controlling all aspects of our lives electronically is appealing. In reality, things aren’t so simple.
E-collars for dog training are widely available these days, and people sometimes think that they can avoid the time and expense of training a dog by purchasing one. Not so fast. Unless you know exactly what you are doing with a remote collar, you can make a dog confused, anxious, and mistrustful.
Not long ago, I started working with a client who has a young, exuberant, and somewhat opportunistic German Shepherd. Jumping and mouthing were two of their problems, so they borrowed a remote collar from a friend. At our first meeting the woman remorsefully confessed that they quickly realized that the dog had no clue what he was being zapped for, so they stopped using it. Good for them!
A friend of mine who owns a grooming salon told me of a situation with one of her clients that didn’t turn out as well. For some time she had been advising this client to get some training for their out of control Golden Retriever but to no avail. One day these folks showed up at the salon with an e-collar on the dog. My friend did notice a change in the dog’s behavior but not for the better. This dog, who in spite of his rowdiness, had always been amiable, started growling at her. Not good!
E-collars are not bad in and of themselves, but like any tool you need to know what you’re doing before using one. Dog training is about much more than control. It’s about building trust, responsibility, and a rewarding relationship.
In 2006 I had the privilege of participating in a mission trip to Uganda and Tanzania. You may be asking, “What on earth does this have to do with dog training?” Well, we were blessed with an experienced team leader named Jim who had a great sense of humor. One thing that amused Jim was watching newly minted missionaries trying to make themselves understood in English to somebody whose native tongue was Buganda or Swahili. As the level of frustration rose, invariable so did their voices, as if by talking louder they could make themselves easier to understand. This would go on until one of them would look over at the next table where Jim was laughing himself silly. At that point there was nothing left to do but laugh with him and try again in a more thoughtful and considerate way.
Dog training can be frustrating sometimes for similar reasons, and a common response is to yell louder. Since we are tying to communicate with an animal who’s native language isn’t spoken language at all and who’s hearing is 16 times as good as yours or mine, this is not likely to succeed. Many times when I ask my clients what they want to accomplish with the dog training, I get the reply, “I just want my dog to listen!” When I delve a little deeper, I often find out that they want their dog to listen when they tell him to stop doing something like jumping on the counter or chewing something he shouldn’t. At that point I ask, “Wouldn’t it be better to just teach him the rule and be done with it?” For some, this possibility is a revelation. You see, the dog doesn’t have a hearing problem; the dog has an understanding problem.*
The technique for teaching dogs simple rules like not chewing, mouthing, or jumping is simple and it’s usually the first order of business with a new client. Many are amazed at how much more they enjoy life with their dog when repeatedly yelling at him becomes unnecessary because they’ve learned a clear way of communicating called the “Out” Correction. And that was just their first session!
*(some Dalmatians excepted)
Lance is a very fearful dog and this fearfulness translated to aggression whenever he was confronted with a person or dog that made him feel threatened. When his owner started working with me he was on 40 mg. of Prozac a day. Fortunately, not too far into the training his owner left him for a few days with her close friend who is very knowledgeable about dogs. The friend took Lance off the Prozac, and it was beginning at that point that he really began to progress in his training.
The problem is that when a dog is on drugs, he just isn’t himself. I don’t know all the science behind it. Maybe his synapses aren’t firing correctly or something, but in any case, it can severely hinder the training process. In addition it’s difficult to tell whether the drugs or the training is causing the observed changes in behavior. Even those who advocate the use of such drugs will tell you that in order for there to be a lasting benefit, training or behavior modification needs to be part of the regimen.
I’m not willing to say that drugs should never be part of the solution to a behavior issue, but I do think that as a general rule, if you can skip the dope, you’re better off.
Many times I’ve heard clients say “My vet, a friend or a website said that you should make sure that you can take your dog’s food away so that he won’t be ‘possessive’ or exhibit ‘guarding’ behavior.” So said client dutifully goes about confiscating his dog’s food several times in the course of a meal, as if this were some sort of magic ritual to ward off the evil possessiveness spirit.
Well it doesn’t exactly work that way. Taking your dog’s food, bone, or toy away may indicate whether or not you have a possessiveness issue but it sure won’t prevent one or cure one. In fact, even a patient dog may grow weary of the ritual and begin to grumble after awhile (wouldn’t you?). Since most dogs aren’t “guarders” my suggestion is that you don’t worry about it unless the problem presents itself. If you want to do something to pre-empt the problem, try occasionally dropping an especially yummy morsel into your dog’s food while he’s eating. This creates a positive association with your presence near his bowl during meal time.
If possessiveness or guarding behavior does rear its ugly head, there are probably some more serious underlying issues. It’s quite likely that your dog has come to think of himself as your equal (or boss even) so we need to begin a program to start changing the way he looks at his world. This is a recurring theme when dealing with behavior problems.
