K9 Clicker Blog

Most of my posts concentrate on dog aggression or behavioural dominance.
Every now and then I come across a case that encompasses a new challenge. This case is definitely one of the most unusual.

I received a call from Pamela one Friday afternoon. The conversation went along the following lines. " Hi Paul, I got your number off Julie at the dog's trust. I have 2 dogs named Bonnie and Jasper. Jasper is fine most of the time but Bonnie has started snarling at my 11 month old daughter and she snapped at her the other day.We've had some training advice in the past but we were unable to keep up with it because of our busy routines. I really feel that it may be better if we could find a good home for Bonnie as I'm terrified she bites my baby. We also come down every morning to find a terrible mess in the office where the dogs sleep. My husband Steve walks them both for around 45 minutes every night but they still mess in the house"

I agreed to see Pamela and to be honest I had almost resigned myself to the fact that we would have to rehome Bonnie. I had mailed Julie at the dog's trust saying "I'm very hands on with most things but I refuse to put a baby's life in danger. If we need to rehome this wee dog, so be it".

I arrived at the house to be greeted by a couple of noisy dogs. I introduced myself to Pamela and Steve and I began to discuss the ins and outs of the co-existence of dogs and babies in the same household.

I could see that the thought of rehoming Bonnie was ripping their hearts out and I was attempting to manage their expectations and guilt. I explained that sometimes it can be best for dog and owner to part company. I referred to Mary with little "Jake the peg nipper" who have forged a super relationship and are as happy as can be. I felt the best I could do was to try and be responsible and stop the baby getting hurt.

I noticed that all the time I had been chatting to the owners, Bonnie had been hiding in the office and had occasionally been popping her head out and having a snarl and a few nervous barks. I was just about to leave and I had an overwhelming urge to look at Bonnie. I knew I had to assess her so I mentioned to the owners that I should take her outside to get a feeling for the kind of home that would be suitable for her.

I walked Bonnie outside with Steve and performed some loose lead training. I was clicking her when she kept pace with me. I noticed that this nervous wee soul was transforming before my eyes. I noticed how alert she was and how she was now walking with her neck arched and her ears up. She was obviously enjoying the mental stimulation and attention.

We returned indoors and I decided to try something. I asked that her mat be placed at the side of the sofa. I placed a house line on her to ensure that the baby was not going to be put in any danger. I started to click her for sitting on the mat beside me. Bonnie appeared to be quite happy to sit and be rewarded for sitting on the mat. Suddenly this "no hoper" wasn't looking that bad and I had a feeling that we may just be able to do something. The owners appeared to be quite happy to give Bonnie another chance so I advised them that Bonnie should not be permitted to run away into a room at the back of the house and snip and people. I advised that Bonnie be encouraged to sit on her mat when both Steve and Pamela were at home. My hope was that Bonnie would learn to tolerate the baby being handled by Pamela and be happy to be involved in family life. Obviously she would be treated for sitting and staying on her mat while the baby toddled around the room. The real objective was to make Bonnie face up to reality and deal with the fact that the baby will receive more attention than her. The other side is that she would be rewarded for exhibiting good behaviour and still be a valued member of the family.

Next step was to have a go at tackling the messing in the office. This type of behavioural problem is really difficult to cope with and most owners are extremely intolerant of it. There is nothing worse than knowing that you are going to be "welcomed" by a terrible, smelly mess first thing in the morning. This is especially true when you are making the effort to ensure that the dogs are being exercised regularly.
The situation in the office was that one dog slept in an open cage and the other dog slept in a dog bed. My advice was to lock one dog in the cage so we could establish who was making the mess.
I worked with the family via email for a few days where we made a few minor adjustments and eventually we discovered that Jasper was the culprit. We subsequently realised that Jasper would not eliminate in his cage if he was locked in. As time progressed both dogs started sleeping in the cage and as I write this I understand that the office has been mess free for over 2 weeks.

I also worked on allowing the dogs to bark once when the doorbell rang but to place them behind on a line while I answered the door. I rewarded them for being quite and sitting while I answered the door.

So the first visit had been quite fruitful and I had learned "never say never" and always to give things a try. The owners were keen to continue. I had proved my worth and by this time I had my heart set on trying to stop this clever, misunderstood wee soul being dumped into a rescue centre with the label of "not being good with children"

So we set up another visit. Things had definitely improved around the house. Bonnie was much more content and was sitting happily on her mat when I entered the room.

I chatted with the owners and I could sense that Pamela was still not convinced that keeping Bonnie was the correct thing to do. Incidentally, it was apparent that this was causing Pamela a great deal of stress and upset. I don't like upsetting people and I hate to see anyone crying. I knew I had to try and get to the bottom of things so I asked Pamela a few questions about how she felt and what would make things better for her. There were a few fundamental issues that emerged. The first was a deep maternal protectiveness that was only natural. Pamela had been frightened when Bonnie snapped at the baby and she was not prepared to let this happen again.
The other resounding factor was that Pamela was under pressure looking after the baby, phones ringing, dogs running around, trying to do housework and all the other usual distractions. On top of this, I was requesting that the dogs be stimulated mentally and physically throughout the day and this all just seamed too much for Pamela to handle. The fact that she had to ensure that Bonnie was never left in the room alone with the baby was just another responsibility that Pamela could do without.

I decided that the only way forward was to build up the relationship between Bonnie and Pamela through very short 2 minute sessions scattered throughout the day. I walked out with Pamela and showed her how to train Bonnie to follow her on a loose line. Pamela and Bonnie performed very well and both appeared to enjoy the experience.

The next step was to attempt to stop Jasper barking and whining when the phone rang. This was a weird one and I had never encountered anything like this before. Whenever I come across a new problem I try to put myself in the dog's place. Suddenly it dawned on me. Pamela had been letting Jasper outside to run around the garden when the phone rang. Jasper had come to associate the phone ringing with grabbing his toy and getting released into the garden. He had discovered that whining or barking got him released into the garden quicker.
My first move was to remove Jasper's toy. This would be the first step in breaking his association with the phone ringing and him being released. I then started clicking him for running to his bed and sitting. Next step was to get Steve to make the phone ring. Within a few minutes Jasper was associating the phone ringing with him being rewarded for sitting in his bed. This is known as a replacement behaviour where we use the same trigger but create and shape a replacement outcome. As time goes by, the dog associates the trigger with the replacement behaviour.

My next visit was to get Bonnie involved with normal day to day activities. I had my son Louis with me along with super stooge dog Lulu. I showed Pamela how handle dog aggression. I then showed Pamela how to train Bonnie to walk along side the pram. This would allow Bonnie and the baby to go for walks together and would help strengthen the bond between Pamela and Bonnie.

This encounter has introduced me to lots of new behavioural problems and taught me how to appreciate the emotional anxiety that a baby can excerpt on owners and dogs.
From a dog's point of view, babies can destroy the bond that has been established between them and their owner. It is understandable why some dogs attack babies in a bid to "remove the problem". Owners need to ensure that the dogs don't feel too left out by ensuring the good times and great.

My job was made easy with the help of 2 really nice owners who had the dog's best interests at heart. Hopefully with a little work, the owners, dogs, and baby will be able to co-exist in harmony.

Caroline called me some time ago to discuss her little jack russell cross named Jack. Jack is completely deaf so conventional training techniques have little or no effect. Jack was showing aggression towards young children and appeared to be capable of inflicting serious damage.

The big issue with this little terror was that his behaviour was intermittent and unpredictable. Jack would get himself upset at the sight of strangers or young kids and go out his way to target them. I had initially advised hand signals and target stick training for Jack but I had not seen him personally at this point and to be fair Caroline had already trained him to hand signals and had completed the good citizen bronze award scheme.

A few weeks later I got another call to say Jack had attempted to have a go at a young child. I agreed to see Jack at the "Bark in the Park" day in Lochgelly. I met Caroline in the park and Jack appeared to be fine. I walked him across the field and waited for him to pull or go in front of me. As soon as he stepped in front of me I turned and watched him. As soon as he offered me the behaviour I was after I rewarded him and tapped my foot to give him a marker (a marker is a positive acknowledgement).

I repeated this a few times to let him understand what I was looking for. I then asked Caroline to bounce a ball.(In the past Jack had turned aggressive when he saw a large football) I leaned to him and comforted him. This sounds a bit freaky but I sent him pictures of me protecting him against the ball by thinking what the picture would look like of me standing between him and the ball. This is the part that I do that most other trainers do not do. I do this a lot and it's my way of assuring him at HIS level that I'm his protector and pack leader. As soon as I seen the signs of him offering trust I moved closer to Caroline. I repeated the reward and the soft hands to comfort him. As he trusted me more and I moved closer again until I had totally desensitized him to the ball. I had offered him leadership and protection and I had lived up to my contract and protected him for this big ball getting bounced about.

Jack is a tiny dog in a huge world full of frightening things and he just has no confidence in the handling or signals he has received so he feels he has to stick up for himself.

My advice at that time was :

• Walk him for 5 - 10 minutes 2 or 3 times a day alone on a lead.
  
• Do not allow him to walk in front of you. (make sure you reward him when he offers you behaviour.)
  
• Reward him for turning with you and keeping pace with you.
  
• Make him wait for you to go through gates and doors before him and reward him.
  
• Don't allow him to interrogate visitors.
  
• Make him wait in his bed or place until the visitor is seated before he is allowed in the room.
  
• Reward him for waiting in his bed.
  
• Do not allow him to charge around the garden and bark.

I agreed to visit Caroline and see what was going on around the house. Jack gets possessive about things in the house and takes great pleasure in stealing an article, e.g. a clothes peg, hiding under the table and not giving it back. My solution was simple. Every time he steals something walk away from him. reward him when he comes to see you, pick him up and pick up the object he's stolen. Job done - no hassle, frustration or bad tempers.

Jack likes to get out to the garden and tear round about it barking furiously. My advice is to make him wait by blocking his entry to the garden and give him a hand signal to release him. Allow him to run in the garden but keep a long line on him so control is maintained at all times and reward him for coming when instructed.

I walked out with Caroline and Jack. Jack passes a fence where another dog lives and he usually gets all uptight and aggressive. I walked to the fence and started treating him each time he turned away from the fence and looked at me. He was totally desensitized to the "danger" behind the fence within a few minutes.

We returned home and Caroline brought a large toy that Jack had gone berserk at previously into the living room.

I placed the toy on the floor and stood between Jack and the toy. I looked for the "see me" behaviour and treated. Jack is food orientated so I was able to desensitize him to the toy very quickly.

My observations indicate that Jack's thieving and possessive behaviour is occurring simply because it is being permitted to happen. Jack's aggression is a by product of him being allowed to dominate in the house. Jacks aggression outdoors is a result of him being allowed to dominate indoors. This is a classic example of the dog assuming a high position on the pack and feeling he has no option but to defend his territory.

The difference with this case is that Jack's dominance is not clearly visible at first glance because he is not displaying the usual dominant signs like jumping on coaches, protecting food etc. However he is constantly creating and winning battles and taking part in acts of defiance.

Jack's aggression needs to be addressed by controlling undesirable behaviours while building confidence and protection. Simple aversion techniques coupled with consistent handling will provide good results.

I'm always biased towards dogs but I don't think this wee guy is bad. If anything he is clever and cunning and needs good, strong, solid leadership.

I received a call from Margo who was at her wits end with her 2 year old "old time bulldog" bitch named Anouke.

Anouke had promoted herself to senior management within the household and was willing to defend her status. Anouke was getting possessive about certain articles around the house. She was also deciding what and when she ate, as well as where she slept.

To make matters worse, Anouke has a fear or a dislike of traffic which makes it difficult to disperse all the built up aggression and tension via exercise.

There were a few facets that were different about this case. Firstly I've never encountered an old time bulldog. I'm not sure if this is a registered breed or just a fancy name for a staffy,bulldog, boxer type crossbreed. Nonetheless, Anouke is a pretty girl and full of character and I don't want to blame her behavioural issues on breeding. Secondly I noticed that Anouke had a very strong stubborn attitude. This dog was used to getting her own way and she was not about to relinquish her status of top dog without a fight. 

I performed my usual body language scenario when I entered the house. I then walked Anouke out to the garden. She immediately turned and attempted to haul me into the house. I mean haul. This bitch is an absolute power house and as stubborn as anything I've seen. I had to be firm with her and stand my ground. I refused to let her pull me. I then walked her outside making her pass the gate and I just refused to let her have her own way. Each time she let up from pulling me I praised her.Each time she attempted to bully me, I forced her to walk in the opposite direction.
I then walked her into her garden and asked her to sit. I could see the change beginning to happen and I didn't want to antagonise her just for the sake of it. I offered her some food and some water and some kind words but she wasn't forthcoming. I asked her to wait and walked up to the back door. Each time she moved I returned her back to the spot and asked her to wait. To be honest she was pretty good.
I then walked her inside and placed her in a corner in the living room. Whenever she moved I placed her back.
She then made a move to jump on the sofa. I immediately pulled her off the sofa and marched her outside and made her wait. I then brought her inside and repeated the exercise.
All this was just to let her see that there was no future for her when she was dominating the household. I was praising her when she was delivering the behaviour requested but I was demanding and I was not tolerating any misgivings.

I explained what I was doing to Margo and Chris. To be honest their only crime is that they love her too much and are not experienced in handling a dominant little power house like Anouke.

My advice is simple.

• Anouke does not get the run of the house.
• Margo and Chris sit on the sofa, Anouke sits on the floor.
• Anouke gets her food issued and the bowl gets lifted after 10 minutes regardless of whether the food has been consumed.
• Anouke will be ignored if she seeks attention by jumping up etc when anyone enters the house. Anouke will be praised after she settles down.
• Anouke will wait and let her owner pass through doorway ,gates etc before her. She will be praised and treated from being patient.

All these measures are simply to reinforce the owner's status and hierarchy within the human pack. Anouke will soon learn that it's more fun obeying her owners than trying to dominate them.

Summary

I did see a lot of boxer characteristics in Anouke. She's a real character and I've no doubt she could be very lovable and humorous. My honest opinion is that she's just a mixed up wee soul who is in need of careful management. Anouke doesn't want to be leader. She feels she has no choice but to take over and defend the realm.

Is Anouke a dangerous dog? I don't want to imply that the breeding has anything to do with the behavioural issues that have occurred. Anouke has the capability to inflict damage if she's allowed to rule the roost but she's no more dangerous than any other medium sized dog who has been allowed to promote itself to pack leader.

This dog feels she has no choice but to take over and defend the realm.

All I'll say is she's been used to getting her own way and the owners will have to be vigilant or she will resort to her old traits.

Is Anouke in danger of being aggressive towards her owners? - No I don't think so. I genuinely think Anouke is confused and has been picking up the wrong signals from her owners. I think she now knows her place and I expect her to improve dramatically if my advice is adhered to.

Is Anouke aggressive? - No she's not. She shows no aggression towards other dogs at all. Also she's did not appear to be interested in approaching other people when I had her out. In fact I'd say that all her aggressive tenancies have been centered around territory,possessions and pack status. This is purely a result of inexperience on the handlers part and not a flaw in the dog.

I'm quietly confident about this one. I think Margo and Chris genuinely want to work with Anouke and mend the relationship. I received an update today and things appear to be progressing nicely. All the best guys - you deserve it.