charpei or pointer? sweets gets buzzed!

Sweets was up to her usual morning routine- sniffing in the pasture, doing her "duties" and getting rowdy with our lab guest, Montana. Everything was okey dokey....Then we're on our way back up to the house and she spots a rabbit- game over!
I'm yelling her name, scooting Tater into the house...ahhh. All my brain is thinking is "DON'T CROSS THE STREET" to that little known land, where she risks driving cars and a buffet of other critters to chase I'm sure. I run to the front of the house, the rabbit darts in front of me and Sweets is nowhere to be seen. SWEETS!!!!!!!!! And just like that, I'm reassured by the sound of rustling bushes. There she is- Old Faithful sniffing the scent of her now long gone bunny.

So we get in the house, I go about by business and come downstairs and notice she's pawing her face. Double take.
HOLY SH&**T what happened? Her muzzle is swollen about 5 times it's size, she looks no longer like the friendly rabbit chasing pointer and more like a dog that got mugged on her way to the woods. All I can think is Spider bites, snake bites....turns out, yellow jackets. There were no visible insects, no immediate reaction and poof! swelling about 20 minutes after the incident.
Turns out the Vet is seeing lots of this lately. So buzz beware!

Houston we have a problem

If there is one thing you can count on with your companion, it's that their behavior is always changing. That dog that was happy and easy going 6 months ago, may not be the same dog that is walking beside you today.

As your dog gets older, things that have become well rehearsed or have become a part of their behavioral repertoire, are likely to stay in place or intensify. So, what to do when your notice a mole hill is becoming a mountain?

Denial ain't just a river in Egypt
Behavior is behavior is behavior. Stop making excuses for what you're seeing. If you've been saying...."he must be tired or crabby today", "that other dog started it", "it wasn't his fault", it's time to give it up!

What behavior is your dog exhibiting that concerns you?
It's now time to get clear about what your dog is doing that you don't "agree" with. With my dog Tater, it's "posturing and growling at other dogs when greeting".

Is the behavior appropriate in context?
For example, if Tater as growling when a dog approached him frontally, barking lunging, then his response would be appropriate, in the context. However, if the context is the other dogs is soliciting social contact and he is growling and posturing- then, in my opinion, then it is not an appropriate response in the context.

What now?
Well, now that we are over the Denial stage, we're gathering our collective history in my memory.
Here's what it looks like thus far....
1. Tater was always cautious and tentative around dogs- with his older sister, it took about 2 weeks for him to begin to play.
2. His appropriate response when conflicted is/was to sit down- appropriate.
3. Greeted at least 5 dogs prior to 10 months that were not socially savvy and he was scared in response
4. On hikes- rarely had the opportunity to greet dogs, and has barked at dogs in the past
5. When greeting dogs in the past month- stops about 10 feet short, gets stiff, still, hackles up and unsure of how to proceed. With puppies (males in particular) he will freeze, hackles up and growl- this has happened about 5 times.


Next Steps- the most important part!
1. Management-
Limited opportunities to practice this behavior with dogs and only controlled greeting with Ghandhi dogs.
2. Remedial Socialization-
For the next two months were going to intensely work on his reaction to greeting dogs on leash- only ghadhi dogs- dogs that will do everything RIGHT and not respond or get hooked by any posturing/growling:
Leeloo, Yumi, Jean's dog and Acacia (tons of butt sniffing) and Denise Bash's Peanut- a true Ghadhi.
3. Practiced greetings with our fake dog (facing away, then sideways, then front facing greetings)
4. Consider or schedule neutering- as with any intact males response- their reactivity will be more intense due to hormones (according to K. Overall).

Houston, we have a problem!
If you have concerns, jump the gun! Really, don't wait for something nuclear to happen to then determine that your dog is now in the danger zone. The earlier you can manage and modify behavior, increases your odds of success long term!

no magic wands

Even as a trainer I think it's easy to want to tell people what to do, or to expect them to do what you recommend based on your authority. But, everybody will choose to do what they want. And it's really okay. The more I've been "in the game" the more convoluted things seem to be. We're all looking for that call from a owner of a 4 month old puppy that nips and jumps. And it seems those calls are farther and few between. I've been seeing several clients whose dogs who have anxiety issues, which almost always require medication. And it got me thinking, what percent of our dogs have now joined the pill popping nation?

Legitimately the medication IS what will make a difference for these dogs, so I don't question that as much as I wonder what would we have done with dogs that had these issues 20-50 years ago? Would they run off the farm not to be seen again?
Would we just accept that they'd rearrange our pillows and shred our garbage? I've heard several speakers say this and even a client the other day, "when I was a kid, all the dogs just ran and found a buddy in the neighborhood to run with, then they'd come home at night". Not with our fences- post and rail and underground. Our dogs stay within the confines of their rather boring back yards. Our leash laws have created a whole category of aggression too.

My friend Kevin came into town for a visit. When he's around, we make up corny songs, sign a lot, laugh while we rehash old times and eat too much. We did all that. And, he tells me about all the good music I've been missing. He's a funny character, and uprooted himself from Alexandria to move to Portland. With all of our assumed "busyness" we haven't seen each other since he moved. And that seems to be the "norm". For some it's kids to raise, geography or working. We're buried behind our laptops, blackberries and pda's- all "important" and unconnected.


When I was a kid the dogs would just roam the neighborhood and find their own dog friends. Somewhere along the way we are tethered to our own imaginary leashes.

Leave the yard.