I had a mostly rotten night. I've been uncomfortable about one of the dogs in my class. She's a mutt, no way to know for sure what component breeds might be in her make-up, but I'd bet that one of them is Basenji. Maybe Shepherd/Basenji? Very smart dog, learns very quickly. But if the payoff isn't exciting enough, she just blows people off. Her handler is an 11-year old girl. The mother came to class and observed - and did some practice with the dog, at home - but the handler in class was very young. She, too, is very smart and learns quickly, but she just doesn't have the presence and physical strength to manage this dog. The dog's been learning and doing well on most things but it's all a game to her and when she gets bored, she does whatever she darn well pleases and screw you.
I've been concerned because whenever she doesn't like what she's being asked to do, she gets aggressive. It's a timid aggressiveness, but that's only because she's only 10 months old. As she matures, and gains the confidence of maturity, I think she could be a real threat. A few weeks ago I tried to check her teeth. It's a non-threatening thing, it's not painful, most dogs don't have previous bad experiences with having their mouths touched (they way they can with having their feet touched, nails quicked, etc.). It's OK for a dog to object, it's OK for a dog to pull away, but they shouldn't respond with their mouths. She didn't like it, she let me do it, then snapped at me - and connected, but didn't break skin - as I took my hand away. "I held still and let you do it, but you didn't get away with it." I had been thinking I'd have to have a talk with the mom, tell her I didn't think the dog was a safe dog, especially in a home with children whose friends come to visit. But it's hard to convince someone their dog is dangerous before the dog actually does something to prove it to them.
She got me tonight. We were practicing the grooming/handling section of the CGC test, in which the dog must allow the evaluator to brush/comb them and touch each front foot. She wasn't happy about me touching her feet, she growled and threatened. As I removed my hands from her she snapped at me. I ringed her snout with my thumb and index finger and said "oh no, I don't like that, not one little bit!" I removed my hand and started to stand up and she flew up into my face. Thank heavens she didn't break skin or I'd have lost half my upper lip. As it is, I've got a bruised lip and a bruised cheekbone. I'm probably going to have a shiner tomorrow.
So I had to have a talk with the mother. I told her I was going to say something to her tonight, anyway, but now any doubts I'd had about the need to do so were gone. I told her I didn't think the dog was safe, would not only not get better but only continue to get worse, and that I would euthanize her if she was my dog. I explained that she couldn't re-home the dog herself, that even if she didn't tell rescue groups about the dog's problem they'd discover it during a temperament test and they wouldn't take her. That the only really responsible thing to do would be to euthanize her themselves.
I gave her some reading suggestions (Jean Donaldson's books), and I also suggested she call Chris, and have Chris temperament test the dog. I told her that Chris is a well-respected expert in dog behavior, someone who knows the difference between fixable and non-fixable problems, and would give her an objective opinion, so she'd have as much information as possible in making her decision about what to do with the dog.
I don't know what they'll decide to do. It's a hard decision, especially since the dog belongs to the 11-year old, because everybody loves her. Sadly, sometimes love just isn't enough.
Of course, the rest of the class was shaken by the incident. I explained that if a dog is doing to have a dominance issue, I'm the one they're going to have it with. Same with Chris. A dog that's been able to dominate everyone s/he has ever met takes one look at me and knows right off the bat I'm claiming the pack leader position. That's when they say "oh, no you don't, bitch," and have a go at me.
(The un-rotten part of my night was Raven, my star pupil. Some dogs are fixable, Raven was one of them. He improves by leaps and bounds, the difference from week to week is clear. He flew through my obstacle course tonight, did everything he refused to do last term. Every last one of them. He's confident, poised, relaxed, and an eager worker, a completely different dog than he was just 3.5 months ago. Warms the cockles of my heart to see a basically good dog overcome an early lack of socialization and become the dog nature intended them to be. Makes me proud to have had a part in that.)
I was so grateful to have the tape of tonight's Dancing With The Stars to watch when I got home. All the brilliant performances tonight really lifted my spirits. For the first time, it's hard to pick a favorite to win based on dancing ability. I hate to see any of the remaining four couples lose.
2 comments:
I am the proud owner of a German Shepard Mix dog that I have had for ten years. I love my Doris very much but when she was young we had to deal with dominance issues. When she was around 2 years of age I could no longer ignore her problems because of my daughter being only 7 at the time. As a responsible pet owner and have a lot of experience myself training animals I knew something had to be done. Doris had the same issues as the dog you described. With German Shepards they do much better with one on one training in the beginning. To tell this family to euthanize this dog I find it depressing. If this was so true than Doris should have been euthanized years ago. With the help of a trainer who came into the home we broke Doris's main problems. The issue with the face will need to be established with the family. The family is the true pack in this animal's thinking. The other issue is that certain breeds such as German Shepards, Pit Bulls do not like their feet touched. I have always played a game with Doris when touching her feet. The face issue was fixed by me not the trainer. The trainer realized early on that Doris did not transfer Alpha Status to the trainer but to Me. Therefore as the Alpha Female I had to do most of the training with the trainer as backup. My trainer informed me that only very intelligent dogs do this. This could be the case of the Shepard Mix Dog. Doris's problems have been fixed and she has been in and around many kids and other animals with no fatalities. We have a total of two dogs, four cats, snake, three tortoises, fish and a Budgie. Doris like a person has her quirks but we love her. I hope you will let this family try one-to-one training in the home before considering euthanization.
Thanks for your comments.
I'm glad you were able to work through Doris' problems. As I said, some dogs are fixable. Some are not.
I am a professional trainer. I am also a long-time rescuer, trained in temperament evaluation. I have had experience with thousands of dogs. After having worked with this dog and her owners for the last six weeks, my professional opinion is that she is not safe and can never be made safe.
A dog that bites with the intention of hurting a human, rather than opting for any of the other alternatives available to him/her, is not a safe dog. Human life and safety must take priority over the life of a dog.
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