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Don’t wait until the breaking point to seek out help for a ‘bad dog’
By Pet Connection Staff
November 10, 2009
In this week’s Pet Connection feature, Dr. Marty Becker and Gina Spadafori are tired of getting email about “the farm.”
What farm, you ask? The one where many imagine their unmanageable dog will be welcomed, along with countless others. A farm where dogs run leash-free, with no children to bite, no cats to kill, no home or yard to destroy, and no nearby neighbors to hear the barking, barking, barking.
“We can’t handle our dog anymore,” someone will write to us desperately. “We need to find him a home on a farm.”
Of course, no such farms exist. The responsibility for correcting your dog’s behavior problems rests solely with you. His quality of life is at considerable risk — and likely his very life: Dogs with serious behavior problems whose owners give up on them are often euthanized after adoption efforts fail.
It doesn’t have to be that way. While some behavior problems aren’t fixable, most can be. To accomplish such change, though, you have to be prepared to put some time into changing the situation. Quick-fix, halfhearted efforts are doomed from the start.
Find out what does work here.
Dr. Becker and Mikkel Becker Shannon say cats are getting shorted when it comes to the health care budget:
Cats receive only half of the health care protection that dogs do, according to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association. In another study by the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA), pet owners with at least one dog and one cat in their household said they were more attached to the dog than the cat by a 3-to-1 margin. A third of pet owners surveyed believe it’s more critical to take a dog than a cat for a wellness exam with their veterinarian, an alarming statistic as cats are less likely to show signs of sickness or pain than dogs.
Want more? Read the entire Pet Connection for this week, or download the PDF file exactly the way we send it to our client newspapers!
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I just went through this with someone I’ve known over 40 years. He’s 76 and bought 2 maltese puppies that are now about 2.5 yrs old. The male recently began biting people who entered the house, pooping inside and barking “too much, too loud”. He emailed me that he was going to euthanize the dog. I’d read the message early in the morning and immediately called his cell phone which of course was turned off. Left him 3 messages before I had to leave home for a short while. Even then, I called him while I was out. When I got home, he’d left me 2 messages. I called again several times and still could not connect. Later that evening we did manage to talk and he said he canceled the euthanasia, had spoken directly with the vet and she’d advised him to speak with a behavorist. In the meantime, I’d checked the internet for various pet psychics, behavorists, rescue groups, fosters, in Fla (I’m in MI) who could help this situation. I kept emailing and phoning. Well, he didn’t want to spend the money. Aaaaghhhhh. He loved the dogs, especially the male that he wanted to euthanize but his lady friend, also elderly, with lots of medical problems, was saying it was “too hard” to care for the dogs. He put ads in the paper. Finally a woman who lived down the street from him, and who worked for the local Humane Society, (the dog bit her too), found a local couple who took both dogs.
I am so angry! First of all, where was his common sense to get 2! puppies! when he’s in his 70’s!!! He’s not home much during the day, and travels to MI several times a year to visit his family and friends. Told him I’d have taken the dogs but have 3 of my own. (Sigh, if he had been willing to foot the expense for getting them here….)But, I’m elderly too and the Schnauzer I took in is a handful in himself. When he told me his ladyfriend was complaining she couldn’t watch the dogs when he was gone, well, that just made my head explode. I hope, hope that he told these people the male is a nipper and I pray that they won’t >get rid of himbecause they can’t have a dog who bites<. It makes me tear up just writing this and thinking of that poor dog.
Comment by VJ — November 10, 2009 @ 5:59 am
So sorry my comment is so long. Had to tell someone who thoroughly understands.
Comment by VJ — November 10, 2009 @ 6:00 am
Gina, this article does a grave disservice to readers in proclaiming a false dichotomy between the lowly “trainer” who runs cheap group obedience classes at the local Y and the exalted, degreed “behaviorist” who solves your dog’s behavior problems.
Most professional trainers these days offer private consults and lessons to address behavior issues. It’s how most of us make our living. As with any profession, techniques and approaches and results will vary. But the emphasis will be on changing the dog’s behavior, generally by educating the owner to change himself.
Anyone can call himself a “behaviorist,” and IME, anyone does. Might be someone with a doctorate in the sex habits of lizards, might be someone who has a shrine to BF Skinner in the parlor, might be a DVM with a script pad and a copy of Dodman’s book, might be a high school dropout who charges double the going rate and attempts to fling ten-dollar words at simple problems. (The latter often proclaiming herself to be a “behavioralist” — ‘cuz more syllables means more fancier ‘n stuff.)
I am proud to be a trainer, proud of my hard-earned professional credentials, including NADOI endorsement, proud of my professional mentors who have all worn the badge of trainer, proud of my pro bono work with rescue, proud of the thousands of owned dogs with serious, potentially home-losing behavior problems I have helped with training. Not just kept in their homes, but helped to become the companions of their owners’ dreams.
I am always annoyed when a newspaper article elevates the mythical “behaviorist” and explicitly or implicitly denigrates my chosen profession. This time I am also shocked to see it coming from you, who should know better and serve the interests of your readers and their pets more thoughtfully.
Comment by H. Houlahan — November 10, 2009 @ 7:10 am
Noted, and of course you are correct. The point we were trying to make is that there is a difference between the person teaching group classes in the middle of the big box pet-supply retail store and a professional who really knows her stuff, like you and our own Liz Palika.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 10, 2009 @ 7:48 am
true, but they could START with the local petstore or kennel club or shelter classes. Not everyone who teaches those classes is a dolt, and not everyone with a NADOI endorsement is a genius.
Most places don’t have “NADOI endorsed” trainers (or certainly not the rare-to-mythical veterinary behaviorist).. Most places DO have “someone who knows more than the clueless owner and might be able to give him a clue”.
Most behavior problems are readily solved. If the owner truly wants to solve them. (which may not be the case, of course)
Comment by EmilyS — November 10, 2009 @ 8:26 am
As Christie says, when you’re in a hole, quit digging.
I hereby put the shovel down. :)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 10, 2009 @ 8:35 am
People STILL believe in the mythical doggie retirement farm???
I LIVE on a farm, and trust me - there’s even less room for bad dogs out here in the country than there is in the city. See how long your badly behaved, roaming off leash, aggressive and untrained pet lasts if it starts to harass sheep or other livestock.
As for the barking, sounds carry even further out here, and no one wants to be the ‘jerk with all the barking dogs’. The only thing that carries faster and further out here than barking is gossip…
Comment by FrogDogz — November 10, 2009 @ 9:24 am
As for the barking, sounds carry even further out here, and no one wants to be the ‘jerk with all the barking dogs’. The only thing that carries faster and further out here than barking is gossip…
Comment by FrogDogz — November 10, 2009
So I’ve heard. :)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 10, 2009 @ 9:51 am
The only thing that has worked with me is training and more training and spending time with your pet. Teaching your dog to down and relax and stay and leave it. Sometimes problems seem overwhelming and then it takes real dedication to solve them.
I feel sorry for the dogs when people don’t take the time to adequately train them. Poor dogs.
Comment by Snoopys Friend — November 10, 2009 @ 9:54 am
90% of the dogs surrendered to shelters for behavior problems had ZERO training.
I don’t have the citation handy but I heard that stat at an animal law conference. I think it came from a national vet association study.
Comment by Mary Mary — November 10, 2009 @ 11:48 am
Mary Mary, Here’s the citation
http://www.petpopulation.org/behavioralreasons.pdf
The study focused on reasons given for why dogs are relinquished to shelters. It found that 71% of dogs relinquished to shelters had been taught basic commands by somebody, according to the dogs’ owners.
The study also found that:
90% of dogs had not been taken to OB classes
93% of dogs had not been trained by a professional dog trainer
93% of dog owners or their family members had not received individual instruction about dog obedience
Oddly, dogs reportedly relinquished to shelters for non-behavioral reasons were just as likely to be in the aforementioned categories as those relinquished for behavioral reasons.
Comment by LauraS — November 10, 2009 @ 2:00 pm
I’d take the relinquishing owners’ report about “basic commands” with a large block of freshly-mined salt here.
“My kids useta be able to get Cocoa to sit for a milk bone.”
I think that the fact of having gone to class or a professional trainer is a stand-in for something else — owner involvement and commitment.
So I’m not real surprised that dogs relinquished for non-behavioral reasons present the same “training” profile.
Comment by H. Houlahan — November 10, 2009 @ 2:08 pm
A number of rescues I’ve fostered/rehabbed had been taught to occasionally respond to commands… But their general overall lack of socialization, basic manners and boundaries, combined with a general lack of attention and exercise, made the ability to sit or down when the mood was right utterly useless.
Many people do not get that you can teach a trick or a behavior without actually training a dog to be a good companion in any way.
After the dog has learned to walk politely on a leash, respect basic boundaries and come to terms with being a house dog and behaving civilly, those previously taught commands do come in handy. :-)
Comment by JenniferJ — November 10, 2009 @ 2:52 pm
“After the dog has learned to walk politely on a leash, respect basic boundaries and come to terms with being a house dog and behaving civilly….,”
I believe in training and I have one dog that is almost beyond hope - almost. He is going to formal training soon and I have made a dedication to work with him with no idea how it will all end. For certain if he isn’t taught, he will be put down by someone so I can’t give up now. He just now is learning not to bark all the time and that was a big deal. His first year of life, he was kept by a rather cruel hunter and taught only to chase prey - lived on a chain.I don’t know what the outcome will be, if I will be successful in molding his nature to acceptable behavior but I am giving it my best short. He is a black and tan coonhound. I think he got such a raw deal in life and when I rescued him he had deep gashes and sores in his neck from being choked out or teased - he was used to hunt bear. He’s my project and I hope I can help him become more civilized.
Comment by Snoopys Friend — November 10, 2009 @ 3:05 pm
What Heather said.
Comment by Linda Kaim — November 10, 2009 @ 4:25 pm
I’d take the relinquishing owners’ report about “basic commands” with a large block of freshly-mined salt here.
I share your skepticism about what this “basic commands” training entailed, but that’s not my point. We need to be careful not to misquote the findings from the study, which is a mistake I’ve made in the past.
The findings from the study do not support a statement that “90% of the dogs surrendered to shelters for behavior problems had ZERO training.” FWIW, the study found that a majority of dogs relinquished to shelters for behavior problems had training in “basic commands”, whatever that means.
This “basic commands” training might have been next to nothing — perhaps a few sessions of food luring into a sit or down. Or maybe the owner shouted words that the dog had never been trained to understand. Or maybe the dog was taught a couple of tricks, but wasn’t taught basic manners.
I think that the fact of having gone to class or a professional trainer is a stand-in for something else — owner involvement and commitment.
While the study found that 90+% of dogs relinquished to shelters had not been taken to an OB class or a professional trainer, I suspect that a large majority of all pet dogs who are never relinquished to shelters have not been to an OB class or been taken to a pro trainer.
Comment by LauraS — November 10, 2009 @ 4:29 pm
As a Certified Dog Trainer and a Certified Behavior Consultant (non-veterinary) with lots of education and experience and as Gina said - bites and scratches - to get me to this point; I can say that the vast majority of people who do call me for behavioral help have not trained their dog. Or their definition of training is very different than mine.
We’re working with the Marines on Camp Pendleton, too, to help their dogs pass the CGC so they can remain on base and have the same problem there. We ask the guys, “Has your dog had any training? And then we refer them to the AKC CGC website so they know what the CGC test is. The guys ALWAYS say yes to training but then the dog arrives at the training yard on a chest harness, walking on his back legs, jumping on people, and lunging at other dogs. I take one look and tell them their dog is no where near ready for the CGC and they get all defensive.
SIGH…….
Training is more than sit, down, and stay. It is time spent with the dog, a relationship built between dog and owner, a sense of cooperation between the two, and a feeling of compliance from the dog. Training is not just for dogs; it is for dogs AND their owners.
Comment by Liz Palika — November 10, 2009 @ 4:49 pm
When I sell a puppy or place one of my older dogs, I generally require that the new owner (and their dog) attend training classes. I’ll put it right in my contract, actually. I think it’s critical in establishing a rapport with a dog, in building his confidence in you and in himself, and simply in having a dog that takes commands.
My breed doesn’t have a lot of rescues, typically, but the ones we see are almost all seniors. People ask all the time, “how can someone just give up a dog they’ve had for 7-10 years?” It’s simple, he pees on the curtains, nips at visitors, etc. The owners did not lay the groundwork through basic socialization and training; so, the dog has been kept in a crate, not socialized, not trained, and the owners never really bond to the dog, as a result. Owners get to the point where they’re redecorating or moving and realize the dog is going to pee on the new stuff for another 5-8 years or they really wanted a dog that was more ‘sociable.’ The senior dog goes to rescue with a host of problems.
I have a 15 year old rescue I took in as a foster 5 years ago. He had been through 2 shelters, 2 rescues, and 3 homes because he was never housebroken. It took about 10 minutes before we went from “Foster” to “Forever.”
Comment by Carolyn H — November 11, 2009 @ 5:03 am
Carolyn,
How would you define “socializing?”
I have noticed that when I bring up that word around dog owners, they talk about taking their dog to a dog park.
And I see this on Craigslist too, from backyard breeders selling puppies. “Raised with kids.” I assume that means being exposed to 2 or 3 children in the immediate family.
But these folks don’t seem to equate “socializing” with exposing the puppy/dog to a wide range of people in a wide range of circumstances.
Would you agree this is part of the confusion?
Comment by Mary Mary — November 11, 2009 @ 6:48 am
The other aspect of “socializing” that people miss is that it does not simply involve *exposing* the dog to people and situations outside of those available in the immediate home. “Socialization” also includes teaching the dog that acceptable behavior is required when said dog meets those people and encounters those situations outside of the immediate home.
Comment by The OTHER Pat — November 11, 2009 @ 7:26 am
The eight weeks the ZinKuties were here, socializing them was a full-time job. The best part: Taking a litter of six-week old retriever puppies to a sunny coffeehouse patio on Sunday morning. Funny how many people will help! LOL! I also had the two best puppy-wranglers in the world to help us on that morning: Dr. Kate Hurley, head of the Shelter Medicine Program at the University of California, Davis, and Jennifer Fearing, head of the HSUS in California.
The smiles at Peets that morning … well, it can be safely said that the ZinKuties made everyone’s day!
One of my happiest memories of raising McKenzie’s litter, that morning. :)
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 11, 2009 @ 7:31 am
Gina,
Your descriptions of socializing that litter — such as when the gas company repair guy was in your neighborhood — was very educational.
I haven’t seen a litter of puppies since high school. Any new dogs that have joined my home or my friends’/neighbors’ have been shelter rescues, usually at least nine months old.
“My” litter resulted when my dog, a stray, got pregnant and had 10 puppies. I wasn’t allowed to keep her in the house and she had “21 gentleman callers” one day when I came home from school. She ran away shortly after they were weaned and I never saw her again.
Anyway, I digress.
Comment by Mary Mary — November 11, 2009 @ 7:45 am
<>
And MY ZinKutie spent the second 8 weeks of his life going to work at a canine rehab clinic 3 days a week where just about every client that came in commented on his confidence and social skills. And how darn cute he was!
Comment by Katie Bruesewitz — November 11, 2009 @ 7:51 am
Among other socialization “chores,” we took the Pipovers, age six weeks, to our caving grotto’s annual family picnic. About a hundred people, about 20 of them kids. Their mother and German shepherd “aunts” also came.
They had an x-pen for naps and quiet time, which I had to guard constantly from the kids, and some of the adults.
Socialized? Ya think?
Nothing makes you more popular than showing up to a party with ten six-week-old puppies. We actually took them all out of the crates at the edge of the parking lot and had them follow us like ducklings a hundred yards or so to the picnic area.
The biggest problem is explaining that they aren’t for sale. Well they are, but not to just anyone. No, I’m not saying you’re “just anyone.” Aaaargh!
Comment by H. Houlahan — November 11, 2009 @ 8:13 am
Jennifer will back me up on this: Several people that morning thought I had brought the cute Lab mixes to sell to anyone who walked up and wanted one, as is common outside your nearest WalMart hellcenter.
:::head exploding::::
Comment by Gina Spadafori — November 11, 2009 @ 8:19 am
Mary,
I’m a breeder, not a professional trainer, but my experience - particularly with my breed- is that puppies need to meet and greet a wide variety of people (different ages, races, etc.), places and things in a positive, controlled manner for them to react controlled, positive manner to people places and things. It’s also an ongoing process that you can’t stop when puppy starts looking like a grown up.
What’s been said in the prior comments pretty much covers all the bases. One point I try to always keep in mind is that a good chunk of ‘temperament’ is the dog’s innate personality. Nature certainly plays a roll. You can socialize and train certain dogs until the cows come home and they’ll be ‘good’ but never great. On the other hand, my old guy who’s been abandoned 5 times is as sweet and good natured as the day is long.
Carolyn
Comment by Carolyn H — November 11, 2009 @ 9:29 pm