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The following questions
arrived in email. My answers follow. The names have been changed.
Will my dog revert to her old habits after
professional training?
QUESTION:
Hi
thank you for getting back to me so quickly this is a terrible
situation.....everyone is telling me to euthanize Elsa. It is horrible. I have
one major concern... what if she reverts back t o her old ways? what are the
chances? God forbid she bites another child and it is more harmful than
before... I cant live with that either. Do you have any suggestions or opinions
on the situation? I need all the help and guidance i can get...
ANSWER:
To answer
your question about whether Elsa will "revert" to her old ways, I will say that
dogs are a reflection of their relationship with their people. You can take
your automobile to get a tune up, but if you fail to keep the oil changed and
full, or do not monitor other vital components of the engine, or worse, are
inattentive while driving and crash your car, it has nothing to do with whether
the vehicle was properly "tuned up" when you left the dealership.
Dogs are
even more complex, of course, than are cars. So, they require attention,
appropriate feedback, and then need to receive information in the manner which
bests serves them.
People
often ask if our service is guaranteed. To that I must reply that we will be
able to show you evidence that your dog received proper management, exceptional
socialization and impeccable training. We video tape much of what we do. So,
there won't be any doubt that your dog was properly handled while here. We also
spend 3-5 hours at the pick up appointment with the owners, explaining our
methods, showing them, coaching the owners with their newly trained dog. We
also provide a 27 page booklet of information that reiterates and supports what
we explain during the pick up appointment. We also video tape the pick
up sessions. So, we can guarantee that you will be educated and you will
understand the information and the techniques and that your dog will work for
you and respect your authority.
We cannot
guarantee what people do once they leave here. My very worse case of this
phenomenon was when we trained a Golden Retriever named Chuck. He arrived here
so afraid, so unhappy in his own skin that he didn't know whether he was coming
or going. His owners had first fostered him (as part of their rescue), then
chosen to adopt him. He was described as "dog aggressive", but we were able to
address that issue very quickly because we use a "balanced pack" method. Chuck
blossomed while here and I actually grew very fond of him. At the pick up
appointment I learned of Ricky (the "top dog" Golden at their home), whose
behavior suggested it was he, not Chuck, that truly required intervention. When
I suggested that Ricky shouldn't be allowed to do this or that (they were
bullying behaviors as well as wholly disrespectful actions towards the owners
and other dogs), the owners suggested that there would be no way to change
Ricky. I disagreed, of course, and told them that if they did not get a handle
on Ricky's behavior all of the dogs in the home would continue to suffer. I
explained that Chuck would have a challenging time respecting their authority if
he watched while they allowed another dog to bully others and themselves.
When I was told that the owners liked to share their bed with four or five dogs,
I informed them that Chuck shouldn't be allowed on the bed for a few weeks, at
least, until he learned to have more faith in his owner's leadership. I
also suggested that Ricky not be allowed to have "status" by having access to
the bed.
I was
disappointed when they
asked if they could end the Pick Up session early, as they were on their way to
adopt another Golden Retriever - directly from the pick up appointment. I
told them that I felt Chuck deserved to have a huge chunk of their attention in
the next few weeks and that it seemed a very bad time to bring yet another dog
into their house, another "rescue" dog that probably had some "issues".
But, they chose to maintain their plans. When they left, I felt as if they
had not listened to a thing I had said. I was amazed that they would spend
so much money towards rehabilitating a dog and not recognize their commitment to
the process had only just begun. Chuck truly deserved to be put center
stage for a few weeks so that he could learn to trust in their newly formed
leadership.
Four days
after Chuck went home, I received an email. Apparently, the woman was lying in bed
with dogs. Ricky and the "new" dog were on the bed when Chuck jumped up. Ricky
"told Chuck to get off" (those were her words - not mine - I would never say
that one dog gets to tell another about status in the presence of a human!). In
turn, Chuck, because he was afraid of Ricky's extreme dominance, displaced his anxiety and went
after the "new" dog. This is not an uncommon response in a pack that is
unbalanced. Both Chuck and the new dog were injured in the fight and required
emergency care at the vet. The email was to inform me that they chose to euthanize Chuck and pay for the other dog's care, since they felt that Chuck
could not be trusted. The people's inability to control and manage the other
dogs in their home resulted in their decision to put down a lovely, loyal, good
natured dog. Of course, the whole issue revolved around Ricky's absolute lack
of respect for his people and the other dogs in the house, which I picked up
upon as soon as I heard of some of Ricky's behaviors. I actually cried when I
read the note.
We cannot
guarantee that people will follow our guidelines, which we tend to think are
"common sense", nothing really outrageous. So, if you fail to maintain her
training and management, yes, Elsa can revert to her "old ways". The chances
are directly proportional to your commitment to become a good leader for Elsa.
The longer a dog has developed bad habits, the harder they fall. So, your
choice to have Elsa here longer is a very wise and admirable one and suggests
that you understand the situation with which you are dealing. I appreciate
that. We do all that we can to provide the information that you require to
become the person that your dog needs. Each dog is different, but each deserves
a chance to be balanced and happy - maintaining some dogs in a contented states
requires a higher level of leadership and management than does another dog.
I hope
that helps to explain our philosophy. Dogs are living, breathing beings that
react and respond to their environment. It's our job to provide the information
about the boundaries in which we expect the dog to exist.
© 2008 Tammie Rogers - all rights
reserved. For permission to reprint
email Tammie.
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