BehavioRx Case of the Month
for December 2000

A 2 year old, unneutered male Labrador Retriever was obtained by a couple from his discouraged owners, who were at their wits end due to aggression toward other dogs. All "Nick" needed was the sight or scent of another dog and he started growling, hackles raised, ready for battle. He was impossible to take for walks because he spent all his time urinating on everything upright and anxiously looking for a new or old adversary. The former owners had boarded him at a training kennel, where he had been put on a remote control shock device by a so-called expert, who shocked him whenever he showed any aggressive signs toward other dogs at the kennel. All Nick did was to get even more aggressive, even though he yelped at every shock.

The new owners were referred by their veterinarian in the hope that we could help the clients rehabilitate the dog. A thorough medical work-up showed Nick to be in robust health, with no problems that might contribute to the aggression. The clients had owned Nick for five weeks prior to our meeting. At our facilities Nick performed true to form when he was exposed to other dogs, even though they were non-threatening , even submissive, making all the dog-signs that meant "I wanna be friends." He showed no fear or aggression toward adults or children... in fact, he was somewhat submissive toward both men and women, and appeared anxious to be friends.

The clients had no children living at home and no other pets. The first step was to help the clients understand that Nick, since Nick had been attacked by two dogs when he was 4 months old, he had pretty strong grounds for not trusting other dogs' intentions toward him. Further, since he had experienced painful electric shock while concentrating on other dogs during his electro-shock therapy, he was now also reacting to "conditioned fear of pain," associated with other dogs.

The BehavioRx Instruction program for leadership (Obedience Training - a Primer) was instituted in order to gain a genuine leader-role for both owners. Nick was not taken off the new home's property for the first week... he was given a rest from walks, since they induced anxiety. His toilet area was assigned to one area of the back yard. He was also put on a low-carbohydrate/high-protein diet, supplemented with vitamin B-complex and 1,000 milligrams of niacinamide, just to insure he was "wired" by his former high-carbohydrate diet of a popular kibble, which was advertised as a "high-protein" food. Within three days the clients reported that
Nick was much "less excitable."

The next step was to teach Nick to walk on a loose leash, which was accomplished through the leadership program, first in the back yard, then on short walks, aided by an ultra-sonic training device for command response and distraction from urinating on everything. The clients quickly gained confidence in their ability to influence
Nick's emotional reactions, when they were able to use the BehavioRx System for Fighting Dogs successfully with two of their neighbor's friendly dogs. These instruction use introductions, wherein one of the owners appears alongside the strange dogs, with everyone acting very happy; it's called the "Jolly Routine." During very first meeting, Nick actually started wagging his tail when he was exposed to the other dog at a distance. Further sessions proved highly successful, with Nick engaging happily in mutual, getting-to-know-you sniffing with the dogs, both male and female. After meeting about six strange, friendly dogs, Nick appeared to be
relaxed when meeting other new dogs.

However, he had yet to meet another aggressive dog, which lay at the root of his original trauma. This was arranged by making set-ups, first with a barrier between the dogs, with the aggressive dog barking, charging etc. The clients quickly applied the Jolly Routine and simply walked away from the other dog with Nick following. After several dozen walks over a two week period, Nick didn't show any anxiety or aggression toward the dogs. In fact, the clients said he appeared to be indifferent toward them. However, the clients understood that, if attacked by another dog, Nick would very probably defend himself.

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