BehavioRx Case of the Month
for July 1999

A Case of Agreeing to Agree to Keep a Dog --- No Matter What

A young wife, husband and one-year-old, un-neutered male Lhasa Apso arrived for their first meeting to solve what, to them, appeared to be a simple problem of housetraining their "stubborn" little pet, "Corky." Both clients had grown up in families with Lhasa Apso house pets and had never known any problems, although their respective parents had done the housetraining chores.

"Betty" was pleasant, outgoing and said she was perplexed at why Corky would continually wet around the house. The skirt of their bed was a favorite target during the evening when the couple watched TV. "Jim" openly declared he was from the "old school" and had dragged Corky to the urine spots and pushed his snub nose into them, slapped his snout and put him out the back door, where he was left to "think about things." After eight months, countless highly emotional arguments about the harsh punishment, plus pressure from both their parents to "get rid of" Corky, they sought their veterinarian's advice and were referred to our services.

Consultation revealed that Corky was becoming a major source of friction between Jim and Betty. Betty said she didn't think she could stand to see Jim "abusing" Corky any more. Jim said that the problem was that Betty wouldn't take any role in disciplining the dog. As for Corky... he spoke the truth, too, as he sat next to Betty's foot in the office, never paying any attention to Jim. He even edged closer to Betty when Jim raised his voice in frustration about the problem.

Outside in the training area we had Betty and Jim stand about 15 feet apart and alternately call Corky back and forth between them, crouching sideways and clapping hands as they praised, "Good Dog." Corky gave even more vital testimony about the problem... he went happily to Betty, but approached Jim slowly, cautiously.

The contrast between Corky's joy and gloom was apparent, so I asked Jim to sound less "commanding" and happy when he called. He called again, still with an edge of frustration. He stood stiffly, reminding me of a drill instructor I had in basic training.

Corky froze at Betty's feet. Jim's commands, "Corky, Come!" got more insistent. I then asked Jim to stop calling while we analyzed the situation. I was standing a few feet from Betty and Corky when I noticed tears on Betty's cheeks. I looked down at Corky and, for the first and last time in hundreds on such cases, saw tears streaming from the corners of Corky's eyes.

I was dumb-struck. I literally could not speak. Jim asked what was wrong. I managed to whisper, "Look at your dog." He walked to my side, looked at Corky, then Betty, saw what I saw and said, "What's going on?" I suggested we sit down and find out.

Betty apologized for getting so emotional, but admitted that she was overwhelmed by the probability that her parents were right... they could have to get rid of Corky, more for his sake than theirs. She felt he could be housetraining, but not with punishment. Jim complained that he didn't liked being the "heavy," but that someone had to discipline Corky. We were about
where we had started, except for Corky's tears.

I explained that I had never seen a dog so reactive as Corky to his owner's emotions. However, he was as normal as any Lhasa Apso I had seen in other respects, in that all dogs can sense when their owners are committed to keeping them. While dogs may not "know" the exact nature of the problem, they do have an uncanny capacity to know when something in a relationship is "wrong." Like children, dogs can feel insecure and anxious when their owners argue about them and treat them differently.

At that point Jim interrupted; "So what's this got to be with peeing on our bed and all over the damned house?"

Some basic information about why dogs urinate on their territory, sometimes even their owners, opened a new avenue for Jim's perspective on the problem. The fact that urinating on property, even by females, gives dogs a feeling of security, having branded things with their scent as a reminder, made logical sense to Jim. However, the emotional elements were not apparent to Jim and Betty for another week.

They were advised to take some time during the week to decide whether or not they were dedicated, not matter what, to keeping Corky. Jim said their folks would think they were crazy if they made such a commitment to a dog. Betty saved the day. She said, "I guess it's time we start making our own decision, Jim."

They were given instructions for a new feeding schedule and a totally positive toilet training routine, including the "secret clean-up" for in-house urination. A five minute, daily training session to teach "Come" and "Sit" was practiced, and we waited for next week.

Two new clients and a new Lhasa Apso appeared for the next meeting. Jim and Betty actually sat holding hands as we settled down to talk about the week's events, which included two "accidents" on the first day and no further problems during the week. The rest of the program was a resounding success. On graduation day, Betty said even their relationship with their parents had
improved.

The moral: Don't try to fake out your dog when it comes to a making a commitment!

Previous Cases

June 1999
May 1999
April 1999
March 1999
February 1999
January 1999
December 1998
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September 1998
August 1998
July 1998
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April 1998
March 1998
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January 1998
December 1997
November 1997
October 1997
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August 1997
July 1997
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