BehavioRx Case of the Month
for June 2006
DOG-FIGHTER
A childless couple in their early thirties arrived at our 'ranch' for help with their two-and-a-half year old male German Shepherd Dog. They were referred by their veterinarian after requesting euthanasia for "Max." That decision was made because the dog and his owner, George. had been tossed out of obedience class when Max tried to eat every other canine present... and even George's shouting and hitting could not bring him under control. Max was owner-diagnosed as an incorrigible fighter. The last straw was loaded when the wife, Sally, got bitten badly while trying to break up a fight with a stray dog... and it was Max who did the damage.
History
Max was obtained at about eight weeks. George and Sally both worked and did
not take
the pup out on socializing trips, so he met only a few adult visitors and no
other
dogs between eight and nearly sixteen weeks of age. One weekend day when on
the front
lawn Max was pounced on and pinned by a neighbor bully-dog. George heard the
screaming from the garage and ran out, kicked the big dog off and chased
him
home,
shouting all the way. Sally came out and trundled the pup into the house, inspected
him for punctures (there were none) and then cuddled and cajoled him for
some
minutes.
The next contact with a strange dog happened when George was walking Max a week or so later. Max bristled and even growled as a friendly, smallish mutt approached. Unfortunately, George scolded his pup for what he considered to be "silly behavior." This happened several times with both owners before the first obedience class, when Max was about six months old. This history of owner-cisapprcval relative to strange duos, coupled with the normal physiologic emergence of aggressive/defensive hormone-mediated behavior, evidently sent Max up the wall when he found himself surrounded by strange dogs at the first obedience class.
Max's Case and Program
Although we could say that the original trauma as a pup with the neighborhood
bully-dog was sufficient to create a confirmed, adult dog-fighter, we have
seen too
many cases which contradict this diagnosis. For instance, when the next encounter
during a walk with George had been handled differently, Max may well have
gained
confidence and developed a positive attitude toward strange dogs. His extreme
sensitivity to George and Sally's ensuing dis-approval indicated that their
feelings
were likely the deciding factor in the long run.
During their first consultation Max initially avoided me, spending the first few minutes urinating around the area on other dog scents. George and Sally seemed uncomfortable as well. Interestingly, we discovered that Max was a littermate of one of our puppy program clients, acquaintances of George and Sally. George later said he told them he felt he could raise dog without a "shrink's" help.
During the fact-finding both owners were vague about certain answers, especially when questioned about physical punishment. Their attitude indicated that their entire focus was on Max's behavior and that the "fault" in the matter was the first attack by the neighbor's dog. Only after I had mentioned several other similar cases and delved into the extreme emotional sensitivity of dogs to their owners' feelings did they begin to relate this to their situation. In fact, George even admitted to not being a real "do2 lover" and disliked intensely strays that "crap on my lawn." Both owners said they got uptight when approached by large strange dogs.
Several times early in the interview Max approached Sally or George and nosed them and whined for petting. When George scolded him, the dog actually bellied-up at his feet. "See he's a pussy cat with us. " That statement opened the way for a discussion about leadership vs. compliance to George and Sally. George later said he told them he felt he could raise dog without a "shrink's" help. That statement opened the way for a discussion about leadership vs. compliance and feelings vs. behavior. When these elements were appreciated, the clients began to relax and appeared genuinely hopeful. Max even went to the shade of our office porch and lay down.
The Euthanasia Question
At that point I was ethically bound to tell the clients that our program could
not
succeed if they had any notion to have Max put down. Their dog was too sensitive
to
their feelings to try to hide the fact that they were ambivalent about keeping
him.
This resulted in several minutes of total silence in the consultation, although
George and Sally gazed at each other several times. Finally, almost in unison,
they
said... "Let's do it."
As Sally was making out the check, George was asking about our practice and how I got into the field. They seemed to have accepted me as their consultant and their manner was quite friendly. At that time Max got up from his spot on the porch, walked around my chair and put his chin on my knee for a pet. Then I was confident that the program would succeed.
The Six-Week Program
We had already reached the most vital goals; to gain a total emotional committment
from the owners to exclude euthanasia as a solution and to change their focus
from
just about Max, to the nature of their relationship with him. Along the way
they were
made aware of their role in the problem without making them feel guilty about
it. As
well, they gained insight about Max's defense-reflex tendencies, I.E. Active
Defense
Reflexes (ADR) Aggressive, rather than a Flight-type.
Max was put on the "Learn-to-Earn Praise and Petting" program in order to gain leadership for the clients. George and Sally were introduced in another area to our two dogs and several neighbor dogs in order to help build their own confidence when meeting large strange dogs.
Max was left indoors when alone at home, since he constantly 'worried' a side gate and fence when outdoors. His outdoor time was brief and supervised.
The Jolly Routine, wherein the clients acted overjoyed when strange dogs were first seen, was rehearsed, then applied with our dogs, then our neighborhood does and, finally, with dogs in their own neighborhood.
Case Outcome
Successful. But only because the clients made it work. During his early exposure
to
our dogs Max hackled-up a bit, but he soon relaxed and went through normal
canine
sniffing... first with the Dalmation bitch, then with our male Elkhound. After
about
five more dogs Max started tail-wagging at the sight of other dogs and looking
at
Sally or George, rather than concentrating on the dogs. His emotional response
was in
tune with his owners' newly acquired, positive feelings about these situations.
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May 28, 2006