BehavioRx Case of the Month
for October 2000

How To Train for Defensive Fear-Biting

The owner of a large (65 lb) 9 month-old, neutered male Labrador Retriever telephoned us about "Toro." It seems he was about to be "excused' (washed out) of a basic obedience class because he was becoming aggressive toward people; i.e., he growled menacingly when people approached. He had always been friendly to all adults and children before starting the class. The client, Dottie's, only behavior complaint was that Toro was unruly and hard to control on the leash.

The first unfriendly behavior occurred during the second week's class. The 15 owners, dogs, and the instructor were standing in a line while the instructor talked about an exercise. A man came through a door facing the group and stood silently. Toro gave a low growl and a single "woof," then stood silently, but alertly, attention on the man. The instructor told Dottie to correct her dog... "Jerk that leash, hard!" Dottie did as instructed, and Toro let out a sharp yip. Then, still looking at the man, he started to growl softly.

The instructor rushed to Dottie, grabbed the leash and lifted Toro up by the throat-choke-chain as high as she could. Toro's scream was throttled as he danced around on his hind feet. Dottie said his eyes were literally bulging... and he looked terrified.

After about 15 seconds the instructor let Toro down and told Dottie to take him over to the man, who was actually the husband of one of the other students in the class. As she and Toro approached the man, the client noticed the gentleman was obviously ill at ease and Toro again growled. The instructor instructed Dottie to take Toro home immediately, practice her dominance exercises: Wrestle Toro down and hold him on his side until he showed submission whenever he became
unruly or balked on his Sit commands.

The dominance exercises were a disaster. Toro started growling at Dottie! When her husband, Bill, later witnessed the debacle, he stepped in and punched Toro in the ribs as he lay there, whereupon Toro yelped and tried to bite Dottie, who was still holding him. As Bill got ready to kick Toro, Dottie screamed at him to stop. She let Toro free. Toro, obviously (to Dottie) was totally confused and stood still, growling. Dottie took Toro out to the patio and, while the dog whined and urinated on a bush, she broke down in tears.

"My big, but nice, 'bull-in-a-china-shop' is suddenly becoming a vicious beast. This was not why I went to obedience school! My vet said you might be able to help." Dottie had taken him earlier to the veterinarian because the next day, Toro started to limp. The doctor diagnosed a slightly bruised shoulder.

After compiling a complete history on Toro, our first consultation with the couple started by finding out how both Dottie and Bill felt about Toro's reactions to the experience at class and the clashes at home. Dottie said she didn't think she should have followed the instructor's orders, because Toro reacted negatively to everything that was done. Bill said he thought Toro would have to learn to accept dominance and punishment, and that Dottie had always been too "soft" on Toro. These conflicting attitudes about family dogs are not unusual. However, agreement can be reached when the owners understand why Toro reacted as he did.

When Bill and Dottie understood about the basic canine defensive reflexes, they appreciated that Toro wasn't abnormal, but that he possessed active defense reflexes: That is, when physically hurt, or when threatened with physical harm, Toro's basic nature was to defend himself; whereas a dog with passive defense reflexes would submit... 'go possum,' roll over and freeze. Actually, Toro would take flight from physical threat, given the space and opportunity.
He had shown this in the past when Bill tried to spank him at home. But the obedience instructor, Dottie and Bill had not given him a chance to escape. Active defense reflexes have two expressions---fight or flight.

Once the couple appreciated that Toro wasn't basically an aggressive dog, they were quick to grasp the value of a positive program that was founded on leadership, rather than physical dominance. Initially, Dottie said she thought food tidbits would be good for rewards in a program, since she had been using them in obedience
class. However, when she appreciated that she might have become Toro's "portable food bowl" something to be protected from other dogs, or even children and adults, she saw the value of a natural "social" approach through leadership.

This is an ongoing program which, while going well, is not yet complete. The results will appear next month, when Toro will attend a new obedience class.

In the meantime, there is an immediate moral to Toro's experience for those who are thinking about enrolling in an obedience class or seeking help with behavior problems: Read "A Guide to Selecting a Behavior Consultant" by clicking the line below. Substitute "Obedience Training Instructor" for "Behavior Consultant." The same principles apply.

http://www.webtrail.com/petbehavior/guide.html

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