BehavioRx Case of the Month
for October 1997

Allelomimetic Hostility in Family Dogs

A newly married couple (no children) with two 2 year old, intact, male, litter-mate Siberian Huskies, sought help for what they described as "fighting that starts for no reason." During the fact-finding interview they were asked to describe all the event that led up to the very first fight the dogs ever had. It occurred after dinner on a weekend about three months ago. The couple were in the kitchen cleaning up the dishes when the dogs started fighting in the room behind them.

They were both shocked, seeing the dogs locked onto each other cheeks; neither one seemed ready to let go of the other. Both had choke chain collars on and the husband grabbed both collars while the wife screamed, the dogs let go and both bit him on the forearms, releasing their bites immediately. He let go of the chokers and dogs resumed their contest, while the husband began kicking them to stop what he feared would be serious bloodshed. Fortunately, the husband slipped and fell on his back, whereupon the dogs quit fighting, ran out of the kitchen, and stood in the living room, panting, but none the worse for wear. The only blood was from fang scrapes on the husband arms. Both dogs displayed excellent bite inhibition, both in the fight and on their defensive reaction to being choked by the husband's grasp on the choke chains collars.

All this gory detail was great drama, but we still hadn't learned what caused the fight. So the interview continued to focus on the dinner table. I asked what they had been talking about during the meal and afterwards. Bingo! As is so often the case in family fighters, it turns out the couple had been having a heated argument about money problems during dinner. There had been quite a bit of shouting. The verbal slings continued during unsetting the table and the wash-up in the kitchen. They usually saved a bit of dinner as a treat for the dogs when the dished were done. It was at this time that the dog fight started... just as the treat was expected.

Allelomimetic behavior is most graphically seen in schools of fish and flocks of flying birds.... as the leader goes, so does the flock, almost in unison. The meaning of this Greek term, "mutual mimicry" takes on new dimensions between humans and their domestic pets... it often expresses itself as "feel-like, act-like, be-like" behavior. Hence, the owners primed their dogs with hostility quite effective during the dinner, carried it into the kitchen, and then the dogs came together in a competitive situation...vying for the first morsel. The owners usually had both dogs sit before presenting the treat because some growling had started a few weeks before as they waited for their tidbits.

Unfortunately, allelomimetic behavior receives scant attention from the majority of experts in the field of pet animal behavior. However, it plays a major role in diagnosing the causes of pet dog behavior problems, from destructive chewing to aggression. It is especially important in cases bearing the catch-all diagnosis "separation anxiety," so much in vogue these days. However, since allelomimetic behavior was part of the cause for the dogs' fighting, it was also a major part of the cure.

These clients were quick to appreciate their role in the first, as well as nearly every one of the following battles their "boys" had waged. So, I simply asked them how they could use this dynamic behavioral tool to solve the problem. After a long silence they looked at each other and, exchanging knowing smiles, suggested that they should work out their money problems privately, or at least not speak angrily in front of the dogs. Then, they said they might start acting happy during and after dinner or whenever the dogs seemed to be getting up tight or were in close quarters, which had triggered a few fights. "So, what do you think?" they asked. I told them they had very accurately described our program for fighting dogs, right down to the act-happy routine, which I call the "Jolly Routine," and is an important part of the BehavioRx Instruction Brochure for fighting dogs.

This case spanned the usual six weeks, during which the couple taught the dogs some basic off-leash obedience commands (using allelomimetic behavior) to Come, Sit, Stay, Heel and Down. At the end, they said even their three year old marriage was back on a happy and highly satisfying track.

This case has an important moral for all dog owners... "If you want happy dogs, then be happy people."

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September 1997
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March 1997
February 1997
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December 1996
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