BehavioRx Case of the Month
for September 2003

An 11 month old spayed female Terrier/Dalmation mix who was found wandering the street was barking, snarling and lungung at strange dogs and people during walks with her owner, a middle-aged woman who lives with her elderly mother. The family has one other spayed female dog. The dogs get along well. The problem started after a next door neighbor urged his adult male Rottweiler and two miniature Dachshunds to attack at the back yard fence when the owner "Jan" took her dogs to the toilet or to play in her yard. Soon after a few such episodes, the Dal mix began her aggressive behavior while being walked on leash in the neighborhood and in the local park, where both dogs are walked at least once a day. Jan enrolled in our Problem Diagnostics program and ordered the Bio-Sonic Dog Training Kit.  The following is excerpted from a report she sent two days after receiving our response and the kit. It is a classic example of a highly motivated owner who is dedicated to rehabilitating an aggressive young dog. It also shows what happens when an owner developes insight as to his or her role in the causes and corrections of problems and how "positive emotions" are a vital key to success.

"Dear Bill

... Wanted to let you know all the materials arrived late Thursday afternoon and I have been reading and re-reading all of them. Only got to watch the video once
yesterday and because of time restraints and weather have not gotten to practice my end of the training yet. But I did start to introduce "Learn to Earn" starting
Thursday night (I'm not 100% at it yet, it is amazing how well trained the dogs have US!) and I already see some definite changes in both dogs already (they are
wondering, hey what's going on here, for sure!), all for the good I might add. On Snowflake's walk yesterday, we ran into so many people, it was unbelievable. Not
that I had done any practicing, but the stimulus was so overwhelming that I decided to just drop on one knee, call her and jolly talk to her and pet her up - it was
incredible! She didn't lunge or bark at one single person, not even this crazy/developmentally challenged man who hangs around the entrance to the park that
we walked by and she HATES him.

I think she senses that there is something very wrong with him and he gives me the willies too and he has taken to following us from time to time, even though he is
supposedly afraid of dogs and especially Snowflake since she barks so furiously at him.

She looked at him, I leaned over started petting her and good, good, goood dog-ing her and she just looked at me and we happily trotted away down the road.

Then he did follow us again so I did the same thing and she just kept her focus on me. After going past us, he did a u-turn to come up behind us again (he's a pretty
scary nut) but I had also done a u-turn to go back the way I had come so we came up face to face at a street corner.

I was so annoyed with him, that I just started yelling at him to stop following me! (not the first time I had to do this) but she just stood there and watched until he
finally ran past us and got lost. She never barked once. I think she thought I was doing a good enough job for both of us! In the past, when I had to chase him away
when he's followed us, she would go berzerk, even with me yelling at him.

So... amazing result and we didn't even do the proper training yet - it was an emergency situation, so I just thought I'd try "jolly" as best as I could - didn't
even have the bean bags with me!  It should really be great, once we both get trained and get rolling. I feel really good about your methods...

Basically, because of the tension and fear I am operating under, I am just constantly transmitting that to her. The only right thing I have been doing is getting up at 6AM so the girls can get up to an hour outside together in the backyard, playing together. Besides the exercise value, it is doing wonders for their relationship and
I notice they are starting to have periods where they are not playing furiously, but just taking a break and laying around together for a few minutes, in other words,
just relaxing for a bit, before they start playing together again...  

... Again, thank you for all your help so far.  I'll keep you updated on everything - training, food, vet, as soon as I have results.

Regards,
Jan"

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