Trouble in paradise

We are at the vet’s office having Rio’s bandage changed when an acquaintance walks through the doors with her dog.  Her dog appears somewhat shaken-up and has a bloody injury close to his eye.  “What happened?” I inquired.  They tell me that this is the fifth time their dog has been attacked by their other male dog.

Yes, these dogs are also “friendly”; they play together, snooze together and then the attacks occur. The level of injury is quite severe. The other dog never gets injured so it is one dog that is always damaging the other dog.

Clearly the owners are very distraught, and knowing this cannot continue as it has been.  They tell me that as young dogs, the dogs did not get into fights, but suddenly the series of fights took place.  What makes it worse is that according to them the fights are becoming more damaging.  We continue to talk as they try to piece together the events as neither one of them was at home when the fight took place.

So far they have not been able to identify the triggers for the fights. What is clear is that they have decided that they cannot subscribe to the super tight management (perhaps through the lives of these dogs). I don’t blame them.  This kind of management is really brutal and never 100% foolproof. My heart goes out to them because they love both dogs, but they are painfully aware that having one of their dogs constantly having fear of being attacked and getting attacked is more than anyone can handle.

Now they are on the phone trying to find out who can help them out while they find a permanent home for the one that is creating the injuries. It is, of course, possible that they might find an appropriate home where this dog can be an only dog.  But the reality is that unfortunately there are too many dogs and not enough homes.  Sad indeed.

I tell them that I have worked with several cases like this where household dogs are fighting.  These cases are some of the most challenging to resolve.  Many times, the answer is rehoming or euthanasia.

I’ve come to bear the understanding that wolves -the genetic past of our dogs very seldom will take in a lonely wolf that is looking to join another pack.  Wolves, while living tight-knit, sometimes go solo in search of another pack that he can join. On occasion, this lonely wolf is admitted into the pack, but that is not the norm.

Clearly our dogs are not wolves, but they still share some genetic wiring of their wild past; wiring that comes to bear in their social relations.

The fact that we choose which dogs we like and which dogs we want to share our lives with is really immaterial to our dogs being able to co-exists.  Simply put:  it is really not “normal” for canids to just get along because someone said you have to.

Even when dogs are well matched to live together close observation and management in the form of having some rules the dogs have learned and implemented can go a long way in keeping harmony in the household. Most folks either are not aware of the underlining conflict between their dogs, and as such respond when the relationship has gone sour.

My concern, of course, is for the dog that is constantly being harassed, intimidated and physically injured in his own home. Can you imagine how stressful this must be?  How detrimental to the well-being of the dog?

Just this morning Deuce walks towards Rio who is totally engage with a Kong and demands in his doggie manner for some of what she is having. I immediately called him away so that he stops bugging Rio and re-directed him to his own crate where his own goodie awaits.

The thing is that if we start on the right foot, the chances of having dogs that do not push their weight around or that choose to not escalate the conflict, but instead diffuse when things are not going their way is quite doable. But as stated -unfortunately most people do not consider the “wild” side of their furry companions when they decide to add one more dog to the mix.  In addition, dogs that initially got along well while young might find themselves as ferocious adversaries once maturity is reached.

My recommendations to those folks that want to bring another dog into their family or that have more than one dog in the midst is to begin to pay attention for any signs of conflict between the dogs such as one dog trying to manage the other dog’s movement by blocking its movement, any posturing with a stiff body or any other displays of aggression such as growls (when this is not in the context of play) sneering, etc. when competing for any coveted resource.

If the dogs are already fighting, owners must find a way to stop the fights by separating the dogs.  In addition, the dogs need to learn alternative ways of expressing desires for things they want such as food, toys, attention and the like. Tight constant management as well as behavior modification must be implemented if we want to stand a chance at a possible reconciliation between the dogs.

Ideally also people get dogs of different sex.  While this is not always possible it might help with the overall relationship and to keep fights at bay as most fights take place between dogs of the same sex.

Size might also be a consideration.  Of course, the smallest dog as a norm, has less than a fighting chance when being confronted by a larger stronger dog.

The initial introduction is also really important. Planning how to go about this can again aid in making sure the relationship gets started right.  Next week, I will give you some ideas on how to manage this important step.

Managing Greetings at the Front Door

Our dogs do not shake our hand or hug us when they want to say hi. Instead, they jump on us because they want to access our faces and mouths. This goes way back to their wolf past. Wolves regurgitate food to give to their pups so pups learn to lick their parent’s mouth to request food. This is a trait that was passed down to our dogs even after domestication.

Your dog is not being naughty, he is just being a dog and saying hello as dogs do. The problem becomes even harder to manage when the dog is allowed to greet at the front door - especially -
people your dog does not see on a regular basis and likes. The novelty amps up most dogs. Another factor is tight quarters at the front door. We proceed with our dog following in tow to answer the front door from a much larger area: the foyer, living room, etc; dogs are very sensitive to space feel and uncomfortable when they now find themselves sort of cornered. This can readily escalate into feeling threatened because he does not have a lot of room to maneuver.

At times, when it comes to more than one dog exchanging pleasantries with your friends at the front door, the reduced space can make the dogs compete for access to a resource (visitor) resulting in some form of redirected aggression. Nice! Your dogs are fighting for access and your friend(s) and you are caught up in the middle. So at all costs avoid, avoid, and avoid having your dogs rush to greet anyone at the front door.

You can most definitively teach them appropriate manners at the front door so that they also learn that no rowdy behavior earns them the chance to greet the person. If following this route, you will need to make sure each dog has learned how to greet politely before having them practice together with a family member and eventually once the behavior(s) are solid take the leap to practicing with volunteers that have nothing else going on in their lives than help you train your pups. :)

When it comes to an over enthusiastic dog that is super friendly and thinks, of course, that everyone is there to see him… (LOL) follow these steps to teach your pup that he can say hello and in the process not jump on your guests. The recommendations below are for dogs that are friendly to people and welcome newcomers into their home. Please do not follow the protocols below if your dog is fearful or might aggress in any way.

If your guest is interested in helping you train your dog you can practice as described here:
You will bring her out on a leash after you have said hello to your guests and they have settled in the living room, etc.

For this, you will need to keep your dog in another room preferably with a chew toy or a few treats scattered on the floor for her to find, while you are greeting your guest at the front door. In other words, avoid at all costs, having your pup saying hello at the front door!

Welcoming your friend and training your dog at the same time is nearly impossible. Best to have a plan in place and work your plan when you have people over to visit.

Saying Hello On A Leash:
Once your guest is sitting down you can bring your dog out to say hello. If you think she might still jump at the person while seated, have some really good treats to throw on the floor close to your guest’s feet before she gets a chance to jump up. You might have to do this a few times for your dog to learn that instead of jumping up, she gets to look for the treats on the ground.
What I like about this protocol is mainly two things: Your dog is getting some access to the visitor – which is what she wants in the first place by being in close proximity and having an opportunity to sniff. As such, we are giving the dog what she wants which always makes for a more successful and fair (to the dog) behavior modification plan. However, because we are feeding at the feet, the dog learns with multiple repetitions to avoid accessing the person’s face because we have also been reinforcing having four legs on the ground.

Keep your dog on a leash until she has completely calmed down. It is perfectly fine to remove your dog momentarily from the interaction if at any time your dog fails to look for the treats and attempts to say “hi” doggie-style.

To do so: You will calmly, without jerking your dog around, give your dog some distance from the guest by redirecting where you throw the tasty treat (think small and high value here). Continue to yo-yo your dog close and far from the guest until the novelty of the visit has worn out a bit.

Once your dog is under self-control remember, this will become easier and easier with more practice, you can give her something interesting such as a chew bone or a favorite toy that comes out for occasions like this, so she can hang out with you guys but not be a pest. Do not expect success right away… for dogs just like for people learning requires many opportunities to practice and the right conditions.

Practice with family members so that when non-family members come over, you both know exactly what to do and can more easily overcome the novelty factor.

The Wolves of Yellowstone

“It seems ironic that just as we’ve started to get a better handle on the complex factors driving the relationships of a given habitat... those systems themselves are increasingly at risk of unraveling. In that sense, maybe the gift of the WOLF (my emphasis) to Yellowstone, and to the world, isn’t simply its beauty…Its gift comes instead from what it has to teach us about all the life with which it coexists” Foreword xiii, Gary Ferguson. Douglas W. Smith & Gary Ferguson, Decade of the Wolf, Lyons Press: Guilford, Con. 2012

Rich memories still appear bright and powerful in my mind after having returned from a one-of-a-kind trip into Wolf territory. If we want to understand our dogs, perhaps we need to start at the beginning - with the wolf. This I thought as I orchestrated a little birthday present for myself, accompanied by John and two of my sibs. The four of us, armed with warm clothing and the promise of witnessing wild animals, arrived in Montana with Yellowstone National Park as our final destination.

Once in the park, I tried imagining what my reaction might be the first time I actually witnessed these incredible creatures in the wild. Would tears of awe prevent me from clearly seeing through the long distance scope? Would I feel a knot in my stomach and or chills up and down my spine? Would I (and my partners in adventure) have such good luck of sighting them? No promises where made. Just hope. Lots of hope.

Sure, I have seen wolves before, up close and personal as part of an educational program, but this was different. These are wolves in nature. Uncompromised, wild and undisturbed by our inquisitive eyes.
Our visit to Yellowstone included a tour of 3 activity-packed days where a naturalist would not only share her knowledge- we got the best naturalist: Inspired, profound, gentle and knowledgeable that one could ask for who was privy to the exact location for (almost) full-proof sightings of many species of wilds. Her passion for this land that she now calls home was contagious. We were driven around in the wee & cold hrs. of the morning in hopes of partaking in the somewhat accessible and private lives of wolves.

First impressions: They are BIGGER than I thought. Far away, frolicking with their young and they still held their presence through the scope. No, I did not tear up or feel a pang in my stomach, but instead… a warm sensation coupled with utter respect and awe: w-i-l-d gray w-o-l-v-e-s, unencumbered by our presence.

My awe towards wolves is not only rooted in the fact that they are the closest relative to our dogs, but also because their survival is so interrelated with so many of human narratives.

These narratives run the gamut from narratives of survival as in the case of ranchers who claim that their livestock is undermined by the close proximity of wolves, fear-based narratives that have pegged wolves as evil creatures, to narrative of co-existence and responsibility taken to heart by wildlife biologist and other scientists as well as animal advocates the world over.

The tale continues, but for now, their survival is a testament to many a romantic, to scientists and countless of brave and zealous individuals who understood that eradicating wolves from Yellowstone in the first place was a callous miscalculation of the significance of their presence for an ecosystem to thrive.

Decades after the conflict-laden (really- just read some of the accounts of what it took to get these guys back into the park… ouch!) it appears that they have managed to claim Yellowstone as their home once again.

And, from my perspective, what we must do now is to respect their wild existence as we vow to watch in awe from afar; without imposing on their natural behaviors. Furthermore, I urge you to visit Yellowstone and participate in one of the many outstanding learning programs being offered. For more information contact: www.yellowstoneassociation.org. I doubt you will regret it.