Dogs like Albert and George, even Sally obsess to the point of creating imbalance in their lives. Left unchecked, these behaviors will only get worse living in a controlled environment like a home or talking a walk.
God has a good sense of humor. He gave me three dogs to foster that summarize many of my own personal issues--anxiety, aggression, fear.
Albert is anxious, then obsessive.
George is aggressive, then obsessive
Sally is fearful and paranoid which is a form of obsession, but it is a phobia
The dogs obsessive behavior, whether is starts in the thinking (brian) or is just reaction, must be stopped as early as possible.
All dogs have symptoms of behavior. Each dog owner needs to know the symptoms and stop the obsession before it escalates.
The Walk
During my walk with Albert, it is always a challenge. I've had Albert since October. He is a classic "puller." When he sees another dog he goes into overdrive. He wants to pull towards the dog, cat, squirrel and will not back off.
Labradors are hunters and need a challenge. They are high energy dogs needing daily exercise.
When Albert begins to obsess I can see the symptoms in his eyes, ears, and tail. I have a short period of time to use a leash technique to correct him. He is so willful this usually does no good if I miss the early stages. I then have to block him and correct his face to look away.
The Tennis Ball
George is another story. When I first got him he obsessed over other dogs. That is corrected for the most part today. He obsesses over a tennis ball now. It is very intense and imbalanced.
Any dog must give up whatever it has in its mouth to the pack leader.
George gets hold of the tennis ball and tries to annihilate it. He goes into kill mode. This is very imbalanced behavior that must be corrected.
When George gets like this I can get in his face and put my hand right next to his mouth, but he will not let the ball go.
One technique I've used is play with the ball (see videos) while George circles and chases it. This gets him obsessed. Then I throw the ball over the back fence. He can see it and get to it, but not grab it.
Now I have more control and can intervene. I step in front of the ball to block him and use a snap technique that simulate a pack leader bite. Usually this does nothing at first.
I've also turned the hose on him to break his obsessing. This is a glorified snap. It works. I immediately then go back to the ball and associate the hose with a verbal command and then a hand motion.
My aim is to not use the hose or any snap, but just a verbal command to break his obsession.
We are not there yet.
Not Humanizing by Feeling Sorry
Sally is timid and fearful. She is the opposite of Albert.
Sally has come a long way over the seven months I've had her. She was pathetic when I first got her.
I can walk and ride with Sally on my bike, but she is still fearful. She is always looking over her shoulder and when I approach her on the leach she tries to run away. She also stops before we get to the door at home. She will not go inside, and when she gets inside she freezes, clutching her nails into the carpet.
This is classic phobia, when an obsession continues to grow. It is totally irrational. She has been in the same house for seven months, yet she acts like it was the first time she entered.
With Sally, I have to be strong pack leader and not feel sorry for her. I have to lead her without hesitation and with calm aggressive energy. Sally cannot handle any type of weakness.
I made the mistake at first like many do by humanizing Sally with compassion. What I was doing was reinforcing her fears with affection.
Rule #1: Never give affection to a dog that is NOT in a calm submissive state of energy.
By humanizing Sally, I was making myself feel better, but not the dog. I was making her worse, not better.
Sally has a long way to go. Sometime I have to put her down and hold her in a bite grip similar to a pack leader in the wild. She needs to submit and calm down. This looks cruel to the outsider, but actually allows the dog to become calm and submissive.
Obsessive behavior is predominate in American dogs, probably European as well.
Two ways to deal with it are;
1. Consistent energy specifically catered to your dogs unique breed. Some breeds need to burn more energy daily than others. Be wise before you get a dog. Know your lifestyle!
2. Know you dog's symptoms. Correct the behavior before it escalates. You must know your dogs symptoms first. It might be ears that move backward, a tongue that licks, a tail that raises, eyes that become intense...whatever it is, know it and correct it early on.
With George, it is always in his eyes and his breathing. I see him escalate this way. If I don't correct it, he becomes territorial and growls. The next stage is biting.
Always, the behavior is outside of the CALM SUBMISSIVE state which is the key to all of this. Any behaviors that are not calm submissive need to be corrected by;
1. Ignoring the dog
2. Not giving eye contact
3. Not giving affection.
No comments:
Post a Comment