Earlier I wrote about Willie’s extreme and fearful reaction to a visiting man about a month ago, speculated about its causes and discussed how to respond. Here’s an update, and a few things I that might be helpful for anyone dealing with a behavior problem.
The good news (yeah good news) is that Willie is doing much, much better. He’s responded well to the last 5 unfamiliar men he’s met, running up to them immediately, getting close, asking for petting. There are no overt signs of fear anymore, (but keep reading), which makes me very happy. To quickly review, I’ve changed his diet back to avoid chicken and lamb, put his Hobbles back on when meeting strangers, gotten him acupuncture, and managed his interactions with unfamiliar men, such that he met them first outside or in the office (the house being the site of the extreme reaction). Early on I asked the men to stand back and let Willie approach them and they tossed food on the ground or handed him a toy (throwing would be ideal, but can’t do that now because of his shoulder).
Here are 3 things that this episode has highlighted that I think are universally important in all behavioral regressions:
1. Jump on it. Part of why I suspect that Willie is doing so well is that I immediately, that very day, sat down, thought out a treatment plan and began acting on it. I didn’t wait to see if it would happen again. I didn’t excuse it as being a ‘glitch’ that was meaningless. There’s not enough time in the world to list all the times I’ve heard (or experienced) seeing an agonistic pucker, or hearing a growl that seemed atypical for a dog, and then the next day, or the next week, observing the problem escalate. Example: My sweet-like-butter-to-people Border Collie Misty began to be aggressive to other dogs as she got older. I managed her carefully and things went well. I remember well a day when she flashed a hard eye at Lassie, and I thought: hummmm, I’d better get on that soon, something might be going on between them. But “soon” wasn’t that day, and the next morning Misty escalated and went after Lassie. I learned then and there that the first sign of trouble needs to be dealt with instantly. (And that worked for years with Misty: the first sign of a hard eye got an instant response –“Misty, get back, lie down and stay there and calm down…”). If you see something that looks like it might be problematic, don’t panic, but don’t put off responding either.
2. It’s the little things (or, it’s not over til it’s over). I took Willie into PT yesterday and there was a male 4th year student in the room. Yeah Willie, he ran right up to Joe, body loose, happy faced. All’s well, right? I thought it was, until little things began to creep into my awareness. First off, Willie didn’t behave normally when we moved around the room to show Courtney how he was using his shoulder. Usually Willie responds instantly to Stand, Lie Down, etc. It’s a game with him and he loves it. He knows the room, the context and has done it perfectly a million times. But this time he didn’t lie down when I asked, (took 3 tries), and although he was focused on me he wasn’t himself. Most people would define his behavior as “disobedient.” He was, technically speaking, but I realized later it was because he was nervous with Joe in the room (or at least, that’s my best guess.) Willie also was more animated than usual, and would have been nipping at my legs if I hadn’t seen it about to happen as we walked around the room. Neither did he want to settle down for Courtney when she examined all. These subtle changes were great reminders that Willie is better, but he’s still not himself. It’d be easy to stop CCg him now and be less concerned with his internal physiology, because of his ‘happy’ reactions to strangers, but that would be a mistake.
3. It takes a village: Most people don’t have the luxury that I do of having a blog with an amazing cast of thoughtful, intelligent readers, but everyone has someone else who is dog savvy that they can discuss their problems with. Don’t hesitate to find a good source with which to talk out a behavior problem. First, you might get some helpful perspectives you wouldn’t have thought of yourself, and at the least, it forces you to organize your thoughts about what is going on. I find writing things down incredibly helpful when I’m thinking through a problem, so try that before you talk to friends. Be aware that some feedback might be less than useful: perhaps some of your friends will respond that you “just need to be the alpha,” when you know that’s the last thing you need to be doing for your dog. Just thank them for the feedback and make mental note to talk about something less volatile, maybe religion and politics, next time with them.
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: I‘m about to jump on a plane for Florida , leaving the farm in the hands of a wonderful couple. Gotta run or I’ll miss my plane! See you in Orlando and Naples (promise to come up and say hi!). Here’s Mr. Willie boy, so happy to be able to play with toys again.
Jen says
Your previous entry was very well-timed, as I’m a member of a Doberman forum where at least one member is dealing with behavioral regression after an injury. I’m sure to link this one as well!
I really appreciate and try to keep in mind myself when you highlight that our dogs are speaking to us, with their actions and their “tone”; we just need to learn what to watch for and how to listen.
That elephant looks like it’s…let’s say “well loved”!
Laurie Luck, KPA CTP says
So lovely to see Willie’s face. Love those eyes. I’m taking this quote to heart: “Just thank them for the feedback and make mental note to talk something less volatile, maybe religion and politics, next time with them.”
So true. :0
Beth with the Corgis says
So glad to hear Willie’s doing better (though not quite where you want him). I whole-heartedly agee with jumping in early. Every since I let puppy-Jack’s mild aversion to broom’s go, only to see it quickly morph into an all-out terror of anything with a long handle (that took me weeks to overcome with what I would now call counter-conditioning, though at the time I just called it giving him very yummy treats for walking past the broom), I now jump in immediately whenever either of my dogs looks askance at any new object.
And when Maddie got badly mugged at the park by a much larger dog who decided to pin her down and shout at her, the minute I got her and made sure she was not hurt, my husband wanted to go home and I said “absolutely not” and we stayed and fed treats and threw frisbees and parallel walked with the other dog til Maddie was happy and wagging and not watching for other dogs out of the corner of her eye.
A short burst of early treatment can prevent the need for weeks or months of intensive rehab later on. I even think there is a saying that covers this idea. 🙂
Angela says
What a happy sweet smile on Willie’s face! I hope he continues to improve.
Like your Misty, my border collie is super sweet to people, but doesn’t want anything to do with other dogs. I wish I was savvy enough to have caught it earlier. He does fine at the dog training club where the rule has always been (since completing puppy class) to not interact with other dogs, but he sensitive and unpleasant to dogs in or near his space in other contexts. My dog behavior friend is coaching me through Grisha Stewart’s BAT to work on helping him make better choices for reacting to dogs.
I agree that navigating the “helpful” advice can be challenging. I have neighborhood friends who think I just need to let my dog interact MORE with their dog and everything will be fine. Probably not the case, and I wish they would respect the distance I try to keep between their dog and mine.
Sam says
Glad to hear that Willie is doing better with men, and what a gorgeous, happy face he has!
Tina says
Thank you for continuing to share these learning experiences. As a beginner ( without natural training talent) I find myself reliving a situation and saying ‘that’s what I should have done’ a couple days later. Recently I was in a situation on a hiking trail with my dog on leash and a large ‘in-your-face-kind-of-friendly’ dog was off-leash. I asked the owner to call their dog…which had no effect, the dog wouldn’t listen. I kept a hold of my dog being in between until the owner could grab his dog’s collar and go on their way. A couple days later I remembered your lesson about throwing treats at the oncoming dog (which was not aggressive), but Freyja wanted nothing to do with this dog.
Here’s hoping I can remember these lessons in the moment next time.
Keep sharing and I will keep learning.
Roberta says
What a sweet, happy photo of Willie and his, indeed, “well-loved elephant.”
I have learned to jump in early and fast, though I am not as quick at reading dogs as you. My adoptable obsessive- compulsive Beagle, Molly T. (the one who chewed off the distal half of her tail) is improving- so much so I have decreased her Xanax and leave the Thundershirt off when I am home; BUT I watch her closely because the behavior, though diminished, is still there, even if her tail isn’t.
One of my favorite pastimes is sitting in the front yard swing, watching the pack interact and play.
Have a wonderful time in FL!
Lisa W says
I’m reminded of a saying a friend once said about society in general: There are too many rules! And we had a long discussion about why there are rules and mores, etc. Having a shy and anxious dog makes “rules” so important and so hard to explain to others. Visitors have such a hard time doing what I ask (no eye contact, don’t reach over her head, no sudden, fast movements, etc) until she has come to you on her own and is a little more relaxed. We recently had friends staying with us with two children, and it took Olive about three days to finally not react to them and start to approach them and wag and even play! But, it’s not easy on the guests or the dog or the people who live with the dog. I also wonder why we have fewer visitors 🙂 When they left she slept for an entire day. I am envious of your knowing and experienced friends and visitors. I am so glad Willie is doing better and he has such a devoted village, actually country, to help him along. Acting quickly is paramount and it is also sometimes hard because we don’t always see or act on things we hoped had either gotten better or didn’t exist in the first place.
I am curious as to how Willie’s work goes when you are gone? Does he work on these things with his caretakers, and if so, do you know if there is the same type of progress and/or initial responses or triggers? I always am wondering what role I play in Olive’s reactions.
Katherine says
I have really enjoyed these two posts on “behavioral regressions” — having a fearful dog myself, and working with clients with fearful dogs, I can totally relate. You never know when you’re going to hit a speedbump (or a roadblock!). On another note: Willie looks quite pleased with his elephant! Cute dog with a cute toy!
chloe De Segonzac says
You made me laugh with your suggestions of less volatile subjects to discuss ie politics or religion…lol.
Bill says
This is something I’ve been trying to work on as well…trying to pay attention to the small things and learning how to pick up on small cues from our Border Collie. By the way…love the picture at the end of the post. Our’s has the same look when he’ s got one of his stuffed toys!
Val Phillips says
First of all – is that the distressed toy that raised all the money yesterday. 🙂
Second, in respect of Willie’s behavior – it makes sense that by coming up with an action plan straight away rather than waiting to see if it happens again was effective, leaving it becomes a reinforcer and the behavior then would be harder to head off. This is what I find so fascinating about animal behavior, is the nuances that if you’re watching for can help forestall the gross behavioral problems
Thank you for an amazing workshop/lecture. It was fascinating and I both learnt a lot of new, but also helped clarify and bring background to other areas. Especially that Megan is not missing the finger pointing interpretative gene… 🙂
Now if only you would podcast your uni lectures… 😉
Thea Anderson says
I’m grateful too for these posts on behavioral regression, which are very timely for me. It’s tempting to take good behavior for granted after making a lot of progress, and also hard to tell if a bad reaction is just normal variation or if her behavior really is getting worse. But I guess better to have CC overkill than to assume she’s magically cured. Cuz it’s not over til it’s over. Here’s my question for Trisha, then: is it ever over?
Beth, my dog had a scary experience at the park too. It was dark out and a pack of big dogs chased her like prey, then 2 of the owners grabbed their dogs near her and started yelling about how they were going to “shock them into submission” …I was about to write that I wish I’d stayed so Sylvie could leave with a better impression of that park (because now if she sees other dogs there she charges at them barking hoarsely) but really I do not need to hang out with psycho neighbors while they electrocute their dogs and I should stop trying to bring my dog to a park where she doesn’t have a good time. Yup, what Trisha said: writing it out forces you to get your thoughts in order. That’s is why I love this blog.
About rules: Does anyone have good strategies for getting other people to comply? For instance, a bus driver today kept barking at my dog. I think he probably didn’t have the people-skills to say ‘hey what a cute dog, how old, blah blah, let me pet her’ but good grief, how obnoxious, and it happens more often than you’d think. Maybe if I said “Please don’t do that, you’re scaring her” instead of just “Please don’t do that.” Then there were the two old Chinese women on the other bus who kept trying to poke their gloved fingers into her mouth (!!!) and didn’t understand ‘Don’t tease my dog,’ but once again Sylvie’s Leave-It made me proud and I fed her tons of cheese the whole way home. I realize this makes me sound like I callously expose my fearful dog to all kinds of threatening weirdos, but she genuinely enjoys riding public transit and doesn’t seem to mind all the strange people because they’re usually just sitting quietly and not bothering her.
trisha says
To Thea: The answer, of course, is “It depends,” but for most dogs, I’d say no, it’s never really over. Management and CC and OC just become part of your daily routine and as long as that isn’t too restrictive, it feels just fine.
Thea Anderson says
Thanks Trisha. Not that keeping string cheese in my pocket wherever I go is a huge burden, I just sometimes wonder if I’m keeping her stuck at this level and relying too much on food when she could do more.
Lisa says
Hello Trisha, I’m a first time owner of a cocker spaniel in Sweden. Since before I got her 9 months ago (at 8 weeks) I have been scouring the web for sources on training and behaviour, and I have read a number of your books. I was really happy when I found your blog, and have started reading from the beginning in 2009. (I’m almost up to present day!)
I just wanted to join the chorus telling you how wonderful it is to find something like this – research, training and personal stories all joined into one, and how valuable it is for us newbies in the world of dog partnership. I just found the old Calling All Pets recordings and have downloaded them all to my phone, for listening to on long walks with my crazy little lady.
Thank you, and I keep you and Will in my thoughts, hoping for a speedy recovery for his shoulder!