It Never Happens…Until it Happens
The calls come in to our office on a consistent basis. Dog owners suddenly caught off guard, dealing with a dog they now don’t seem to know. The calls come in many forms. The 7-year-old lab cross that has always been great with kids and who, suddenly, snapped at a neighborhood child. The 5 month old puppy who seemed to turn into a different pup overnight and is reacting to every bit of noise and movement with sharp, no-nonsense barking. The 18-month-old poodle that had been a lovely family pet up until the point last week that she started to use the living room carpet as a toilet. All these scenarios are quite common to dog professionals, but to the people living with them they come as a surprise. The line “he has never done that before” is heard time and time again.
The issue at hand is that nothing happens until the first time it happens. Although that might seem like oversimplifying things a bit, it is a true statement. Whatever issues may arise and whatever behavior your pup might exhibit can’t possibly be all shown on day one. The process of puppies maturing, and re-homed dogs starting to feel more comfortable may take many months, even a few years.
What upsets the apple cart the most is that we have become familiar with what we know. We know our dog is good with kids, does not appear to be startled by loud noises and is housetrained fully. This is what looks familiar to us. When that changes, we are thrown off from what we knew as the norm.
It is not what you dog does, it is more about what you do about it that will help in the long run. One important thing to note is that every so often, a dog will show us a side of him that is alarming. One scenario comes to mind. A friend of mine had taken her 5 year old terrier cross, Spunky, out for a long romp in the dog park. When she got home she noticed that Spunky seemed to still be very energetic from his encounters with his dog friends. As soon as he walked in the door, he noticed that the other family dog, “Addy” was sitting on his bed, with his favorite toy. He went over to give Addy a piece of his mind and what started out as a low growl, turned into a full fledged argument over the toy. As my friend stepped in to separate the two, she got a nasty bite on her hand. She was shocked by the behavior, as Spunky had never done that before.
The lesson to learn is what to do next time so that there is no re-occurrence of the scene. In my opinion, it is not a behavioral issue but more of a lesson to be learned. I suggested that she give her dog a cool down walk before coming home, as a stress reliever and to also get rid of the toy that they argue about. That should do the trick. The only other important piece of advice I had for her was that if this continued, and Spunky and Addy start to argue on a consistent basis, that we would need to delve into the issue further. It may well be a behavioral issue if it starts to occur with frequency. I saw this is a one time, unfortunate series of events.
If your dog does a behavior that you feel is out of the blue, it most likely is not. Take the case of the poodle that uses the carpet as a toilet, even though she has been housetrained from the age of 10 weeks. The first thing to look at is the likelihood of having a bladder infection. A trip to the vets for a check up should be done. The second thing they might find is that she has been having a few accidents lately and they had not taken any notice until they became more frequent. This is quite common and the dogs can easily fall off the housetraining wagon and create new habits. It would be suggested that they go back to some puppy house rules and re-establish where the toilet really is. It is not unusual to see some dogs prefer the house to outside during the winter months…especially the tiny dogs. Make sure there is an area kept cleared of snow for them to use.
A dog that has never shown any signs of aggression should first be checked for any underlying pain, especially if it is getting up there in years. Often a dog will lash out if they are uncomfortable. The more likely scenario is that the dog has shown signs, but they are often subtle. Has your dog been left to his own devises? Is he following your household rules? Has he become unruly lately or started to pull you down the street or not come when called? Is he starting to bark more at people through your windows or is he up onto the furniture more in the past few months. We all let down our guard and sometimes this can be the backslide that finds the dog in this predicament. This requires some professional help.
How about the reactive puppy? Pups tend to go through lots of changes within the first year or two. It is important to understand how to get them through these challenges. Instead of being upset or annoyed at your pup for his behavior, get yourself educated. Some pups are under confidant and any type of correction has the potential to make things worse. You can use techniques such as treating your pup when he does not initially react, or by implementing confidence building exercises such as training him in a fun, fair manner, having him do things for you for his rewards rather than just doling them out randomly. Taking him to a puppy pre-school or puppy gymboree class where he can interact with class mates of his own age will help to establish your bond.
The main issue is that things happen. It is unfortunate, but it is a reality check for all of us. The way to rectify it is to be ready for the next time. If your dog runs away in the park, the next day she should be wearing a long line. If you dog is using the living room as a toilet, make sure you keep that area out of bounds. If your pup reacts to strangers and loud noises, be ready with treats to show the pup that the sounds are not that bad and enroll your pup in a training class to increase confidence. And of course, if your dog is showing any signs of aggression lets not resort to the lament of “he has never done that before” and set up the future to be successful.
