August Article

Behavioral Issues Can Be Managed

Dear Doctor: When I walk my dog in our neighborhood, he drags me and jumps up on people. Since I do not like to have him act this way, I have not been taking him for a walk. Now he is starting to jump on my counters and chew on shoes and furniture! I do love him, but I am so frustrated with him. Should I give him away?
Signed, Annie from Amherst

Dear Annie,
I understand your frustration! We see dogs every day that are wonderful dogs, but are short on manners. Let me start by saying that I am not a behavioralist - there are many people that are specially trained in animal behavior in our state, but only a small population of veterinarians are trained for behavioral consultations. However, I do have experience from speaking with my clients, as well as from raising Labrador Retrievers through the years.

Let me tell you about my beloved Veronica (aka Ronnie) - I adopted her from the Humane Society of Waupaca County at 13 months of age, having spent a couple of months in a pet store, then 5 months at the Humane Society. She is 75 pounds of solid muscle - and she let me know it the first time I tried to walk her...or rather, she walked me! She would nip at the back of my legs, jump on me, jump on the counters, chew my shoes, bark when left alone, and she was even "expelled" from Doggy Day Care - yet, she was one of the most affectionate and endearing dog I had ever met! So, we started on a long journey to make her a well mannered member of society.

I found the most important thing that I had to do for her was provide regular exercise. If I would skip a day due to bad weather, or if I felt "lazy", I would see all of her negative behaviors become amplified by the end of the day. She needed an outlet for her energy on a daily basis! If she misbehaved, it was also my responsibility. I made a commitment to her that we would maintain our routine, no exceptions. Our routine includes a minimum of two thirty minute walks, although some days we will walk for well over one hour. We also bike together, play ball, do agility, and she attends Doggy Day Care once weekly.

Our obedience training involved trying every kind of specialty collar and harness on the market that promises to make every dog heel. Several dollars later, she still pulled on the walks! A spoon with frozen peanut butter did help to keep her by my side, but we needed something more reliable! I decided to try in home training with BarkBusters, followed by two more adult obedience classes. She would do great during class, but seemed to have trouble generalizing her training to the "real world" when we were outside! This is not uncommon, as dogs do not generalize well - which means they need to have several varied experiences, working on the basic training in several different venues. We would take her to parks and festivals and picnics, anywhere that allowed dogs. We would find a quieter area to work on the basic training, and once she was calmed, we would venture into the public area.

In the house, I kept Ronnie on a leash (tied around my waist) or in a crate if I could not watch her continuously - this is the best way to prevent counter surfing, destructive chewing, etc. She also needed to understand basic commands, and "no" or "leave it" to understand when her behavior was undesirable. It took a long time, but we can actually leave food on our coffee table, leave the room, and she will not touch it! This did not happen overnight - I would say it was more like over the course of one year!

In November, Ronnie became certified as a Therapy Dog. This allows her to share her affectionate personality with children and seniors as she visits schools, libraries, the Veteran's Home. I still find it hard to believe it when someone comments that she is so "calm and well behaved"! But it also makes me proud to know that we got to this point together, through many hours of training. In all honesty, I love the fact that she keeps me active every day!

So, I would say the keys to keeping your dog (and you!) happy include regular exercise, exercise and more exercise, obedience training with a professional or experienced instructor, and lots of supervision. With a firm commitment, your time investment will guarantee a well behaved companion. Best wishes!