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Dear John,
We have a 2 year old Shih Tzu that we took to to obedience school. Never the less, she growls at children and is very fearful and timid. The younger the child, the worse she is, it seems 3 and under. We have an almost 3 yr. old grandson and another on the way. My daughter-in-law no longer wants her son around our dogs. We seem, so far, to have no problem if the child is older and of course the quieter the better as this dog is very timid and shy and I think uses her growling as protection. I am afraid someday she'll nip someone's small child.
-Maude
Dear Maude,
I'm with your daughter in law. Keep them separated, but not by separate rooms, separate provinces would be better. You describe a dog poorly socialized likely complicated by being wired with a low thresh hold for stress. You can't train that out of the dog anymore you could a person. Improve it? Maybe but not a job for the average dog owner so a Shih Tzu rescue may be your dog's best bet. It should be a one way trip though. With her history I wouldn't let my kids around her either.
Dogs poorly socialized before 12 weeks of age can have a hard time coping with the various human developmental stages. I've assessed countless dogs over the years and I've seen dogs that tolerated infants but feared those that crawled, and others that were okay until the toddling period began. Eight year old boys are particularly susceptible to dog bites due to their, “I know I'm not supposed to do this but I wonder why?” outlook on life.
Teaching your grandchild how to “behave” won't help. There are countless “Child Safety Around Dogs” programs to teach children how to behave around dogs but if we're to be honest and sweep aside the enthusiasm that their sponsors; veterinary associations, humane societies, government agencies etc., have for them what we would find hiding behind is that after decades, countless dollars and man hours there is no real evidence that any have ever produced significant results. One out of two children are still bitten by a dog before the age of 12 and with 25% requiring medical care.
This bugs me. I have a problem with any “Do Good” program that doesn't set a specific goal and realign its approach if those goals aren't achieved. I have a particular problem when those programs intended to protect children aren't getting results and everyone acts like they are. I like dogs but I love children. These programs seem to have it backwards and no one is telling the emperor he's not wearing any clothes.
The humane societies, veterinarians and trainers that provide the expertise behind these programs are wearing blinders. They think you can stop a child from being a child just because you say, “Don't”. Most children are smart enough to understand the safety around dogs lesson but when it comes to real life any parent knows that a child's reason does not over ride its normal impulsive nature. Your grandchild could have a doctorate in child safety around dogs and still get bitten.
We should spend the safety money instead on educating dog trainers that this current plague of “ignoring bad behaviour and rewarding good behaviour treat based” dog training is unnatural,dumb and dangerous. Make it mandatory for breeders to educate themselves on genetics and socialization and make them follow up on their litters. Finally educate people to stay away from buying breeds with physical and mental needs they don't have the time to channel.
John Wade www.johnwade.ca
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Hi John,
We have brought a bulldog cross now about 12 weeks of age. The nipping is getting a bit aggressive. Her teeth are quite sharp and have injured my wife and daughter. She literally hung by her tooth imbedded in the skin of my daughter's leg, needless to say my daughter has not warmed up to the dog since. She also left a sizeable bruise and distinct teeth marks in my wife's leg as well. I have little marks all up and down my wrists and hands. We do not believe in hitting with hands, newspapers or the like. We believe in positive reinforcement only. To date we have tried a water bottle, marbles in a little can, a firm no and of course many chew toys.
Steven B.
Hi Steven,
Spraying water, and shaking marbles in a can at a dog isn't positive reinforcement so I suspect you like many dog owners have been misled as to its definition. All positive dog training is a classic example of the Emperor's New Clothes fairy tale. I'm told by all positive trainers that their approach is based on science. Certainly not any practical sciences like biology, ethology, and psychology to name a few. It simply doesn't exist anywhere in nature but we keep being told to train our dogs that way.
Think of dogs, wolves, apes, human beings etc. Can you think of a single one that has young that was raised with all positive? None that are alive anyway. “Sweetie, don't play with the bear.” They're all about a balance of positive and negative. I'll be darned if some dog trainer that thinks that the dog is the only species on the planet that once it leaves its mother has to be treated like a deity is going to wreck my dog by turning it into a juvenile delinquent out of fear that a little discipline is going to wreck his self-esteem for life.
Here's a quote from a real all positive trainer I know; “I currently have a client whose arms were full of puppy nips.” She advised saying “Ack!”. If the ACK didn't work the client was to turn her back. Here is the joyous result, “By week 3 her arms were clear of marks. She was so happy, she showed all of us her arms and said "LOOK" !!!!!”
Three weeks to get results and they were ecstatic! If that had been the pups mother on the receiving end of those nips it would have been a 3 second trip into reality land with a final destination to the city of 3B's “Bye-Bye-Behaviour”. I can assure you that there wouldn't be any “Acking” or back turning, marbles in a can, or water bottles involved. She'd be on that pup like a politician on a pay out and there'd be yipping, yiping and yelping to beat the band, which translated into English would be, “Sorry mom!” Are you sure it was me mom?, Never again mom! I'll be more careful mom!” Once it was over the pups mother would have balanced the discipline with some loving.
Ask yourself, is that mother dog inhumane or is she just being a responsible mother teaching her puppy bite inhibition so that it can work well with other dogs as it grows up?”
Your alligator, (I mean dog) needs what nature designed for it, a balanced trainer - you. Not some slavering Cruella de Vil and not some sugar and spice everything nice, unicorn riding person with a treat pouch. You'll find a good balanced trainer will show you how to be a lot more subtle then your pup's mom would be. She probably had eight kids after all.
You really don't need this explained, you're raising a child but maybe you've found an all positive way of doing that and if so the country awaits your secret.
John Wade www.johnwade.ca
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Dear John, I am writing to you about our 19 month old golden retriever Bonna. She was given to us at 6 months old. We previously had a golden retriever. Bonna was taken from her mother early because her father had got in with the litter and killed all of the puppies but her. She was rescued from her fathers jaws. The first owners bottle fed her and became very close to her. Bonna dominated the first owners, a mother and daughter. Bonna, she is quick to learn but does not like to be told what to do. Sometimes when we pet her she growls and shows her teeth. She has bitten 3 people. My son was first, then she punctured my finger . The most recent incident was when my husband was petting her and she started to growl and show her teeth. He told her to stop. She bit his hand, and then his other hand. We have been talking about putting her down. I wanted to know if you think there is any help for Bonna. - Ella Hi Ella, You say Bonna is “quick to learn but does not like to be told what to do.” That is pretty much the assessment my ex-wife gave me on both my entry and exit evaluation interviews and I'd have to say that she perceived that as a fault and not a quality. I suggest you do as well. Bonna is a dangerous dog that would have been long gone in most households and is on the cusp of joining her less fortunate litter mates. Assuming that Bonna's problem is not associated with a brain injury due to her father's attempt at infanticide and his blood thirsty tendencies haven't been passed to her then maybe all she needs is an old-school attitude adjustment. That doesn't necessarily mean you're the people to do it. She's probably going to need someone with more dog experience to take her on and there are mighty few of those volunteering to take on dogs acting like meat grinders with a screw loose. I think it's fair to say that if one is yanked from the jaws of a homicidal father one is going to get a fair amount of sympathy. Concessions for bad behaviour may have been granted because “She's the one whose father tried to kill her.” Those days are done. Put her on parole with eventual release conditional upon exemplarily behavior for no less then a year. That means she drags a leash like it's an ankle monitor and you supervise her like she's the only teen age girl in a town full of teen age boys. If she's crate trained she's in there when you can't track her. Don't ask much of her for a week or two just get into her head by stepping on the leash, sometimes picking it up and leading her away from something she's doing. Don't make a fuss, just do it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. With the whole family, get her into a balanced training class. That's somewhere where “No means no!”, not “If it's not too inconvenient . . . or do you mind ?” A place where the consequences are as real as the rewards. If there is any chance of saving this dogs life and keeping others safe you're going to have to convey to her as my father conveyed to me, “This is my house, you just get to live here. Keep it up with that behaviour and I guarantee you tomorrow the house is still going to be here but you son . . . maybe not.”
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Hi John,
We have brought a bulldog cross now about 12 weeks of age. The nipping is getting a bit aggressive. Her teeth are quite sharp and have injured my wife and daughter. She literally hung by her tooth embedded in the skin of my daughter's leg, needless to say my daughter has not warmed up to the dog since. She also left a sizeable bruise and distinct teeth marks in my wife's leg as well. I have little marks all up and down my wrists and hands. We do not believe in hitting with hands, newspapers or the like. We believe in positive reinforcement only. To date we have tried a water bottle, marbles in a little can, a firm no and of course many chew toys.
Steven B.
Hi Steven,
Spraying water, and shaking marbles in a can at a dog isn't positive reinforcement so I suspect you like many dog owners have been misled as to its definition. All positive dog training is a classic example of the Emperor's New Clothes fairy tale. I'm told by all positive trainers that their approach is based on science. Certainly not any practical sciences like biology, ethology, and psychology to name a few. It simply doesn't exist anywhere in nature but we keep being told to train our dogs that way.
Think of dogs, wolves, apes, human beings etc. Can you think of a single one that has young that was raised with all positive? None that are alive anyway. “Sweetie, don't play with the bear.” They're all about a balance of positive and negative. I'll be darned if some dog trainer that thinks that the dog is the only species on the planet that once it leaves its mother has to be treated like a deity is going to wreck my dog by turning it into a juvenile delinquent out of fear that a little discipline is going to wreck his self-esteem for life.
Here's a quote from a real all positive trainer I know; “I currently have a client whose arms were full of puppy nips.” She advised saying “Ack!”. If the ACK didn't work the client was to turn her back. Here is the joyous result, “By week 3 her arms were clear of marks. She was so happy, she showed all of us her arms and said "LOOK" !!!!!”
Three weeks to get results and they were ecstatic! If that had been the pups mother on the receiving end of those nips it would have been a 3 second trip into reality land with a final destination to the city of 3B's “Bye-Bye-Behaviour”. I can assure you that there wouldn't be any “Acking” or back turning, marbles in a can, or water bottles involved. She'd be on that pup like a politician on a pay out and there'd be yipping, yiping and yelping to beat the band, which translated into English would be, “Sorry mom!” Are you sure it was me mom?, Never again mom! I'll be more careful mom!” Once it was over the pups mother would have balanced the discipline with some loving.
Ask yourself, is that mother dog inhumane or is she just being a responsible mother teaching her puppy bite inhibition so that it can work well with other dogs as it grows up?”
Your alligator, (I mean dog) needs what nature designed for it, a balanced trainer - you. Not some slavering Cruella de Vil and not some sugar and spice everything nice, unicorn riding person with a treat pouch. You'll find a good balanced trainer will show you how to be a lot more subtle then your pup's mom would be. She probably had eight kids after all.
You really don't need this explained, you're raising a child but maybe you've found an all positive way of doing that and if so the country awaits your secret.
John Wade
www.johnwade.ca |
Hi John,
My 3 year old, Molly is peeing and more recently pooping all over the house! Last July, I started to see puddles of pee at our back door. I eventually collected a pee sample from the floor and had it tested. They vet found nothing wrong. We were seeing pee at the back door and also the window ledges in our bedroom, the top of my dresser, the kitchen table. Molly was always trying to get outside any chance she could. Things seemed to get better for a while. Then my Mom came to visit and brought her cat. We kept the cats separated at all times. Before my Mom's visit was over I was seeing pee at the back door again, every day!
Thanks very much,
Andrea
Dear Andrea,
I'd say you've got a cat that is especially territorial by nature that became aware of another cat on or near the premises and started to leave pee-mails to let every one know of the intruder's audacity. To some cats uninvited guests are about as welcome as Michael Richards is welcome as parade marshal at the next million man march.
Cats that give up on the litter box generally do for three reasons; illness, dirty litter box (cleaning won't do, they have to be replaced) and territorial infringement. Note that Molly's soiling patterns are vantage or access points to the outside. Her trying to get outside is another clue. She wanted to go kick some kitty keester. Finally to add insult to injury rather then stand blindly loyal behind the supreme ruler of the household (her) you started cheating on her behind closed doors with another cat right in the catrimonial home. No big surprise here. The number one rule in the rules for living with humans that all cats must read before sharing themselves with us is, “If by your rules they do not play, make them pay, make them pay, make them pay.”
For a territorial cat being merely physically separated from a cat in the same house isn't really separation. It's like separating a man from his television remote and then putting him in front of a television he can't turn off that is locked on to the soap opera channel. He's not going to be thinking, “Oh well. At least I can't see it.” He may not start peeing and pooing all over the place but he'll raise a stink somehow.
I'm not sure why she would be pooping now too. It's not usual but maybe she's thinking you're not getting the message she's sending through her pee-mail maybe you'll pay more attention if she leaves some Poo-pouri as well.
Either way you'll have to find a way from discouraging other cats from coming onto your property and/or try denying visual access. If worse comes to worse you can set a live trap and if it's not a feral cat stick a collar on it with a note for it's owner informing them of the dismal life expectancy of cats allowed to roam neighbourhoods and a warning that next time they can bail the cat out at the shelter.
John Wade
www.johnwade.ca |
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