Warning Signals-- March 11, 2009

Recently, I have been having depressed thoughts about Bing. He's nearly 4 years old, he is still very anxious in the car, and he is completely intolerant of people touching him, with the exception of me, Pete sometimes, and the dogsitter IF I haven't been around for 3 days. My daughter is now 9 months old and is crawling, and will be soon walking. She will make friends and they will come over for playdates. I can manage Bing by putting him upstairs or in a crate. But we all know that some how, some day, management will fail. Do I wait until that day to decide his fate? He's not rehomeable, so there is only one option....and that's a very sad truth.

I can consult with Dr. Overall about increasing his meds, I can concentrate heavily on TTouch, I can do herding and other sports with him that may help him to focus on really great things that he loves, and I can certainly have his thyroid tested, since his furcoat seems brittle and dull. But is it enough?

He is, after all, a great companion for me. He's great at rally (when he's focused and not too nutty). He recently got his first Q in agility (AND FIRST PLACE!) and has a promising agility career ahead of him. He is awesome to take on hikes, loves for me to pet him, adores his tennis ball and swimmies in the pond....but is this enough? He's a liability.

It's amazing how life works sometimes. Just as I was pondering Bing's fate (which clearly is not a decision to be taken lightly), fate taught me a lesson. I saw a dog yesterday who appeared to be very friendly; happy, wiggly body, ears relaxed and back, open mouth in a smile...the whole package. I approached in my typical non-confrontational manner, all relaxed, hands relaxed, out and down but palms open and slightly up, talking in a happy voice to her in response to her jovial body language. I hadn't been in the room for four seconds and the dog launched herself at my face. Apparently my hands came up and she got my left hand and shook it HARD. The dog was on a Gentle Leader, and the owner was holding the leash.

I sustained a Level 4 bite to my hand, with the worst puncture in the webbing of my thumb. My immediate concern was that she had broken bones in the hand from the shaking. Later on, I was concerned about tendon or ligament injury. This dog clearly had had all warning signals punished out of her from three years' use of a prong collar. The Gentle Leader had only been in use for 7 months, and it seems as if the dog had learned that there would be no more corrections. This was a truly scarey dog. That bite was meant for my face. It would have meant serious plastic surgery. And if that had been a child?

Feeling rather sad about this event and some of the implications, as well as the hassle of having to deal with the fallout of the event, I took my dogs to our favorite hiking spot. On the drive down, it occurred to me that I AM SO GLAD that Bing puts his tail up high, stares at people, gives them whale eye, and sometimes growls. He gives those of us who care enough to stop and think, a warning that he's not happy. I can manage it and redirect it. He has great focus and it can become even better. YES! I have a great dog!

YAY for Bing! I'm SO glad to have him....and, of course, Acacia, who taught me all of this to begin with! And, as difficult a client/dog team as these folks are (as well as irresponsible), I have to thank them for being a catalyst in realizing what I DO have in my dog. Imagine what might have happened had the dog not been on a Gentle Leader. The bite would have been even worse; her mouth must have been held partially closed by the pressure of pulling away from the owner and the leash. There was NO bite inhibition at all.

So, for those of you out there who despair because your dog is reactive, give him or her a snuggle and a treat and tell them THANK YOU for giving us all that warning! You have something to work with in your dog!!!

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