When Dogs Abuse People
Every day I am approached by dog owners whose dogs have practically pulled their arm out of the socket, or jumped on them and knocked them down, or stolen an expensive turkey off the counter. In one incident years ago, I had a client whose dog actually pulled him over and broke his face requiring three reconstructive surgeries! Then the dog pulled over his wife that ended up having to go to physical therapy for six months for her back!! This was the epitome of the worst case I have ever seen.
Usually, we think of a dangerous dog as one that is willing to bite or threatens someone. But, a dangerous dog is also one that threatens someone’s health or is a danger to the dog himself. Yes, this too, is a DANGEROUS DOG!
When I see these things happening, I have to make it perfectly clear to the owner that this is not acceptable and can be changed.
The answers are not always simple, but one of the first answers is that dog owners must believe that these behaviors are indeed dangerous to themselves and the dog.
There are many ways to approach dangerous behaviors. Prevention is always the best cure in my book. That means when you bring a puppy home, you start training the minute the puppy comes in the door. Thinking a puppy should be given special privileges because they are young is very old school thinking. We know that puppies are learning machines and that there is a critical imprinting period up to 16 weeks old. What you allow is teaching them behavior they can do that the rest of their lives. In most cases, allowing or encouraging jumping and pulling on the leash at this age is a life sentence in to living with a disrespectful, dangerous dog as he gets older, bigger and stronger.
When trying to work with an older dog that is unruly, it is imperative to try different methods of training to determine which one works best for that dog and for you. One training method, as you might find on the internet, may not fit your dog and stop unruly behaviors. One of my most disliked training recommendations online is to see jumping as “attention seeking” then turning your back to the dog to ignore it. It is not attention seeking. It is the dog or puppy exploring to see who you are as a leader. In the dog world, the higher you are, the higher you are in social status. Turning your back on the dog is actually YOU submitting to the dog who is seeking to know social status! Walking into the dog reclaims your personal space and is usually much more effective.
The point here is that first you must see unruly behaviors as dangerous to your own health, especially when winter comes and you add ice to the mixture. It is dangerous for the dog that might get pancreatitis from eating inappropriate food or running into the street in front of a car. Focus on prevention early on if you have a puppy. If you have an older rescue, explore ALL the training methods or a trainer experienced in many methods to help determine what will work best to help everyone stay happy and healthy! It is such a delight to live with a well-behaved dog!
Caption: It is such a delight to live with a well-behaved dog!
