Pat Miller Blog
BACK TO WORK!!!
I'm back... ! I very much enjoyed my week off, but it was back to work playing with dogs last week. By the way - I would love to get reader comments on my blogs - feedback is always welcome!
I had two new clients last week: Norman, an adorable 1 ½ -year-old Terrier mix who has started to get snippy at other dogs at his daycare, and who growls at children, and Banksi, a 3-year-old Havanese with a looooong list of behavior challenges..
CLIENT #1 - NORMAN - TERRIER MIX
DAYCAREÂ
Kudos to the daycare provider, for informing Norman’s person about his inappropriate behavior with other dogs. I find care providers aren't always forthcoming with negative news, for fear of losing a client. Norman's human totally realizes that he can’t keep going to daycare if they can’t resolve this. She did note that there are several dogs that he gets along with really well, and that the ones that he snarks at are always dogs who are larger than he is.
I told her that it is not uncommon for dogs to decide as they mature that they would prefer a small circle of intimate friends and no longer wish to be a social butterfly. (Lots of humans feel the same way!) Also, his target choice of larger dogs tells us that they are making him uncomfortable, and he is asking them to back off. When they do, his snippy behavior is reinforced (negative reinforcement - dog's behavior makes a bad thing go away), and so the behavior increases.
POSSIBLE SOLUTION(S):
1.     Ask if the daycare facility can accommodate Norman’s needs by putting him in a different room, only with those dogs he gets along well with, and if adding new dogs to his group, only dogs that are his size or smaller.
2.     A behavior modification program using Counter Conditioning and Desensitization (CC&D). With CC&D you pair the aversive stimulus (larger dogs) with something wonderful (i.e. chicken!) to change Norman’s association with those dogs from negative to positive. https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/training/counter-conditioning-and-desensitization-ccd/
3.     A behavior modification program using Kellie Snider’s Construction Aggression Treatment (CAT) which uses Negative Reinforcement to modify behavior. Norman has learned that snarking makes other dogs go away. With CAT we teach him that relaxing makes other dogs go away. Eventually he starts relaxing on purpose until he becomes so relaxed that he no longer feels the need to make other dogs go away. https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/behavior/constructional-aggression-treatment-cat-can-improve-behavior/
4.     Remove him from daycare if accommodations aren’t possible and/or if modification isn’t feasible/successful.
CHILDREN
Norman’s person has no children of her own and no intention of having them which makes this challenge easier than it might otherwise be. His person had hoped when she adopted him that Norman might be a therapy/comfort dog for kids - and realizes (to her credit) that this is now out of the question.
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:
1.     Management. I am a huge fan of management – in fact management is a critically important piece of any behavior modification plan. In a case like this we could go for total management – Norman simply never needs to be around children.
2.     Modification. We could also do a behavior modification program – either CC&D or CAT – to change Norman’s association with and response to children.
OTHER STRESSORS
Since aggression is caused by stress, there is value in decreasing other stressors even if they don’t seem directly related to the behavior in question. We listed 14 stressors for Norman and agreed to manage as many as possible and specifically address husbandry tasks and changes to the apartment (moving furniture, setting down a box, etc.)
NORMAN’S MODIFICATION PLAN
1.     We also noted that Norman was itchy – a stressor that can make a dog grumpy and put him closer to his bite threshold. His human agreed to talk to their vet about medication for this.
2.     Talk to daycare immediately about accommodating Norman’s needs. If that’s not possible she will remove him from daycare and look at arranging playdates for Norman with compatible dogs.
3.     Do CC&D with children on the other side of a playground fence (protected contact!) at least once a week.
4.     Make minor changes to the apartment with treats scattered generously in the vicinity of the change.
5.     Do CC&D with husbandry tasks at least 3 times a week, 20 minutes or more per session. We decided to start with nail-trimming. https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/care/nail-clipping/a-counter-conditioning-protocol-for-trimming-your-dogs-nails/
My prognosis for Norman is GOOD to EXCELLENT.
CLIENT #2 – BANKSI - HAVANESE
I’m just giving you a Reader’s Digest version of this case, as it is a pretty complicated one. Try:
·        Generalized Anxiety
·        Social Conflict Aggression
·        Noise Anxiety
·        Interdog Aggression
·        Resource Guarding
·        Storm Anxiety
·        Fireworks Anxiety
Phew! His person is already working with a Veterinary Behaviorist and another Behavior Professional (yes, she came along to our consult). The list of protocols they already have Banksi working on includes:
1.     Management
2.     Touch - https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/training/on-target-training/
3.     1-2-3 Pattern Game
4.     Trade - https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/training/protocol-for-teaching-a-safe-trade-with-your-dog/
5.     Relax on a Mat
6.     Crate Training
7.     Other Pattern Games
8.     CC&D to House Noises
To these I added:
1.     CC&D to Sleep Startle
2.     Walk Away - https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/training/how-to-teach-your-dog-to-just-walk-away/
3.     CC&D to Movement (foot, arm, etc.)
4.     Nose Games (for enrichment) - https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/training/how-to-teach-your-dog-to-play-nose-games/
My prognosis for Banksi is FAIR to GOOD – lots of challenges to work with – and thankfully a very dedicated, capable human caretaker.
Oops! I neglected to mention when I first posted this that Banksi is on Reconcile (doggie Prozac) per her vet's prescription, and her human has seen a behavior in improvement since the Reconcile has come on board. Management!!!!!
EMMA THE ROTTIE PUP
And last but by no means least, an update on Emma the Rottie pup. Her human sent me a report… I love getting e-mails like this!!
<< Hi Pat,
It was so nice meeting you, I loved our session, and thanks for this great report! Sorry I'm so late with my reply, but I've been jotting down notes to share with you.
Happy Vet Visits - going well. We did one "happy vet visit" before our 8/26 appt, and Emma was showered with love and treats from at least 10 employees, sat politely on the scale, and knocked over a metal cat statue. 😂  Her appt went fine yesterday, they gave her a peanut butter licky mat and she didn't flinch while getting 3 injections (and they didn't put her on the table, which I appreciated). She was thrilled to be there and was calm and tail-waggy around all the dogs (and cats) in the waiting room. She even laid down and just watched the activity. We're planning to go back for regular hellos and weigh-ins. 🙂
Resource guarding - this has been going well. I practice the "I Come in Peace" (I call it "more chicken?") almost every time she eats. My 4-year old grandson did it too. No tension. She was with another dog (a large good dog) at the park, met loose leash, went into the dog park because no one else was around, and I was practicing recalls (off leash). I gave Emma a treat well away from the other dog but she came over and hawked it up right in front of the other dog. They both had noses at the treat, almost touching...no tension at all. There have been times recently in puppy kindergarten when food was on the floor and puppies/dogs all around...no tension. We practiced trade with cow hoofs lined with cheese...I was a little nervous doing that around the other dogs but Emma was fine, no tension. The tambourine toy was out on the floor at the last puppy-K class...no tension this time. Other toys too, and a blanket that Emma and another puppy were playing tug with...no tension. Last weekend we met another dog at the park (loose leashes), chatted with owner for a while, gave each other's dogs treats...dogs very close together, no tension. Working on "trade" and "drop it" every day...working well. Her food ball gets jammed frequently and she has no problem with my picking it up, resetting it, and giving it back.
 Nail trimming - the Peanut Butter on the cabinet door is genius!!! I'm still just doing a few nails each time and massaging feet and toes...at least 3x/week. she fidgets a little but lets me do it. We will keep working on that.
Counter-conditioning for scary things:
 - geese flying overhead really low--spooked her. So we went to the park and hung out (and had some treats) while watching a flock of geese walking around, then they took off, more treats... Emma was unfazed that time.
 - scary Virgin Mary statue (about waist high) in a bush...that freaked her out the first time she saw it. Now she looks for the statue, walks up and sits in front of it and looks at me for a treat (the deluxe kind). 😂
 - pair of life-size lion statues...those were easy...not nearly as scary as Virgin Mary for some reason.
 - skate park - first time we were both startled by a skateboarder coming at us suddenly. She was spooked and pulled away with tail between legs. We backed off to a safer distance and worked our way back, spent at least a half hour there getting skateboarder love and treats, including from a 4 yr old boy who kept trying to pick Emma up...she loved him. We've been back a couple times since...now she's eager to go there in spite of all the ruckus and loud rap music.  🙂
"Walk Away" - we practice this a lot passing other dogs (good dogs and lunging/snarling dogs) using the deluxe treats...that is going well. When we're walking she'll hear a dog bark, even a big aggressive sounding barker, and she'll look up at me for a treat.I think that's it for now, let me know if you have any questions, and again, thank you so much for everything!!>>
So there you go – a big YAY for Emma and her dedicated human!!
NEXT WEEK: Our last Level 1 Academy for 2024 (We still have another BMod this month, and Cognition (my FAVORITE!) next month.
And just to leave you with one last photo until next week… Fall at Peaceable Paws means MORE WILDLIFE!!! 35 Canada Geese in one of our horse pastures this morning. (SMILE)