Clean Run - May 2014 - 42

You can't help but notice when a dog is missing a limb or an eye. These are dogs with special physical needs.
But there is another kind of special-needs dog that isn't as easily recognized by others-the dog with
special emotional needs; the dog that feels he must lash out to protect himself from harm, real or imagined.
Whether the behavior is a product of his genetic temperament or an unfortunate experience, the dog's attempt
to control a situation that is frightening is a response that society frowns on.

You Are Not Alone!

Dogs with
"Issues"
By Marianne Bosco

For those of us who love a dog like this, life is full of stress. Years
of patient work and boundless love go into working with these
dogs, but every day is a balancing act. How much can he deal
with today? Can he work in class today? Can he restrain himself
or does he need to be managed? While managing is stressful, it is
at least reliable. But managing is a Band-aid. Our goal, as impossible as it may seem, is to teach our dogs how to manage their
own demons so they can co-exist with the world happily.
These dogs are often the "throwaways." They are disposable,
unlovable, and worthless in many people's eyes because they
don't live up to societal standards. They are not vicious in the
true sense of the word, but their fear will drive them to bark
uncontrollably, snap a warning, and even lunge.
Sometimes I wonder how I came by such a dog. She was such
a cute little thing, wobbling along at an adoption event. Should
I have been wary of her background? Her owner had surrendered her, her mother, and her sibling to a kill shelter. What
kind of human could take a mother and two tiny puppies and
hand them over to be killed? And if they could do such a thing,
how was this puppy treated in her early weeks of life? I will
never know, but I do wonder. How long was she in the shelter?
Could that situation cause a tiny puppy to become incredibly
fearful of other dogs? I believe it could. From there she went to
a foster home. For whatever reason she couldn't stay there so it
was off to another foster home. Then I found her. It took a couple of months (the time they call the puppy's "teenage years")
for her fears and behavior problems to become obvious, but by
then I was smitten and so was she.
Daisy is a funny-looking little dog. Her legs are too short, her
nose is too big, and her eyes have an "old soul" look. She is a
furry ball of boundless energy. She is sweet and fun, unless she
doesn't know you. Then she is wild-eyed and crazy as she barks
and lunges to make herself unlovable enough that strangers
will give her wide berth. She believes that all humans are evil
until they prove themselves otherwise.
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The First Step
You might think that I would just keep her locked up at home,
but I believed I could help her deal with the fears that drive her
(and me!) crazy. How to do that? The first step was a puppy
class with a wonderful instructor who taught me to teach Daisy
to look and then look away from the scary things. I knew we
were making progress when she started to look and look away
from people and dogs that frighten her without me even asking
her. Yes! Success!
Well, you learn quickly that success with an emotional specialneeds dog falls into the two-steps-forward and one-step-back
category. Some days we have success and some days we do
not. But I always, always remember to train, love on her, show
patience, love on her, take baby steps, love on her, deal with the
embarrassment, love on her, and repeat sequence. Each day is
wearying and gratifying. But who would take Daisy if I did not
keep her? The responsibility is huge.

Agility
The second step might seem counterintuitive-agility training.
Why? She had received early exposure to agility skills in her
puppy class and she seemed like a superstar to me. As fearful as
she was of humans and dogs, she was completely fearless about
obstacles, funny noises, and strange movement beneath her
feet. She loved playing on mini teeters, slant boards, and the
like. She gleefully dove into these activities with abandon, free
for the moment from the fears that plagued her. In addition, I
was told that agility might improve her confidence enough that
she could perhaps shed some of her coping behaviors that are
not compatible with human coexistence.
I entered her in an agility class. Our dog club has many loving,
caring people who proved to be an incredible source of support
for both Daisy and me. People began talking to her quietly, allowing her to control the approach, and giving her tasty treats.
Clean Run | May 14

Clean Run - May 2014

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