A Reflection: Working With Behavioral Cases
Sometimes, I feel the need to share my reflections on my career in dog training. This is one of those times. I have been getting more and more calls about fearful and aggressive dogs (or with other behavioral issues). While it can sometimes be challenging as I figure out how to not only help the animal but the people too, when I can help pets who have behavioral issues, it is truly fulfilling. Sharing a home and heart with an animal who is experiencing these behaviors is very stressful. I know this from first-hand experience. If you have followed me for a while, you may have read about my Dawson and his anxiety. (I will write a follow-up story about him as he is doing so much better.)
At the end of the day and the end of the week, these cases can make me tired but at the same time, I feel so good about the positive changes in their quality of life. Those changes motivate me, inspire me, to further my own education. To remain committed to teaching and using the most compassionate, positive and least aversive approaches (and fun whenever possible) to preventing and solving pet behavior problems.
And I have been getting more and more calls for this kind of help lately.
Sabia is another example. She is a 3 ½ year old Belgian Tervuren who has a history of barking and growling at unknown people and dogs. That makes having guests over, taking her for walks or out to public places, or even her seeing neighbors outside playing difficult. Her family loves her very much. They want her to feel better about those things. When I visited for the first-time last week, it was with her behind a fence and also on a loose leash. There was a lot of initial barking. We practiced having her mom give her a treat upon seeing me and then walking her away, over and over. Then as Sabia’s body muscles began to relax in my presence I did the food tossing. We stopped and kept her outside to go in and talk.
When we came out the next time, I was in their yard with them at the far end on leash. My client practiced walking her toward me and moving away before Sabia’s body language shifted to tense, until they got close enough to where I could toss treats. By the end of our lesson, Sabia was actually eating food from my hand…and there were girls playing tennis next door. I was told she would have reacted to them but on that day, she had loose muscles the whole time.
Later that day I got a beautiful text with a photo and a message that said how ‘happy Sabia seemed the rest of that day’. I’ve got to say, that sure made me happy the rest of the day too. I am looking forward to seeing them again.
To my clients, my friends, my teachers, and my followers who are my inspiration – thank you for this opportunity!
