Pet care: Dog fight desperation. Will it get better?

Third in a series.

If one event quickly follows another, every time, our dogs connect the dots. Jerry’s past rage-infused tirades against Izzy, when he caught her menacing the smaller dogs, taught her to avoid them in his presence. And, since he’d never descended on her like an atomic weapon when he wasn’t there, she could lose her fear of him when it was just her, Rosie and Willa. No surprise. Research has shown that punishment only works if it’s applied immediately following an undesirable behavior — every single time.

Aversive consequences have already failed on many of the pets who are brought to me for help. Their problems persist, or reemerge in worse ways, because the motivation to do the bad thing was never recognized and managed. We need to treat the cause.

Little Rosie and Willa were living lives of apprehension and fear. They certainly deserved better. But it was the disorder in Izzy’s brain’s neurochemistry and circuits that really needed help.

The political struggle among the three Cline dogs was only part of the story. Charlene initially came off as poised and rational, but we weren’t far into the discussion when a look of desperation came over her. When I asked what concerned her most, she looked down at her hands and said, “I don’t think I can take this any longer.” She badly wanted peace in her home, but she was losing hope. Should they rehome Izzy? How would they find the right people for her? Who would want a dog with her history? This good lady loved all of her pets. And she was struggling.

I told her and Jerry that we had a decent chance of helping Izzy, but that it would be challenging. An unmistakable look of guilt came over Jerry. I told him that no one should feel bad about their failed attempts to fix these problems. People do their best with what they know but, like all of us, they make mistakes. A tear rolled down this big man’s cheek. I waited.

Next week: Did Jerry cause the aggression?

For help with behavior problems, you can sign up for a Zoom group conference at drjeffnichol.com

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