Pet care: Positive reinforcement part of the slow process

Last in a series.

Right away, after Atticus and Tandy were separated in different parts of the house, everybody relaxed and exhaled. There had been plenty of smack downs but, so far, no perforated pets. Sylvia and Jason were committed to doing whatever was necessary; I was cautiously optimistic.

Tandy’s anxiety disorder needed research-based behavior modification. Her brain’s neurochemical imbalances also required treatment. I started her on an antianxiety medication called Reconcile, the canine-approved chewable fluoxetine. Her folks reported her much calmer about four weeks later. She was no longer spooked by little noises. Rather than her head-on-a-swivel during leash walks, she was sniffing and investigating while happily tail-wagging. She was now ready to learn.

Competition between Tandy and Atticus had to end. Never, for the rest of their lives, could they be together in the same room with food of any kind. Until they were consistently relaxed (never a guaranteed outcome), they could only be near their people one at a time. A baby gate kept them physically apart while able to hang out and swap jokes, which we assumed involved snarky comments about their parents.

I explained how to use a clicker for immediate reinforcement of simple commands. Sylvia and Jason, each with one dog a generous distance from the baby gate, followed a click, not with food (taboo when the dogs were together), but petting and praise. The book, “Click to Calm: Healing the Aggressive Dog,” helped.

They took down the baby gate a week later. Tandy and Atticus were kept leashed, several feet apart, getting clicks, petting and praise for performing fun commands. They learned to watch their leaders for opportunities to earn rather than squabbling, reacting aggressively, or trembling with fear. Frequent repetition motivated these sweet dogs to continue their good work over the long term.

Sylvia and Jason gradually allowed Tandy and Atticus to drag the leashes, so they could be safely pulled apart if the politics got ugly. Their dogs were better when together, but two rules would always apply: 1) Take the process slow. 2) No guarantees. The wheels could fall off any time.

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

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