Ken’s Comments:
I love dealing with problem dogs who have great owners. Great owners recognise they have issues. They realise there is no magic pill they can give their dog that will eliminate the problems. Great owners understand that to turn things around requires hard work, time and know how.
Thor’s mom is a great owner.
I met Thor about a year and a half ago now. He was a rescue who presented with some issues as his mom will explain. Like many dogs however, as they get more comfortable and spend more time with their new families, more problems emerge.
Thor is a more serious case and would require serious work while ensuring the safety and protection of all. His mom was up to the challenge.
It has been a year and a half now Thor has made progress. He is a regular on the group dog walks, he has dog friends that he toleraates as they walk next to him and has people who can touch him. I know it has been difficult for his mom at times. Frustration often comes when you think you have conquered one obstacle only to realise it is back to the drawing board. Looks and comments from people who just do not understand are the bane of all owners who are working with dogs who have issues. Toss away comments from others can be like kryptonite to Superman for these owners.
But his mom and family persevere.
His mom just completed the Aggression and Reactivity Course. It is a course specifically for owners who need to delve deep into the psychology of behavior modification. This class is for owners of dogs who would have melt downs in a normal class environment. It explores classical and counter conditioning and systematic desensitization thoroughly. Every person in that class is going through a similar experience so you recieve a lot of support.
I asked Thor’s mom to write a success story detailing her progress as encouragement to others facing similar issues.
Here is her write up:
This is Thor’s story. Thor is our boxer, and about 6 ½ years old. He is highly reactive. SUPER reactive. He’s aggressive towards strangers and other dogs and I believe he could be dangerous if not handled properly. This is a little bit about the progress he’s made in the last year and a half.
We got Thor in May 2017. Our family had been looking for an adult dog to adopt locally, and when Thor came available at the Humane Society, we moved quickly. We met him on Wednesday and took him home Friday. The shelter knew very little about Thor’s history other than that he had originally lived with a family and had passed through multiple homes in the months before ending up at the shelter. He was very reserved upon us meeting him. He was cautious and uncertain, so I quietly sat down on the floor. Without making any eye contact, he immediately sat down backwards in front of me, sliding back so we were touching. He wanted to connect, but in a controlled, indirect way. I thought ‘he’s so overwhelmed by the shelter, he’s just a little distressed right now’. What I didn’t fully appreciate at the time was that his avoidance of eye contact and nervousness wasn’t just because of the shelter environment. Thor, it would turn out, was uncomfortable meeting not only new people, but also other dogs.
We brought him home two days later, unaware of what we had taken on. The first afternoon he was very unsettled and paced around the house learning all about it. But that night, as our boys (5 and 8) were getting ready for bed, he jumped up on the bed with one of them and curled right up. And I knew we were going to all get along just fine. Over the next few days, we took him on several walks including a few trips to the local dog parks. By ourselves, Thor was a wonderful leash walker – calm and attentive. However, it quickly became undeniable that he had issues with other dogs. He would growl and bite at dogs on leash or in yards, and lunge at them. He would leap at the top of the dog park fence trying to get in, foaming at the mouth. He pulled me over at Quidi Vidi, and got away from me, rushing a family with children in a stroller, and a dog on leash. THANKFULLY, Thor didn’t bite or hurt anyone, but I was thoroughly shaken. As I collected him, I realized that we needed to address this right away. I went home and called Ken immediately.
Ken came for a one-on-one. At this point, we’d had Thor only about a week. Our biggest concerns at that time were his reaction to other dogs, and to the doorbell. Ken gave us a great list of things to work on with Thor, including taking the Level 1 Obedience Course. We started working through items on the list, like desensitizing him to other dogs at great distances, while we waited for the Obedience Course to begin.
At the first class, Thor was behaving so badly that I didn’t want to take him in the building at all. He was pulling, lunging and rearing, barking and frothing, all because he knew there were dogs inside the classroom. I waited outside until everyone had gone in. Then Ken arrived. He walked up to say hi and Thor lunged at him. And bit him. Thor tore the pocket off Ken’s hoodie (but he was okay – phew). That’s when Ken suggested we get Thor a muzzle. Immediately. But he let us continue the obedience classes anyway!
So, we got a muzzle the very next day. Thor went onto nip a few other visitors to our house. By then it was obvious that Thor not only had issues with other dogs, but also with people approaching him or entering the house.
It took us about another year with Thor to fully relax and to get to know each other. Over this time, we managed Thor’s issues, but didn’t really focus on improving them. He wore his muzzle, we avoided all other dogs and people, and we leashed him when people came in the house or shut him in another room. Most importantly, we instructed visitors how to interact with Thor – IGNORE HIM until he’s calm. Frankly, this was the hardest to manage because people don’t always listen.
This fall, when I saw the posting for Ken’s Reactivity and Aggression Class, I signed up immediately. The bullet points listed in the ad described Thor perfectly. What a difference the course has made! The course wasn’t really about training Thor, I learned; it was about training me to better understand his behaviour. While Thor’s behaviour was the outcome, his real problem was how he was emotionally reacting to these situations. I learned how to help alter how Thor reacts; slowly his behaviour has started to improve, and the intensity of his reactions has lessened. We worked diligently at the homework and will continue applying the principles we learned. Thor still has a long way to go but he’s now able to pass people on walks without any reaction. He’s passing other dogs on walks with some pulling and hopping around, but he’s doing so much better. We’ve been attending the weekend group walks and he’s doing SUPER. While he’s still overexcited, and lunges at times (and yells a lot), there are moments where he’s able to walk calmly along side other dogs. And that’s HUGE progress.
Maybe the most comforting part of this experience has been the support from the others in the class and on the weekend group dog walks. Lots of people deal with this kind of thing all the time. There are lots of reactive dogs out there and even lots of dogs with muzzles; it’s like a reactive dog solidarity. Everybody there gets it. It’s hard and stressful dealing with a reactive dog. There’s no judgement. And everyone there understands that a muzzle doesn’t equal a ‘bad dog’.
I’ve learned a lot on this journey with Thor. I’ve learned that while we’re still so far away from our goals, he’s made remarkable progress and continues to improve. I’ve learned that teaching Thor how to be accepting of his ‘triggers’ takes way more creativity than I would ever have though. I’ve learned that making a significant change requires significant time and effort. I’ve learned that changing his emotional responses takes patience, and resilience, and that every day won’t be a good one. But there is always some progress overall. I’ve also learned that Thor may never be comfortable enough to interact safely with other dogs and may always wear a muzzle, but we are now better prepared to manage his reactions. I’ve learned to ignore strangers’ ignorant comments about my dog and his muzzle. I’ve learned that managing Thor’s behaviour is easier than managing the behaviour of people around him. I’ve learned that politely asking people to give your dog space doesn’t always work, and that sometimes you need to be blunt before they ‘hear’ you (e.g., ‘My dog will BITE YOU if you approach him’). I’ve learned what tons of praise and comfort, and lots of wiener treats can do for your dog. And I’ve learned how lots of wiener treats can make your dog smell (hint: it’s not nice). I’ve learned that there are lots of other dog owners out there who ‘get it’ and will always support you on your journey. I’ve learned there is always hope, and that you can improve the situation with diligence and time.
Thor’s not perfect, but neither am I, and we’re figuring it out together.
Thanks Ken.