Dogs, like people, are not perfect

Where's Pom: In a Cone
In 2015, Pom suffered the indignity of the cone. Unlike our other dog, he never adjusted to the cone and sulked for the entire two weeks.

At Where’s Pom, we have two knuckleheads. One perfectly healthy one that is full of anxiety and one with numerous health problems but a stellar temperament. The former is Pom, for whom the blog is named.

Pom is a beautiful, healthy dog. At 9 years old, he can still catch a tennis ball out of the air. He’s a muscular and athletic English bulldog with none of the breathing problems that plague the breed. As you can probably tell from this blog, he’s an excellent loose leash walker. He’s an angel in the house. He never chews anything, gets in the trash, or sleeps on the couch. (Furniture is off limits to the dogs with the exception of the bed.)

He has one overriding issue, however. He’s anxious and afraid of new people. If someone is coming over, he has to be locked up. Walks require vigilance lest someone with a trigger cross our path. Backpacks, hats, a limp, men in general – they’re all suspect. Everything is suspect. If Pom were a human, he’d be carrying a gun. 

We’ve worked with trainers and read a shelf full of books. In the end, we understand and manage his anxiety, but the overall problem is a tough one to crack. In addition to anxiety, he is wicked smart. He’s the smartest dog either of us has ever owned. You can always see the wheels turning, and he picks up new tricks with ease. The trainer recommended that he be given a job and challenged regularly. We hide his dinner in a kong every night, and he finds it.

I was explaining Pom’s issues this week when I took our other dog, Baby Cow, to meet a friend. My friend remarked that we frequently require our pets to be perfect when most everyone you know isn’t perfect. We all have issues whether physical or mental that require management and understanding from those around us. We shouldn’t expect our dogs, who lived with humans so long they essentially domesticated themselves, from reading our emotions and having a few of their own.

For Training, the Where’s Pom team strongly recommends Kristina Ackerman at Oscar’s Pet Resort. She’s terrific.



Left-handed Dogs

south-pawDo you have a dog who tends to exhibit aggressive behavior toward strangers? Is he a South Paw? Believe it or not, those traits are related.

According to a new study from the University of Adelaide, left-handed dogs are more likely to display aggression than right-handed or ambidextrous ones.

Dr. Luke Schneider, one of the study’s authors,  told the Telegraph, “We found that dogs with a preference for left paws were reported by their owners to show high levels of aggression towards strangers. The left-pawed dogs scored almost twice as high as ambilateral [ones with no preference] and also higher than dogs with right paws.”

We’ve long known that left-handed men tend to be more aggressive. In 2004, a team of researchers found a correlation between the frequency of left-handedness and homicide rates in traditional societies. Murder rates rose along with the frequency of left-handedness.

It appears this correlation also applies to dogs.

It’s not so strange once you discover how feelings map in our grey matter. Positive and negative emotions are displayed in the left and right hemispheres of our brains. The left hand (or paw) is controlled by the right hemisphere which is associated with negative emotions.

Left-handedness is far more prevalent in dogs than humans. Seventy-five dogs were used in the study and about 1/3 were determined to be south paws. None of the dogs in the test group were characterized as aggressive animals. Lefties were simply more pushy than righties.

 



The dogs of war suffer from PTSD

If you’re a fan of the Dog Whisperer, you’ve probably seen the case of ATF Gavin, a service dog Cesar treated for PTSD. It’s a powerful episode, and Gavin’s story consumes the entire hour of the show eluding to the difficulty of the case.

Dogs, like soldiers, suffer from PTSD
Dogs, like soldiers, suffer from PTSD

Gavin’s story was filmed in 2007, and as more dogs are used in combat, the cases have increased. The Times covered canine PTSD this week, and the methods used to help suffering dogs are like those used by Cesar. The Times explains, “More serious cases will receive what Dr. Burghardt calls ‘desensitization counterconditioning,’ which entails exposing the dog at a safe distance to a sight or sound that might set off a reaction — a gunshot, a loud bang or a vehicle, for instance. If the dog does not react, it is rewarded, and the trigger — ‘the spider in a glass box,’ Dr. Burghardt calls it — is moved progressively closer.”

Dogs suffering from PTSD can become clingy and timid like Gavin or aggressive and hyper-vigilant. The article points out that the military veterinarians at Daniel E. Holland Military Working Dog Hospital at Lackland Air Force Base have had some success in treating the disorder, which is so new its existence is being debated. Dogs who can’t be rehabilitated in 3 months time are moved to other duties or retired.

Last year, the Times wrote a series of articles on Gina, a four-year-old German Shepherd military working dog who suffered from PTSD. The Air Force blog reports that Gina is back on duty after months of additional training to build her confidence.

Sources: [ATF Gavin | NY Times | AF]



Teaching builds friendship

At Where’s Pom, we recently decided to seek the help of a certified dog trainer. While we have several things to work toward, her first suggestion was to teach Pom to do things and to work for things in the house. To be honest, I was embarrassed when she asked us what he could “do,” and I replied (happily) with, “He sits. He can sit!” I’ve had this dog in my life for three years now, and all he can do is sit. I’m a pathetic owner!

However, now we’re on a new track, and he’s learning fast. The results have been remarkable. So far, we’ve taught him how to “touch” and lay down. We’re working on “stay” and are up to 30 seconds. He also happily sits in the doorway while I make the bed rather than get tangled in the sheets like it’s a game. Once the last blanket is on the bed, he’s rewarded with a treat for his patience.

He learns so quickly, and he seems to really enjoy our training sessions. I decided to work on it every day for short periods of time using pieces of raw carrots as treats. Bulldogs are prone to weight gain, so it’s best to pick a low calorie treat. The training has had other side benefits. He is slowly becoming more patient, and he gives me more space and respect when I’m eating, working, or cooking. After all, I’m the giver of treats and affection that he now eagerly works for.

We still have many more milestones to reach. I’ll keep you posted on our progress.

See our training video here: Pom the Bulldog learns a few things

Trainer information:

Anne Funston, Good Dog Unlimited. In Lancaster, PA – 871-1159