Honey's no honey

Ena from second chance kennels asked me if I would speak to a concerned owner who had a 6 month golden retriever that was snarling and snapping at his 5 year old daughter.

I spoke to the owner,Dennis, and agreed to have a look at her.

I walked into the house to see this timid wee bitch named Honey who showed no real signs of aggression. I wandered around the living room and she followed me and everything looked OK. At this point I was in the room with the mum , the 5 year old daughter and the 15 year old son.

Then Dennis walked into the room and Honey ran to him to get her cuddles etc.

I then put a long lead on Honey and proceeded to walk out to the back garden. At this point Honey lay flat on her side with her head on the floor and attempted to form a dead weight.

I gently nudged her into the garden where she just lay down and refused to cooperate. I tried to pull her up to her feet and she immediately went into a death roll.

I then gave her to Dennis and she quite happily toddled around the garden with him.

I then began to see the big picture. My first impression of Honey, before I seen her, was that she was trying to rule the roost and dominate everyone. I was now getting the impression that she was besotted with Dennis and was jealous of the kids and was trying to command all his attention. Also the lying down lark appeared to indicate that she had performed this trick with success in the past.

I proceeded to walk her over to the park where she immediately lunged into a death roll, bared her teeth and started snarling and biting at the lead.
I just kept walking, thinking that she would come round but she was adamant and lunged into another death roll.

I walked her back over to the house, made her wait until I had entered the house then walked her quietly into the living room.

By this time I had to question the temperament and breeding of this animal. Previously a gundog trainer had a go with Honey and advised a dominant approach to handling the aggression. This obviously hadn't been successful and it's just not my way. This bitch is in danger of entering the rescue centre hit list and that's what I'm trying to prevent.

My approach to Honey's attitude problems is to avoid confrontation with her and invoke a total control mechanism without introducing negative verbal commands or punishments.

Here's what I've recommended :

• Get a cage or crate for Honey. I think she'd benefit from her own happy place where she can rest without unnecessary distractions. The cage is a total no go area for the kids and should not be used as a punishment area. The cage is a happy place where Honey gets nice treats. It's also a great form of control for the owner because you know where she is and what's she's doing. - Always remove collars and leads before you put a dog in a cage. There has been many a dog hung by his own collar in a cage.
• Honey should have a lead attached to her when she's around the house. This is another control mechanism to ensure that control can be attained without physically touching her if she's having a tiff or generally misbehaving. My suggestion is that no reprimands are given just remove her from the situation without praise or punishment and concentrate on the good things.
• Honey should never be allowed in a room with kids when no adult is present.This is just asking for trouble and it looks like the kids may have been slightly rough with her in the past.
• I asked Dennis to bring in Honey's blanket. I threw the blanket on the floor but stood between Honey and the blanket with my back to her. This was indicating that I was in control of the blanket and she was not permitted to claim it. Again this is another body language command issued with meaning but without introducing confrontation.
• 3 times daily, Honey should be walked into the living room where all the kids are seated watching TV etc. The kids and adults should totally ignore her. Honey will soon learn that she cannot demand attention at will. While Honey is in the room, one of the adults should hold the lead and gently start walking towards the door. As soon as Honey starts to walk with them they say "that's good - well done Honey" and walk her into the kitchen and back into the living room. All this time, the kids are totally ignoring her and doing their own thing.This is reinforcing that praise and attention comes from doing good things and at the same time negates the action of demanding love and attention when Honey feels like it.
• What if she snaps at the kids or jumps on the couch and grabs a cushion? - My answer to this is that we've setup a control mechanism with the lead and a crate and our sole purpose is to prevent this behaviour occurring in the first place rather than having to take corrective action after its happened. (Don't start a fire - You'll just have to put it out) However if she grabs a cushion, Dennis or Jean should turn their back on her while the cushion is swiftly removed from her. No punishment or shouting should be administered just the rapid removal of the object without eye contact or aggravation. Even if you have repeat this 2 or 3 times, she'll soon get the message that this is not acceptable behaviour and stop it.

I think this is the best way forward for poor little Honey. She could be the product of poor breeding. She may be a one off and all her brothers and sisters are normal happy dogs. Maybe she's just a nervous pup who won a few battles early on and thinks solitude and aggression is the way forward. It doesn't really matter - This poor wee soul has to be pitied. I really hope myself, Dennis, Jean and all the family can work together make Honey's life more enjoyable.

I'll update this blog with Honey's progress as time goes by.