“Help! We’ve tried everything and our dog just gets more stressed, and I can't bear to see our lovely boy like this.”
Things had been building up. Rui was anxious and barking at people, pulling on the lead and barking at other dogs. Carol could not hold him on a walk. He would not obey commands. He whined and worried at home and raced around and attacked the hoover. He had just bitten the neighbour’s dog.
Carol and Kevin adored their dog, and spent a lot of time trying to reassure him, entertain him, cuddle him, play with him, and he slept in Kevin's bed. They were doing their best to help this lovely dog. But things were getting worse.
The difference between Human and Dog
Everything Carol and Kevin were doing makes sense for us. It’s what might help - with humans.
I explained a bit about the difference between Human and Dog. It’s easy to forget that we are completely different species. Rui could not learn human - so we had to learn a bit of Dog. It would help us understand why he was behaving like he was - and what we needed to change for him.
We needed to create a world that made sense in Dog.
Rui needed to know he was safe. Unfortunately, all the cuddles and reassurance and play and attention in the world would not help him feel safe. He needed to know that Carol and Kevin were good leaders who would take care of everything and tell him what to do.
How we did it
We stopped Rui going on the bed at night - he began sleeping in his crate downstairs, and that’s one of his favourite places now.
We stopped Rui going on the sofa - he has a bed on the floor, and has stopped wanting to go on the sofa.
We stopped balls and exited play with his humans - he can enjoy playing on his own with his toys or with other dogs, and he stays calm with his humans.
“The changes came very soon,” Kevin says, “it was a joy to see him relax without really having to do anything.”
Next
Carol and Kevin learnt a bit more about how to demonstrate that they were the kind, calm confident and competent dog leaders, and they learnt simple ways to help Rui succeed.
They practised their commands, they repeated behaviours they liked, and prevented behaviours they did not want.
Then we tackled the lead pulling:
We taught Rui a completely different version of walking on the lead - one where he walks behind us, on a loose lead. This can really help a dog relax and feel safe, following their leader.
Instead of Carol being dragged on the lead by their dog, the walk is so perfect and relaxed now that they find themselves looking round to check that he is still there.
Carol and Kevin were up for learning, they put in the effort to make the changes, and they got the results:
No more aggression to other dogs or cats, no stress or anxiety, no pulling, no whining - Rui is calm and listens to them, and they can take him anywhere. “We got our dog back” Kevin says.
Please phone me if you want to chat about your dog: 07967 735067 or email: judy@thedevondoglady.co.uk
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