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Ask Yvette

Dear Yvette

We have a 6-month-old Terri-poo who is aggressive. How is this possible? We are good owners. We do not abuse the dog. We have started obedience since she walked in the door. What have we done wrong?

Paul

I have a rule of thumb. When someone asks, “What have we done?” you can usually spot a responsible owner. It takes great self-confidence to take personal responsibility. When someone feels accountable for their actions, they do not blame others. They fix things.

But that does not mean that you messed up. A common argument by laypeople is the debate between nature and nurture. Some people believe that bad owners create bad dogs. Some people believe that bad dogs are born.

The truth is that neither is absolutely accurate. When someone asks if a problem is genetic or learned the answer is almost always, “Both.” Lousy owners can ruin nice, easy puppies. Then there are challenging puppies that are taught the right things and turn into decent companions. Most situations fall somewhere in the middle.

Let me give a few examples to clarify.

A shy puppy that is pre-disposed to fearful behaviour goes into a suburban home with inexperienced owners and low exposure. The lifestyle of the family isolates the puppy and the problem magnifies. That same puppy placed into an outgoing home might turn into a very different dog. All that exposure increases the likelihood that the dog is socialized better.

Puppy number two guards objects. From a young age, this puppy snaps and bites if a human takes a favourite goodie away. If that dog goes to a home that works the problem from a young age, then you still have a dog that is pre-disposed to guarding. The tight lid contains the problem in many cases. That dog now stands a chance. In a home that lets the problem simmer, it is likely the dog will be put down or abandoned.

On the other hand, puppy number three is easy. He is happy, friendly and social. But he goes to a home that swats him. They go to a home that neglects him. At what point does that dog turn? We do not know. But it is possible to ruin a nice dog.

If you are like most families, then chances are a few minor items slipped through the cracks and led to major problems. Breeding is one enormous issue. Next week, we'll go into greater detail on this. If you buy a dog with a pre-disposition to being aggressive, you have your work cut out for you.

On the other hand, obedience is not everything. Temperament is not about obedience. It does you no good to have an obedient dog who bites. This is critical because emotion will always override learning.

This is important to understand so let me repeat that. Emotion will ALWAYS override learning.

It is not much different than a math wizard who panics at the sight of spiders. No matter how brilliant this person is, their ability to do math will diminish if not disappear if I shut them into a room of spiders. Panic will override brains.

Change the focus of your rehab. You might need some assistance in getting a diagnosis, but obedience alone will not help. Next week, we'll look at breeders and what potential owners need to know to make an educated choice.

Yvette is an award winning pet writer and pet behavior columnist. She also is the author of Meeting Milo, a North American dog bite prevention program to reduce the approximately 2 million children bit by dogs annually. She is the owner of AwesomeDogs.ca and works as a behavior consultant in London, Ontario.

This column was originally featured in The Londoner
See more of Yvette... www.awesomedogs.ca
www.meetingmilo.com

Yvette has 2 dogs of her own, KIKI and KAYA. Take a look...

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