With the recent behavioral issues and medical concerns we have been dealing with around Marvel, my trainer brain has been on overdrive. One of the things I’ve been thinking about is whether his recent reactivity is a behavioral issue, rather than a medical issue. And if it is, was there anything I did to contribute to it.
Tricky is being worked on for a sore muscle–handling.
As a trainer, and a terrier owner, I distinguish petting as different from handling. Petting is about stroking the dog in a way that is pleasurable for the dog. It’s often solicited by the dog in some manner. Handling is different. Handling can include: inspecting the dog, manipulating their body parts, and moving the dog physically. Examples of these handling maneuvers can include baths, vet examinations, grooming, inspecting for ticks, putting on clothes, pulling the dog off the couch, picking up and moving a dog from one spot to another, picking up a dog and holding him in your arms…you get the picture. It’s often NOT solicited by the dog nor enjoyed by the dog.
There is something many of us in the dog training field call SDS, “Small Dog Syndrome ”. It’s the sassy-ness and ‘bad attitude’ that people believe small dogs can have. It’s not a real thing–but rather a way to label the possible result of what many people, including myself to some degree, do to small dogs: things that they would not do to a large dog, such as an 80 pound Rottweiler. Small dogs are often physically managed and manipulated against their will simply because of their size. This can create frustration in the dog and/or distrust of hands reaching for them. This can result in an aggressive display by the dog when he or she feels ‘invaded’. Not all small dogs feel this way but in my many years as a dog trainer, I have met many dogs who do.
Although I have been good about not letting strangers reach for Marvel and pick him up, my fiance and I have been guilty of doing this. I have put clothes on him when the weather is cold and he doesn’t like to wear them–he tolerates them and I’ve done some work so that he does tolerate it. So even though these are not huge things, they could become completely intolerable when the dog is in pain. Perhaps this is what happened with Marvel last week.
Marvel in my arms after I cued him to jump up.
Some of the things I have done so that I don’t have a dog struggling with “SDS” is to teach Marvel to jump into my arms instead of me reaching down to pick him up. I have also taught him to Hand Target (touch his nose to my hand) to get him to move from point A to point B. He also knows specific words and hand gestures so that he is moving on cue versus being physically managed. There is so much more to living with a small dog and how to prevent them from becoming aggressive to handling that I will address in a future blog. I will also continue to share our journey, both medical and behavioral, with you as we try to help our little guy feel relaxed and comfortable.
Clarity & harmony…a better way of living with your dog.
I have been a dog trainer and behaviorist for 13 years. I’ve advised hundreds of clients and worked with hundreds of dogs with various aggression issues. For the first time, one of my own dogs is now biting. Starting this past Monday, Marvel has been biting anyone who reaches over him to pet him or pick him up. He started off by reacting to strangers. He is now biting people such as my fiancé who is normally one of his best friends. He hasn’t bitten me yet but he’s shown signals of discomfort and communicating NOT wanting to be touched.
As a dog owner, who is also just a regular human being, of course I am upset and emotional. My brain is going every which way, only making me more upset…”what if this is truly who he is, a biter; what happens when we have kids; what if no one could ever touch him again except for me; what if it’s something medically really serious; what if I did something to create this..” That inner voice we all have is sending me to some very dark places.
Thankfully I have a fantastic community of fellow trainers who have been supporting me through this past week and the rapid changes in Marvel’s behavior. They’ve helped me put my dog trainer hat back on and create a plan of action for my little guy. First thing I did is see the veterinarian to rule out any possible medical issues. Marvel has shown sensitivity about being handled–but never as severe as it’s been this past week–especially by people he doesn’t know really well. Through training, I have been able to significantly improve his comfort level about handling. Because his behavior has changed so much in such a short amount of time, the first thing to rule out is any medical concerns.
I am also going to keeping Marvel below threshold. This includes my fiancé not doing anything Marvel might be uncomfortable with (such as picking him up or brushing him). I am also giving him a complete break from agility, and not working with his handling issues or meeting new people. I will be keeping him home, keep things simple, and wait for more information from my veterinarian. I’ll keep you all posted.
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