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April 08 E-News - Hostile Hounds? Members share their stories"A local groomer referred a new client to my pet-taxi service for pick up. The pet was a miniature schnauzer named Willie. When I arrived at the groomer to meet Willie, he snapped at me. I was quite surprised, as I rarely have a problem with new dogs. I suspected he was stressed and a bit fearful and after a couple of attempts to get near him, the groomer ended up putting him in my vehicle for me.
When we got to our destination, I asked the pet parent several questions about Willie’s behavior, which confirmed my suspicion that he had issues with strangers. The owner’s immediate concern was that they had arranged a much-needed holiday and didn't know who would look after him. I offered them a no-obligation assessment and made several suggestions, one of which was re-socializing Willie and working on all of his fears. I got the job of working with him three days a week.
It took the first week just to gain his trust so that I could put the leash on him and take him for a walk. As time went on, he came around and began to look forward to my visits. The pet parents adjusted his diet and did their homework. They took him out in public as well as the office, where Willie spends part of his day. Willie became a joy to visit and is always very excited to see me. He ended up staying with me during his owner’s parents’ vacation and we had a great time. Now when I visit him, he is my new best friend!" - Carol Truman, Best Friends Pet Sitting Services, Aldergrove BC, Canada
"On this particular assignment, I was to take the owner’s dog out daily so he could relieve himself. I met the dog before I began the job and we got along just fine. But my first day on the job, the dog would not even let me touch his collar. He was growling and nipping – making it impossible to clip the leash on. I tried everything from giving treats, sitting on the sofa so the dog could check me out and chasing it around the house for 30 minutes. Then I got an idea. The client had a long tie-out cord on her back porch. I made a lasso and as the dog ran past me, I lassoed him like a steer and I was able to finally get him out to go potty. I am sorry to say that I had to play "cowboy" every day for weeks. He never got comfortable with me and kept trying to bite me so I had to give up the job."
If I had a nickel for every critter that bit or scratched me over the years! When I first started doing volunteer, animal-rescue work, it was normal to get bit or scratched. Since then I've put in years of training, I learned canine psychology, behavioral traits, and body signals, so these days I have a much better understanding of what the stressed out dogs and cats are trying to tell me. And I still get bit! Ha-ha! Seriously, dealing with aggressive pets has become much easier with practice.
I'm a big believer in positive reinforcement/rewards training, and when dealing with aggressive pets, I've found that 98 percent of the time pet aggression stems from fear or stress rather than actual viciousness. Knowing how to approach a stressed pet, "reading" the body signals they are sending, and sending back calming body language really helps. It also doesn't hurt to carry around a bag full of bits of chicken jerky, dried liver and cheese. Observe the pet, read their signals, send back calm signals, and toss little bits of yummies in the dog’s general direction. This makes a huge impact on the dog’s perception of you, and makes it easier to leash them. Once they are leashed, a nice redirection, such as "good dog, let’s go walking" then get 'em going! If you can repeat pleasant experiences each time you meet the stressed pet, chances are by the third visit you will have a new friend!
Now, cats are another story. Seems the best approach with cats is to give them lots of space; try not to get them agitated and toss fish and shrimp treats instead. If you have to give a cat medication, good luck! (Ha-ha!) I would refer to the Red Cross Pet First Aid Course on proper procedure for wrapping a cat in a towel or blanket to give meds. Then refer to the Red Cross to help you with the wounds you will receive from the cat. (Ha-Ha!) Strangely, there aren't nearly enough books on cat psychology as there should be. A good rule of thumb might be, 'Dogs just want to belong to a pack, but cats want a staff to serve them.'
Not too long ago I went on a consultation for a new pet-sitting assignment. I always ask the people to leave the pets in their natural environment, not to crate them or shut them out. Then I usually walk in, introduce myself, and limit all my attention and eye contact to the people for the first few minutes. This usually gives all pets a chance to sniff me out and most of them relax quickly.
Well, one particular time, I walked in, introduced myself, and realized that the people were yelling at my foot. I was bewildered when I saw a beautiful old English bulldog vigorously chewing on my shoe and growling. It took a few seconds for the pain to set in. When I got the folks to calm down, surprise! The dog stopped biting. Then I quickly threw some treats on the floor and slipped on his leash. Five minutes later, we were walking down the street, the best of buddies. He only bit me one more time since then, and now he's a cuddly pup. Seems he had some resource guarding issues, and felt it was his duty to protect his "mama" person from the smell of a thousand dogs and cats on my shoes. I referred the clients to a fantastic trainer, and now the whole pack is doing great. (Neither bite required first aid, since I was wearing strong hiking boots.)
I encourage all professional pet sitters to learn about PR training. There are many great books by experts such as Ian Dunbar, Pat Miller, Patricia McConnell, Jeanne Donaldson, and Karen Pryor (to name a few.) The Pet First Aid Course is available nationwide, and is another great resource. One of the most enjoyable things about working with pets is learning how to communicate with them. Body language is the main form of communicating with pets. Our pets really do try to "talk" to us; we just have to learn how to watch as closely as we listen." -Adam Jones, Tailwagger's Dogwalking & Petsitting, Salt Lake City, UT
There will be more 'hostile hound' member experiences in the May 08 E-News. If you have a story that you would like to share, please email us!
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