Suzy's Blog

If you are dealing with a behavior in your dog that seems like it cannot be explained or changed you might be dealing with a decision your dog has made.

For example: I had the wonderful opportunity to work with a Boston Terrier, who had a sensitivity to his back and hind quarters. If he was being touched in a certain way it would trigger a bite response. The owners had him since puppyhood and the behavior started a few years ago. The biting was directed at anyone who was going to pet the dog by approaching over the head towards the back. The dog would bite regardless of who was petting.

While it is not really relevant to have the information to why this behavior started I found out that it started after having a severe skin problem a few years back that got the dog associating pain with being touched in this way.

Is your dog jumping on everybody coming for a visit? Are you worried your dog is going to knock someone over, or spoil that wonderful dress your neighbor just bought? Have you tried the suggested things from ignoring to distracting to pushing the knee in the chest and nothing is working?

Would you like to try something else? What else is possible? What if the possibility to change something would not be the same for each dog and the real trick would be to ask your dog what would change the behavior? Some dogs are a lot more sensitive to your thoughts, feelings and emotions than others. For those, the approach would be different to the dog that seems to never check in with you, is constantly 'distracted' and doesn’t seem to know their name.

Some methods used for one dog will be too harsh for another, and the other way around, a method not getting the message across at all! So first see what energy level your dog has and how much you are connected. Some dogs find it highly insulting to be walked towards directly and others will not react to that unless stepped on, literally!