PDTE 2012 October Newsletter

Problem dog?
of being alone is resolved, the symptoms
disappear as well. If the dog jumps up
on visitors, we can teach him an alternative
behaviour, like asking him to come
towards you instead. The dog is an animal
that will always choose the alternative that
is most pleasant for it or that gives it the
best reward. Therefore the only thing we
need to do is reward the dog at the right
time – sometimes a kind look is all that is
required.
Building trust
One-way to avoid many problems in the
first place is to create trust between you
and your dog. A trusting relationship is
very, very important. It is like building the
foundations of a house; when the foundation
is strong, you can build as many storeys
as you wish. But if the foundation is
weak, it will not even carry one floor. The
same is true of your relationship with your
dog. A strong relationship and trust will
lead you far. But these must be earned,
and they are earned by treating your dog
well. When your dog is not afraid of you,
whatever happens, he will feel safe and
lead a peaceful life with you.
This is about a problem dog called Basso.
He is a Grand Bleu de Gascoigne, a hunting
dog originally from France, from where
he was brought as a small puppy.
In the summer of 2010, when Basso came
to live with us, he was a 2-year-old really
stressed young dog. We already had an
Italian pointer by the name of Nella, and
10-year-old twins of the human variety
in addition to my husband and myself. I
had never before re-homed a dog, having
always preferred to start with a puppy.
However, my husband and I have always
been in love with the “big blue”.
We heard that Basso had started growling
at his owner so severely that the family no
longer dared to keep him. It was possible
that Basso would have to be put down,
THE BASSO CASE
about a month to get to know him.
First we went to meet Basso in his home,
to see in what kind of environment he
lived. During that first visit he was sleeping
peacefully on his own bed, so I saw
no problem behaviour. Right from the
start I had told Basso’s family that if Nella
didn’t accept him, we could not take him.
We introduced the dogs to each other
on several occasions, and everything
seemed to progress well enough that we
decided to offer Basso a new home. Thus
our walk through life with him began on
a hot summer’s day two years ago. From
the moment he moved in with us, it was
very clear that Basso’s stress levels were
extremely high. His previous owners had
been given the advice not to give him any
attention at home. The man in the family
If you feel that you and your dog have
problems, contact a good dog-oriented
dog behaviourist as soon as possible.
Many people wait far too long before seeking
help. Remember that the longer you
wait, the worse the problem gets. Good
advice gives good results if the advice is
followed. Results should be visible within
a few weeks; if this is not the case, it is
worth considering why. Is the right problem
being treated, or could it be related to your
dog’s health?
Every problem that the dog has can and
should be treated. I have yet to find a case
that is impossible. Only a health problem
can sometimes prevent a dog from making
progress.
For further information contact
raili@doi.fi
Page 26
which was a horrible feeling. We thought
very hard for a few days about what it
would mean in practice if Basso were to
move in with us. At the very least we would
need a new car in which we could carry
two large dogs plus a family with two kids.
I also spoke with my mentor, Raili Halme,
who promised to help. However, although
I did my best to prepare myself for his
arrival, I had no idea what living with a
problem dog would mean. This was to
become a steep learning curve for a future
dog behaviourist!
We got in touch with Basso’s family, in order
to find out how they lived. I wanted to
progress slowly and on both dogs’ terms.
For various reasons we were unable to
take Basso with us immediately, so we had
had also used a shaking tin to interrupt
unwanted behaviour. They had done their
best to obey the given advice, but the end
result was that Basso had started growling
threateningly at his owners.
Basso was also growling at my husband.
This always happened when Basso felt
constricted space-wise, for example if my
husband wanted to come inside the house
through our hallway, or if he wanted to go
to bed and Basso was already sleeping
there. Knowing his background, we understood
that Basso’s growling simply meant
that he was afraid of my husband’s proximity
and needed more space for himself.
My husband observed Basso’s signals
and gave him the space he needed. He
approached Basso slowly and in a curve,
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