Case Study: Meet Boo – Rescue Mixed Breed
Boo was adopted during the Pandemic of 2020 from a local rescue. She was adopted by another family but returned 3 days later due to her reactivity. She was still young, estimated to be about 11-13 weeks old and they chose February 14 as her approximate birthday. (It’s a great day to choose because then Boo & I share a birthday!)
Boo’s new family has two dogs that are regular clients at our Pet Spa; a terrier mix named Jakee, and a Catahoula mix named Sadie. Boo was adopted for Ryan, their 14-year-old that doing remote learning and just wanted to have something for him to focus on.
The first time I met Boo she presented as very reactive towards people and other dogs. Thank goodness she was food motivated. We tried classes when she was little—with one other dog but her reactivity was not decreasing and, in some situations, was escalating. We had to take a step back and reassess. We worked with her one-on-one with basic obedience—she was still having issues at home with visitors & contractors, but it was sporadic since there were not a lot of people to work on this issue in a controlled situation. Ryan and his dad, Scott wanted to have a pup that they could take out in the neighborhood for walks and do other things with, like their other dogs. It was concerning to Ryan’s family about Boo’s behavior, but they were very committed to work together on this.
After some discussion, it seems that Boo did not react this way until after an interaction with another dog at her house. This dog was a large breed, an older puppy that played too rough and gave Boo a bad experience. This interaction could be the reason for the reactivity and in some cases, one bad experience can be impactful. A DNA test was done that showed that Boo was 36% Chow, some German Shepherd, and herding breeds. This could also contribute to some of the behaviors that I saw.
We worked with her on building her confidence. Her natural reaction was to lunge and bark when she was in new or unfamiliar settings. She was not necessarily fearful but didn’t feel comfortable in some environments. As I worked with Boo and Ryan, Ryan needed to learn to respond proactively instead of our normal, knee-jerk response of jerk the leash & scold. Being able to foresee the unwanted behavior, allows for a more positive response. In this case, it was to redirect Boo with something positive such as treats, tricks, play, and sometimes more distance from the situation. The goal was to change the negative association she had to a positive one so that she could trust the outcome.
Ryan understood he had to be a trustworthy leader and became incredibly good at reading Boo. They worked a ton together and built a relationship. The next step was to meet at a few parks. We worked on what is called “threshold”. How close could Boo be from other dogs without reacting? Where was her comfort zone? We did that for several weeks, where we would work on a smaller threshold without going over that boundary. It is always a slow, process of not pushing too much too fast, but working on baby steps of improvement.
Boo at 10 months has improved to the point where she can be in a small group class. Victory & Success! This was a big step! She stays further away and does not directly interact with the other dogs but can focus on Ryan instead of being focused on everything else, even with all the distractions. Ryan has made himself the most exciting person in the room as far as she is concerned!! Boo loves to learn, and Ryan has worked on teaching Boo many tricks, which they both love to show off to Fran!
Ryan & Scott’s Perspective & Advice:
Sitting down with Ryan, a freshman in high-school, and talking about Boo’s journey was a lot of fun. He said that his older brother had a wonderfully trained and enjoyable dog, and it challenged him to have a great dog too! Ryan’s advice, “Find their strengths. Play into them. My dog loves to learn and I use rewards to motivate her. She responds. I also have found that she gets frustrated too. Give them breaks. Learn when they are done. She also reads people’s energy. If I introduce her properly, most of the time she accepts them faster.” Ryan says his next goals are to work with a long line tool for loose leash and recall and more advanced training.
Ryan’s dad, Scott had some bad experiences with aggressive dogs in the past. Initially, Boo’s reactivity scared him a little and he was worried. He wanted to have a dog that they could walk around the neighborhood and have visitors to their house without being concerned. Being able to work with a professional trainer with experience in this area, reassuring him, and having a plan was helpful and necessary. His advice for new dogs is to let them acclimate, be prepared and patient, do what you need to do, and realize that they get bored too! Keep them busy with indoor games and “don’t yell at them” if they are doing the unwanted behavior. “They will tune you out, just like teenagers.” If they are barking in the back yard, for example, be more exciting than the other distraction, have an exciting tone, and reward them for choosing you over the other thing.
It has been rewarding to see a young person to understand how important a simple bond can be, and he has learned so much in a short time. This has taken many, many hours of training, and at home to get Boo where she is today.
