Bred to do a job
Nowadays too many dogs are effectively square pegs in round holes.
When I was young (years and years ago) many women didn’t work. Dogs weren’t left alone for long. There was little traffic outside the bigger towns so dogs had a lot more freedom. Few were bred for anything in particular. As I remember it, there were many more cross-breeds (mongrels).
Today people choose their pedigree dog too often purely based on what the dog looks like and fashion. Many of these dogs are bred to do a job. Both men and women go out to work. What do we have?
We have a dog – in this case a Malamute – who due to the couple’s change in work circumstances is now left alone for eleven hours a day. However much they try to compensate when they get home, this is simply too much time for a dog, bred to be a sociable creature, to be all by herself.
Husky-type dogs are in fashion at the moment and visually you can see why. Stunning to look at.
Siberian Huskies and Malamutes are bred for pulling heavy things and for endurance.
Another thing that attracts people to Malamutes is that they are noted for being friendly.
So with the dog I went to yesterday we have dog that is bred for being friendly that is left alone for eleven hours a day; a dog that is bred to work with humans for hours, pulling things over many miles, taken for two lead walks a day.
Two-year-old Evie is absolutely delightful. She is also like a fluffly ball of built-up frustration and excitement that bursts out from time to time.
The couple do their very best. Things don’t always turn out as expected, do they. There are many Husky type dogs now in shelters because people just haven’t done the research into what they have taken on. The really lucky ones, to quote Wikipeadia, are used in sledding, also known as mushing, as well as for skijoring, bikejoring, carting, and canicross
Beautiful Evie is walked for an hour at 5.30 am before work (which is testament to how they are doing their very best) and has another walk in the evening when the lady gets home. After a long and busy day, Evie’s young humans are tired.
About a week ago, instead of simply being over-excited when she saw another dog on a walk, her hackles went up and she snarled at it. In quick succession this past week there have been four further incidents which were all noise and show, nothing else. Then a couple of days ago, with terrible timing, an off-lead Staffie they met in an alleyway went for Evie.
Evie retaliated and a fight ensued. The man kicked both dogs.
The young lady was extremely distressed as you can imagine. To make matters worse and as is so often the way, the owner of the out-of-control off-lead dog shouted abuse at the person whose dog was on lead!
Why did Evie’s behaviour suddenly change a week ago? At my suggestion they have had her checked at the vet and she seems to be 100% healthy. The trigger may be that the young lady was particularly stressed at the time. Evie may well have picked up on her owner’s mood.
They will be looking for a daily dog walker to break up the time that Evie spends alone. They now know how to work on her behaviour with other dogs. Fortunately it’s only been happening for a week so won’t be too much of a habit yet.
How frustrating must a walk always on lead be, particularly on a Flexilead where there is constant tension, to a dog that has so little ‘happening’? They will now use a loose long line so she can at least feel some freedom. They will work very hard at her recall so perhaps, one day, she will be trusted off lead.
They now have a list of activities to choose from that will give Evie stimulation and a chance to unwind during the evening – things for her to chew and do – training activities including some clicker training. (The young lady who had never used a clicker before was a natural. She totally got it). Clicker will help Evie to use her good brain.
A big thing they will now do their best to stop – is saying NO. I suggested a ‘swear box’, a pound every ‘No’. Poor Evie is constantly being corrected. Now they will be getting her to earn some of her food – giving it to her whenever she does something ‘good’ like watching their cat and before she starts to chase it, like when a dog comes on TV and before she begins to bark at it or if she settles.
Food will mean YES.
Although they will never be able to fully give Evie what she was bred for, they will be able to give her a much more fulfilling life. She will be less frustrated and have more self-control which will inevitability affect her general behaviour with other dogs.
NB. For the sake of the story and for confidentiality also, this isn’t a complete ‘report’ with every detail, but I choose an angle. The precise protocols to best use for your own dog may be different to the approach I have worked out for Evie and I’ve not gone into exact precise details for that reason. Finding instructions on the internet or TV that are not tailored to your own dog can do more harm than good as the case needs to be assessed correctly, particularly where aggression issues of any kind are concerned. One size does not fit all so accurate assessment is important. If you live in my own area I would be very pleased to help with strategies specific to your own dog (see my Help page)
