Dominate your Dog or Have Mutual Respect?

I have heard people say over our time with Ben that we need to dominate him, be leader of the pack and to show him whose top dog. This has puzzled me because I’m not a dog and my dog knows I’m not a dog. How about a little mutual respect which goes a lot further than hanging him or beating him up. Ben went a long way with praise/treat training and training was extremely enjoyable for both of us. We just couldn’t fix what was already broken a long time ago.

We considered briefly old school training in trying to save Ben. To see Ben trained to a kennel by forcing him in and letting him fight it out until he lay down from exhaustion or to be hung until he lay down from exhaustion and into what some would call submission. I can’t imagine beating the spirit out of any living creature. There wouldn’t ever be any respect or trust of me by Ben. He still wouldn’t be safe or maybe even worse.

I will always stick by the praise/treat method. It did wonders for Ben in the short term. It did wonders for the Twicksta boy. As for Clara, she was just a natural Pyr and did as she pleased in a respectful way.

There is an excellent article on dominance behaviour by the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behaviour. See the following link Lynn provided to me:

http://www.apdt.com/petowners/choose/dominance.aspx

Left to Pick up the Pieces

It feels like I was kicked in the stomach so hard I can't breathe. The wind has been taken from us. We spent four months, intense months on training Ben. And Ben ends up dying despite our efforts to save him. He was a 4-year old, healthy and vibrant Pyr with tons of personality and that was one of the reasons it was such a tough decision. I keep going around on this so stop reading if you like but it's my way of coping with this loss. I have to work this out.

I was so excited to come home and work with him because we always made such good progress. Ben really blossomed. I found it so exciting to take what I had learned from Lynn and apply it and then become really comfortable with it. Ben really seemed to look forward to it, too. I would guess that's because it involved so many treats but that is what worked. I have the feeling he enjoyed the work, too. It made him think and he was a very smart boy and a very quick learner.

He had lost all of his old, dry malnourished coat and his new coat was coming in. Thick and soft. He would have had a beautiful winter coat.

We're going through doubt, now. Ninety percent of the time Ben was a lovable goob and ten percent of the time he went blind. He knew what worked so he got his way. He was a 130 pounds of solid Pyr. He hadn't been taught any differently and he had to survive. He had to fall back on his wolf instincts and I'm told it was so ingrained in him that there was nothing we could do.

I opened the trunk of the car today. It sickened me all over again to see the collar Ben came with, encrusted with his blood, dirt and hair. It reminded me of how much pain he must have been in over time.

We went from one end of the spectrum with Clara our angel, to the other end we now know, with Ben, a neglected but loving boy.

He Rests in Peace. I'm so sorry, Ben Ben.

Ben
2005 - September 17, 2009

It was a tough night. We went for pizza and toasted Ben. We then went for a walk for Ben. I could never understand how people could go for walks without a dog because I have always, it seems, walked with a dog. So, that was sad. I awoke after midnight and sat on the stairs and sobbed. No barks or growly sounds as Ben used to lay his head down. No boy to have me to go down to comfort him to sleep. Don and I talked and talked. For some reason, I keep expecting Ben to find his way back home. Crazy.

My Ben Ben is gone. I am so sorry that this had to happen to him by no fault of his own. I couldn't say sorry to him enough as he lay there. My big, goofy Ben Ben.

I will say again that breeders and owners are supposed to prepare their dogs for the world, for civilization and not to leave them to their own devices and starve them. It is our responsibility to look after them and give them the best possible chance at a wonderful life in our world.

The house is so empty now. So quiet. I feel at such a loss. No more walking him in the morning or after work. No more training. No more feeding 3 and 4 times a day. No more night walks or trips to the fields. He's not here when we come home, no head peaking around the wall, waiting to be fed. No more trips to the cottage with him. No more slobbers and goober on my clothes and everyone else's. I came to love those goobers. He loved his tummy rubbed and to cuddle. He even came to like boat rides, on occasion. It's hard to believe he's gone.

I have a wide assortment of treats of different value levels left that I had purchased for resource training. I was ready to roll and continue on with Lynn's help until the attack on Don. We then had to sit back and think hard. Even after that, Don wanted to try the vet behavourist to get her take on it. Could Ben be fixed? He's some crazy guy who loved Ben. As time crawled along, we both realized it was really time to keep everyone safe. Don didn't care how many times he was bitten, but it was other people for whom we had to worry.

Ben, my bigger than life Pyr. I always knew you were there. And now I know you're gone and I'll miss you so so much. Be good my Goob. You'll always be with me.

May Our Ben Ben Rest in Peace

It is with deep sorrow and through tears that I announce that we will put Ben down today. My Prince, Goob, Goober, Boog, Booger, Goofball, Ben Ben and Benny.

We picked up an underweight, malnourished, desperate, beautiful Great Pyrenees, unneutered with open sores from an embedded collar on his neck and have tried desperately to save him. I have failed.

After much discussion, reasoning, researching, advice and soul searching, we have decided that it is best for Ben and us that he be put down. We never got to the vet behavourist because we felt that there was nothing she could do for us. Lynn had already advised us some time ago and we finally realized the reality. It is ever so sad because he is such a character and loves people. He had so much potential as a puppy and that was destroyed by a neglectful owner and bad breeders. He had to survive on his own for four years and he can't get past that. He was starved and can never get enough food. In Don's words, 'he is damaged'.

We gave him four good months of what a good life can be. He has finally realized how comfortable a thick rug can be on which to sleep. He is such a good boy but just can't be trusted. I've worked hard with him and he has been so receptive. The training for leaping was going so great as was collar and resource guarding.

But, can I ever trust him, ever, when he finds a Charlie Bear in a pocket. I saw him threaten me when I found him in the bedroom twice as he found his 'prize'. It was only a Charlie Bear. I can take those from him when I give them to him, I can pick up his toy and take it away from him. I trained him so I could show him the pigs ear and he took it in his mouth and then I was able to take it away. But if he found that pigs ear, could I take it away. Can I train him for that? And then when he threatened Jennifer over picking up his leash. Then Fred reaching for his collar and he bit Fred. I thought it was just mouthing but Fred's hand hurt although no bite marks. I think those were our lucky warning signs and very understanding people.

I still have to work at getting the leash on in the morning and at night. There is no problem during the day. Ben will mouth me if I get too close to his collar too soon.

We can't even leave him outside anymore in case someone comes up the drive. He would probably be thrilled to see them but what if they reach for his collar. He is normally okay with this is he doesn't 'feel' threatened but it's all the variables.

We've never had a dog like this, never seen the results of what neglect can do but only heard of it. Again, I wanted so much for him to work out. It saddens me so much that this is happening.

I could put another two years of intensive training into him but would that make him safe? Could I train him so that when I find him with a 'prize', I would be able to take it away? Could I wait that long and hope he doesn't hurt anyone in the meantime? Don has had one good bite from him and then attacked with four bites even though they were his fault. He's the one who has not wanted to euthanize him but wanted to give him a fighting chance. I had always said, too, that as a last resort I would try the old school method but do I want to break Ben's spirit, watch him get hung and beaten. I don't think it would have worked for Ben nor do I think any dog should have to go through that. We don't do it to humans, why pets?

We have our dogs to enjoy life with us, to give them the best life possible, to go everywhere with us and be able to leave them with anyone should we need to. They have to be part of our lives, not shut away. Us always walking on eggshells wondering when he'll bite next. We've managed him with no bites for three months and then it's happening again. As we have been asked by another knowledgeable person, 'when he bites the next person, are you willing to look them in the face and tell them that you knew it would likely happen?"

To my big, goofy, beautiful Ben Ben who taught me so much and whom I will never forget.

Yet Another Turn of Events

Last night was a turn for the worst. I left the washroom door open where Ben's food is stored. He got well into that bag. I called him to lure him out and then went to get some cheese. That wasn't working and then Don came in. Ben came up for a breather and was turning towards the door. Don took the chance to reach over to close the bag and Ben attacked. I didn't know if he would ever stop but it was so horrible to watch. I thought I would would have to call 911. Four bites and Ben walked away and lay down. Two bites on Don's hands, one of which the punctures were tears, one on his wrist and the worst was on his calf. He became quite bruised. I started thinking we needed to put hinges that let the door snap shut and we needed to put the dog food into a container he couldn't get into. I was going into management mode. That wasn't enough. We were stunned and mortified by what had happened.

I suggested it was time to Don and he told me he would support me in whatever I decided. I called the vet and then told Don the time we would take him in. Then another idea came up.

We have engaged the services of a vet behaviourist (as opposed to a behavourist)for Ben on the suggestion of Lynn Hyndman, our trainer. We will meet with her on September 24th. Even though he has progressed a great deal since I brought him home, we want to know if he will ever be safe enough for the way we live with continued work.

I even called the vet to see about something to calm Ben. They suggested doggy prozac but was very costly but it would have been worth it if it 'fixed' Ben. Last grasps of desperation.

He is such a goofball, very sweet and loveable. And it angers me so much that people like his previous human were allowed to even take him home from the breeders. At the very least, Joe may have been fine at the beginning but the breeders should have checked on Ben now and again. It angers me that Joe has turned Ben into the dog he is and Ben is the one who has to pay the price. And, it angers me that Joe did not tell me the truth. Aggression issues were written in the vet file but Joe did not disclose it to me. I asked him and he said there were no problems. It angers me that Ben’s breeders were allowed to breed because they are ultimately responsible for how Ben is today. The fact that they refuse to take him tells all.

So, if you ever go to a breeder for a dog, make sure you ask questions of the breeder and they ask them of you. Make sure they tell you they will be checking on that dog periodically, that they will ensure it is neutered/spayed and that if ever in that dog’s life, you have to find a new home for it that the breeder will be the first place you call and that the breeder will take it back for any reason at any time. Make sure you meet the dog’s parents, see where the dogs live and how they are treated. Do your research before you ever invest in a companion.

And the Beat Goes On

I haven’t been working with Ben besides the everyday behaviour because he picked up some bug; probably from the stagnant water on our hikes last weekend. The poor guy. He’s feeling better but last Monday night/Tuesday morning was bad. I was up all night/morning with him. He's going to be okay.

Ben has been really a good boy with training and everyday life that I may soon have nothing to write except what a good boy is he.

He needs to get out with more dogs again. We went to Bruce Pitt in the beginning (I don’t much like it there because its a zoo) and there were never any issues with other dogs. In fact, he ran loose there and he was great. That will be next Saturday morning. I’ll see if our Pyr friends can join us.

I’m feeling so good about Ben that I think I’ll go all out and get him a nice leather leash. Dare I?

Unbelievably Great

Saturday to Monday. Ben has been amazing for Ben.

Saturday morning's walk was good. Motor bikes, huge trucks and bikes...I clicked as he looked and he turned to me and he was praised and treated to the rooftops for not leaping.

But then, I stopped to talked to a neighbour. That was a mistake. She quickly swept her kids away to 'safety'. Their ball stopped from Ben about two feet away. I had to roll it back. She asked if I was keeping Ben. I hadn't decided, I said. She advised me 'Donna, you have to be very careful'. Steam flew out my ears. Gee, I wonder why I've engaged a trainer, why I train him everyday on his issues and what the trainer has shown us and with which she continues to help us. Mmm, yes, Don was bitten, his friend was bitten, Maryanne was bitten as was the vet tech, Angela. And she is telling me I have to be careful? And then a roller blader flew by and set Ben off. He skated right to Ben and I said 'no' to the guy as Ben was simply seeking attention. Ben was already wound and probably confirmed the neighbour's 'fears'.

Her comment upset me but I got on with my day. The leash is becoming a non-issue now. I show Ben the leash and he comes running and we do the 'yes' treat routine. It's so great.

He got into the boat with us (a little kibble in his bowl in the boat helped) and really seemed to enjoy it. Nose in the air, wind blowing through his coat. I did the same the next night but he was stressed this time so we cut the ride short.

I worked on nail clipping and may have to work with the dremmel instead. I cut one nail and he whimpered. Back to square one but it's coming along. I kept treating him for giving me his paw instead of when he let me touch his feet with the dremmel. I finally got it right near the end. It'll come together.

He slept through the night all weekend, noise and everything. He enjoyed the campfires, as always. It was the first enjoyable weekend I've had with Ben in awhile. Don only had a growl when he tried to get him to come out from under the ski ramp on top of the ski hill. I knew that would happen because Ben wanted to stay there where it was cool.

Resource guarding is going well. I look forward to our next session and in the meantime, the exercises are going well with no guarding. Yippee!! I'm having a good feeling this day. He isn't vicious and he is learning quickly.

It’s a Warmer Day for Ben

Ben got my extremely cold shoulder yesterday. After yesterday morning’s fiasco, I was extremely upset to say the least. My mind was heading to the same place it always does in these situations. I couldn’t even look at Ben when I got home. It wasn’t until I was upstairs reading and Ben was barking his ‘I want a hug’ bark that I finally conceded and went downstairs to pet him.

There is a dog somewhere in the neighbourhood that is also being trained. It appears its problem is other dogs. They purposely walk by our house on our side of the street. Never on the other side. It saw Trickster and started screaming and yelping like it was being repeatedly kicked. This set Ben off for the night and Don feels that it carried through to the morning. That may very well be but it's still not acceptable.

This morning was a new start. I am now going to work on actually putting the leash on so that eventually he won’t always have to wear the leash. Instead, I can go over and put his leash on when I want to take him out. I will still have to work on picking the leash up for other situations but this is a new tact I’m hoping will work as well as the collar training and muzzle work did.

There Was Light

And then it vanished quickly this morning. I knew we couldn't have a high for so long before it went bad.

I didn’t get to his leash until he had just finished his breakfast. I picked up the leash and he bared teeth, growled and barked. I hung on, telling him to sit and he came forward instead. I dropped it. Bad, I know.

I got the broom and tried again. He barked and growled but this time, grabbed the leash in his mouth in frustration so that much is good but he continued barking.

It sounded so bad Don came down and took control.

Leash in hand, we went on our walk. It was a very quiet one because I didn’t say a word to him. I realize he had forgotten the whole incident but I sure hadn’t. He still walks a fine line.

Just when his afterwork walk went so well with leaping. Unfortunately, he was already barking and starting a leap before I clicked but at least he stopped and turned to me, twice, for two different vehicles. I then got into the groove and watched him carefully and clicked only when he looked and then treated him. It went really well. And then, the gods were with me, I thought. I found five dollars in the grass. Yippee!! If this keeps up, I could get rich for keeping Ben in training.

Following this was resource guarding. What a star! Lynn may cringe but Ben was so bored at me putting out the metal spoon and all the unguarded objects. I then went onto a cracker, cheerios, cheese and a hotdog. I untied him finally because he wouldn’t come over even with treats. He just watched me like I was doing all this just for exercise.

I put the cheese in front of him, letting him smell it first so he’d be interested, and walked away and came back and picked it up and rewarded him well. We kept doing this and then I went to the hotdog. Same reaction. None and he was rewarded. I then started putting it to his nose after picking it up. He wanted to eat it but I said no, he stopped and I rewarded him. I kept doing this with cheese and then a bit of hot dog. When we finished, I threw down a few treats as per usual, saying ‘all done’, he didn’t even go for the treats.

...if you are unable to keep your dog for any reason...

"Truly caring breeders will insist that you return your puppy to them if you are unable to keep it for any reason during its entire life." from http://www.kateconnick.com/library/breeder.html

Understand that Ben's breeders are no longer breeding but that shouldn't matter. All their dogs should be important to them all the time. I talked to Ben's breeder and that was like talking to a brick wall. He was very defensive as I explained Ben's problems. He said it wasn't his fault. I explained that I wasn't saying it was although now that I think about it, they should have been keeping a tab on him occasionally. I was simply looking for a place to keep Ben should we decide to go away. I wasn't looking to return him (at least at that moment!) He has so many issues right now that I couldn't leave him with anyone else. He explained that they couldn't because they had guard dogs (they had those when they were breeding) and sheep (they had those when they were breeding) and something about their kennels but I didn't catch it. I even talked about considering euthanasia he had so many problems but he kept repeating they couldn't take him.



I am pretty annoyed right now. I can't believe they don't care about their dogs but now I do. How could they have called themselves reputable breeders but maybe they didn't? I am learning so much through Ben.

On the flip side, we had a great resource guarding session this evening. Lynn was pretty happy with Ben's behaviour as was I. I have many things to work on in the next two weeks with Ben. I have a good feeling about things right now. Of course, that's at this moment. Ben doesn't want to be bad, he just doesn't know how to behave and that's what we're teaching him.