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By Marni Cherniss
I walked into the shelter with my heart set on finding a Pug; I left with Matilda, an Australian Shepherd. Who knows how I chose her; I actually think she chose me. I watched her pace back and forth in her run being bullied by an old hound. I had to have her. We had just signed a contract for a house with a half-acre yard and I knew this dog would appreciate the space to run.
As an inexperienced dog guardian I had no idea the mistakes I was about to make.
I took Matilda home to my rental that was in complete upheaval as we were packing to move into our new home. Our house was small, so we kept the dogs (Matilda being dog number three) outside most of the time. We lived on a street with a lot of foot traffic and I noticed that Matilda seemed panicked every time someone walked (skated, biked, roller bladed… sauntered) by. I wish now that I had understood what she was trying to tell me. She acted out by chewing everything of my husband's. I figured it would get better when we moved.
Matilda lived in the rental for about a month before we moved to the new house. She didn't settle down; in fact, things got worse. She would pace the floor at night and anytime we would roll near the edge of the bed she would lick our faces. She would search for items to chew and our house was usually destroyed by the time we woke up. She would then follow us everywhere as we got ready for work.
One day while we were hiking, Matilda lunged at a bike rider. Luckily, she was on a leash so she did not make contact. I was stunned; this seemed to come out of nowhere. I was concerned about it but didn't really know what to do. About a week later (on the same trail) she lunged and bit a jogger. She put three puncture wounds in his thigh. Luckily he was a nice person and simply wanted confirmation that she was up to date on her rabies shot.
Frightened and in tears, I called the Humane Society of Boulder Valley. The Humane Society advised me that I could return her and Matilda would likely be a euthanasia case, or I could speak with Lauren Grimditch at the Training Center. I called Lauren, still in tears, and we talked for a long time about dog behavior. We were put into a Beginners class so the instructor could take a look at Matilda's behavior (trying to determine if it was a herding instinct gone too far or fear). After two weeks of clicker training class, the instructor recommended private consultations for fear aggression. That was how I came to meet Connie Brenton, a trainer with the Humane Society of Boulder Valley who specializes in teaching clients to manage aggression. She evaluated Matilda and put together the beginning of an organized plan of recovery. She made the following recommendations that would mean a new life for all of us:
· Stay in clicker and positive reinforcement obedience classes
· Change Matilda's diet to something more nutritionally sound
· Crate train her
· Read books about dog behavior and positive training methods
· Begin a daily management program to help establish me as a leader - a kind, benevolent, and consistent leader.
I saw an immediate difference in Matilda's behavior. First, she was calmer in the house. Mornings were no longer spent tripping over her as she desperately tried to stay near us. She actually slept at night, since she was safe in her crate. Second, I began to see her reactions to the rest of the world. I discovered so many fears. She would spook at rollerbladers, bikes, baby strollers, storm drains, man hole covers, stairs, joggers, balloons, little old ladies with walking sticks and young men with baseball hats, just to name a few.
I began to click and treat (c/t) for being in the presence of the scary object. Then I began to c/t for ignoring the scary object, and looking at me. After watching a video on calming signals for dogs I began to c/t for those. Soon I had a great dog that began to actually wag her tail. I was hooked!
I read everything I could get my hands on. I took Matilda through all levels of classes within a year and even moved on to agility work. It is so wonderful to see a dog that used to quake at the sight of stairs happily scampering over the frame, walk and teeter-totter; or a dog that wouldn't go near a storm drain or man hole cover bounding through the agility chute with glee. I was amazed at how far she had come; by this time I was applying to be an apprentice trainer at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley.
I was so lucky to have found clicker training and Lauren and Connie first. In my apprenticeship I have spent many hours watching in private training sessions, observing aggressive dogs and the class that deals solely with aggression. In this process I realized that a different, "traditional" training method could have ruined my relationship with Matilda, and that I could have made the situation worse and I might have been forced to return her to the Humane Society. Had she been returned, she certainly would have been euthanized.
The big test came in April of 2001; Matilda was a demo dog for the Humane Society of Boulder Valley benefit, "Puttin on the Leash." She walked around during the silent auction and greeted people. She did tricks and accepted love from many strangers. She cheerfully met hundreds of people. Matilda developed a sense of humor, and this year at the benefit appeared on stage in the midst of other people, dogs, lights, and music, amusing the crowd with her tricks and antics.
I remember shaking and sweating on walks, wondering when my dog was going to attack someone else. I remember crying all the way home from dog class because I had an aggressive dog. I remember on the last day of Beginners class we were invited to train a trick and I thought, "Can't my trick be not attacking people?" She now has quite a repertoire of tricks. And I will never forget the night we went to the benefit and I saw all of those people - I almost chickened out. Matilda never batted an eye, she cuddled anyone who wanted a cuddle, she trotted past the drums like she lived with a bank of bongo drums, she sat sweetly and she did tricks for anyone who asked.
Matilda continues to amaze me with her scope of love and silly side. She is now a certified Therapy Dog and has earned her first leg in Novice Agility. None of this would have been possible without a solid foundation of trust. We built this trust in each other through clicker (positive reinforcement) training and good management.