FEBRUARY 2022 Client Spotlight: Sadie
Sadie is a special one.
When I first met Sadie, back in March of 2019, I never knew how much I loved Chihuahuas. She and her sister, Emma, hold a very special place in my heart. When I first met Sadie, she was very fearful of strangers and didn’t know what to do when they came into the room. She would flee out of fear but then come back with vengeance. Her little bark was so cute but, I knew she was very afraid.
Sadie enjoying one of her many resting places. Her favorite though is with her Momma.
Territorial aggression stems from the anger of not being listened to. Imagine if a stranger came into your home, a place that you trust to keep you safe. A place that holds all of our “stuff” that makes us feel happy, confident, and loved. That sense of safety is similar to how your dog feels about his “stuff” as well. Items that your dog enjoys include toys, bones, food, water, shelter, etc. All of this “stuff” holds a value and when someone or something threatens it, a dog will react on instinct.
It is completely up to us to show our dogs how to react when people come to the house. Polite greetings are a lot of work, I’m not going to lie but, they are worth it. Obedience training goes hand in hand with behavior modification. You need to practice both techniques in order to help your pup cope with the stress of visitors. Still, it is much easier to train a dog to seek out their crate or another room and lay down than to try and desensitize them to everyone that walks through your door.
Territorial aggression is not something you want to take lightly. It needs to be addressed, sooner rather than later or else it can lead to some pretty nasty bites. We have since been able to relieve Sadie’s fears (at least of me!) and she continuous to live a very happy life with her Mom and Dad. In my opinion, even if you aren’t able to completely relieve your dog of its fears, knowing how to handle the situation is the majority of the battle. One free tip I can give about territorial aggression is that it’s so much easier to prevent it than to treat it.
Work on socializing your dog as much as you can. It is not possible to over socialize, so do it, every day! Expose your dog to everything from different types of people, kids, babies, bikes, cars, trains, airplanes, motorcycles, other dogs, cats, horses, cows, etc. If you can think of it, you can socialize it. If you do, you will have better luck at having a well-rounded and confident dog.
If you would like more information on anything in this blog, please contact me at mprague@pawsitivefoundations.com or Book a Free Phone Consultation.