Some say that in America there are no second acts. Maybe not. But for my 6-year-old bulldog Gabi, maybe so? Thanks to the positive help, personal interest, and the special gifts of Marie Higney, along with the Who's Walking Who playbook, Gabi is back for another go.
Old tricks Before I adopted Gabi, she had had three owners, liked people, bones, and carrots, and disliked sparkly things. "House-broken" but caged all day, she now chose her own spots. They said she was very sweet. They did not say that, in an ownership vacuum, the dog had just made herself up as she grew, and her judgment had been poor.
She had never worn a collar. Her tail was bald from a cage callous. On leash, she charged and pulled like a hound of hell. She attacked whatever sparkled, or might sparkle, or sounded sparkly. She attacked anything dangling overhead-shopping bags, purses, balloons. She stalked passing dogs on the street. Every encounter went from wagging tails to a squabble of her making. She hurled herself at human visitors, pinned them at the door, and stole their packages.
An unsocialized, OCD, 48-pound purse-snatcher was running, and ruining, my life. Then she came into heat. After the spay, I called Who's Walking Who and found Marie.
New tricks The minute Marie stepped in, something big happened. The power shifted. The bad dog dissolved and an amenable one sat quietly waiting.
Starting with her most obnoxious obsessive behavior, we replaced it with an equally obsessive-but-tolerable behavior. Once we had that breakthrough, everything else became possible with less mechanical praise/reward exercises-many tasks; many rewards; no punishments. Now, 18 months later, there is good progress.
- We walk nicely on leash outdoors, the longer the better. We pass other dogs without incident, and we no longer steal bags and purses from strangers as we go.
- We welcome most people, and their bags, into our house-as long as we have a compelling ball or bone alternative. When company settles, we do not fly after sparkles or root through their things.
- We do as much obedience work as we can. The point is not how well we do it, though we are fairly handy in the low intermediate range, but that we do it at all in the chaos of Union Square, in close proximity with other dogs. This is the banquet where we both feed our confidence.
The WWW program has been just right for us. The more Gabi learns, the more she likes the praise. The more praise, the more she likes to learn. For a dog who knew no praise, it works!
And speaking of praise, the jewel in the crown is, of course, Marie Higney. A great trainer, a great teacher, Marie no doubt has "the gift" one seeks and seldom finds. Working with her has changed our lives, just ask my dog, and that is, well, wonderful.
Cheryl Kupper
October 31, 2009 |
