Miko's World

As things progressed with Holly (my two year old lab-pitt-shepherd mix) her fear aggression got worse. I was now doing all the right things: clicker training, four hours of exercise per day, a new diet plan, obedience and agility training. Subsequently, her behavior improved. I was able to train her to do lots of default behaviors, as well as perform basic obedience and a variety of tricks. I was not however able to train her to react properly with other dogs. Sadly, she loved to play, but was unable to socialize at dog parks because she didn't know how to "speak dog". It occurred to me that I should get Holly a little buddy. I knew based on her reactions to other dogs, it needed to be male, as well as young, so there would be less perceived threat involved. I started surfing the rescue websites looking for another pitt-bull cross. I really wanted to save another dog and I felt strongly that a dog having the common play style of the bully breed would make for a good match. After much deliberation, I came up with two good choices, both male Staffordshire crosses under one year old. I contacted both agencies and set up a meeting time. Luckily, one of the dogs was in foster care and I was able to take Holly to meet him and arrange for a hike. This first dog was named Miko. He had been flown up from the States and was recovering from an abusive situation.

Miko was from Louisiana, a junk yard dog with an uncertain history. He had been seized along with his brother from a run down lot, starving, beaten and living in his own excrement. He was partially blind, retina detached in his left eye and had spent several months in the care of a veterinarian recovering from mange and infections. I knew instinctively that he was the one for Holly! She too had come from a neglectful situation, half starving and improperly socialized. She had an uncertain history, recovered from what seemed to be car hit, a huge scar running down her right hip. They were both end of the line cases and definitely from the wrong side of the tracks! Ultimately, I did want to help another local dog rescue. However," animals know no boarders" and with the housing crisis worsening in the US, many healthy dogs were being surrendered and their shelters were all overcrowded. There was not much hope for a damaged dog like Miko getting adopted when perfectly normal well adjusted pets were being euthanized due to lack of funds and space. I decided to take a chance on this little guy, then only 45 lbs...with wobbly hips and bad balance and no depth perception. I arranged to have the dogs meet in hopes my instinct was correct.

(Note: he is now 65lbs and physically sound, save blind in one eye, which has little if not no effect on him).

Getting a second dog is tricky and should be thought through very carefully. It can often lead to unforeseen problems, which I have found out the hard way. In retrospect I should have chosen a stable nervous system to compliment the first. When choosing a companion for Fido, it is always preferred to get one with a "stable nervous system". If you want to rescue an animal, it pays to have the assistance of a trained professional to help choose the right dog and integrate the new pet into the home. If possible you should have the two dogs meet on neutral territory. Introductions are best off leash through a fence for the fist time. First impressions are very important when dealing with dogs. They make lasting generalizations based on their initial experiences and the first time your two dogs interact, it should be a one hundred percent positive interaction. I cannot stress the importance of the walk. A good walk together can form a bond between two dogs that will leave them both with a positive association, possibly even a pack association.

So, we met and it was love at first sight...for the dogs at least. The two dogs became friends immediately. Miko was terrified of humans, but fearless in the face of Holly. He was so playful and fun loving, not to mention completely non-threatening. We went for a half dozen walks with his foster mom, before deciding to take him for a trial weekend. She had had Miko for three months at that point. When he arrived in Canada, he was a mess...still suffering from mange, ribs showing and terrified of all human contact. He had come a long way in a short time, but had a long way to go. He was not that friendly with me and was showing signs of aggression toward people. His foster mom had shown him that women could be trusted and that people were kind, but he was still unable to handle contact with men. (We speculate that the damage done to his eye was inflicted by a man, possibly multiple kicks to the head). His fear of men seemed to be an automatic response system, probably developed out of survival during his very early development. Junk yard dogs are often abused to make them mean. They are also starved of affection and food to make them more reactive to intruders. Miko was going to need a lot of special care and very carefully thought out socialization.

Miko had very complex issues that were seeded in the imprinting stage of his development. (This refers to the first four months of an animals life, where it gathers information that creates the framework which it uses to interpret things for the rest of its life). Since his foster mom had very little experience with rescue dogs and felt that he needed to graduate to the next level of rehabilitation, his stay with her was coming to an end. He now needed guidance, so that his fear of people, especially men, would not turn into human aggression. I felt that with my experience with fear aggression, I was up for the task. So, after our trial weekend...I applied to adopt him. Of course I had no idea what I was getting into. Six months later, I now have one dog that is afraid of other dogs, as well as one who is afraid of humans. It makes things tricky, while Holly pulls toward humans, Miko pulls toward dogs. When I am out walking them, they often launch into a frenzy of barking and sometime transfer their fear onto each other, snarling and fighting amongst themselves. It can be scary if you don't understand the dynamics, or are an innocent bystander.

The easiest way to deal with fear and anxiety is to treat the dog every time you see trigger, before the dog sees it. I like using a clicker (or use a verbal marker) each time I see a human or a dog. This teaches both dogs that both situations are good ones, creating a positive association. Also, the focus becomes on the treat (or ideally me) rather than the source of the fear or aggression. I practice prevention, never setting my dogs up to fail and protecting them, by properly confining them to non-threatening situations, as well as muzzling them when necessary. I work them in low stress situations, building up their confidence by training them what to do, through positive interactions, not through force! In my experience, the only way to rehabilitate a damaged dog is through positive re-enforcement and by replacing all their fears with love. I am willing to try anything to get Miko and Holly to a place where they can live without fear. That is what this blog is about. My dogs are loving pets, but hardly friendly fidos. They are constantly being socialized and trained. They are a lot of hard work. This is how I came to the decision to get my professional pet dog training license. I plan to eventually help dogs and people like myself deal with the challenges of undoing the damages of abuse.

Below is some information I gathered from various websites on anxiety and bite prevention...check it out!