For every action . . .
This article is taken from work submitted by Jacqui, a student
studying on the CIDBT
Degree programme.
Alternate titles: Keeping up with the Jones syndrome, you have
one so I want one, not taking into consideration the circumstances
before and after taking the dog on, moving house, getting a job,
long hours away from the home, too tired to be bothered about the
dog.
The story of a Black and Tan 6-month-old Rough Collie called
Cuhelien
Found living in coalbunker with 3 other puppies and 3 older Rough
Collies. They were provided with one bowl of food and one bowl of
water a day between them.
Neighboughs reported the owners to the authorities. Collie Rescue
(C.R.) was brought in to observe the owners for a week, to establish
that the allegations were correct. C.R. watched for a week, the
owners left the house at 07.00hrs returning sometime between 19.00
and 20.00hrs, none of the dogs were observed being walked. On the
Friday as soon as the owners left the house C.R. moved in with the
police to confiscate the dogs, a notice was placed on the front
door informing the owners of the action. What happened with the
owners after that I do not know?
C.R. telephoned me in the morning to see if I would take one of
the youngsters, I said I would. I telephoned my sister and told
her what was happening and she expressed an interest in getting
a young dog and without really thinking about her position as a
mother with a toddler and all the things that go with being a family
unit she said yes without reservation, and I stupidly went along
with it. I ended up not having one as mine was given to a lady that
had just had her old one put to sleep, I had 2 anyway so I thought
no more about it. My sister got hers and that was that. He was a
lovely dog, good natured and interested in my 2 male dogs, eager
to play and walk with them.
He was taken out in the car and was always sick, they took him
down to the river so they could go fishing, he on the other hand
usually got rather bored and went to off see what all the other
fishermen were doing, basically he was left to amuse himself, which
he did. Whenever I met up with my sister to take the dogs for a
walk he would always run off and we would spend ages asking as many
people as possible if they had seen a black and tan rough collie,
we always found him, not doing anything really naughty he was just
entertaining himself no matter what the distance.
The more time he spent going out with my boys (the collies) the
better he was about running off, he came to recall because that’s
what the other dogs did. His general life was dull and unfulfilled,
unless he was out with me he never got walked and his only companion
was my young niece of 4 years of age, whom he claimed and protected,
this protection became aggression with other children, he was fine
with adults but children made him quite savage so he had to be locked
away if children came to my sisters house.
I had to move to Scotland for an indefinite period of time, and
as my house in Nottingham would have been unoccupied for long periods
of time it was decided that my sister and her daughter, along with
the cats and the collie should move in there when my sister and
partner split up and she lost her home.
My sister came to Scotland with the entire family, child, dog, cats
the lot for 2 weeks during the Christmas period and it was here
that Cuhelien showed his food aggression problems, initially I put
the dogs food on the kitchen floor just as I always did with my
dogs and he went mad, he not only wanted his food but he wanted
theirs as well, he even growled at me when I attempted to pick up
the bowl, I had to remove him from the room with his food so we
could have calm. The next day I called the dogs told them all to
sit and wait whilst their food was prepared, they each had a space
on the floor to call their own and their respective bowls were placed
in it, Cuhelien was like a sniper looking this way and that to see
if anyone was coming to take his, he ate his quickly just in case
but was not permitted to approach the other dogs. When each dog
had finished the bowls were picked up from the floor.
It took Cuhelien just two days to work out that he was getting the
same as everyone else, he always finished first and waited in hopeful
anticipation that someone would leave something for him, each time
the bowls were picked up off the floor. On the second day of the
evening feed Cuhelien observed Sancho the oldest collie sharing
his tea with one of the Siamese cats munching quietly together,
he had finished but was sitting and tilting his head from side to
side as if he was puzzled. I sat quietly with a cup of tea observing,
smiling at him and his new puzzlement. He seemed to grasp the fact
right there and then that you do not have to be aggressive when
sharing your food in the same room with other dogs, it was OK, he
was getting 2 meals a day and the other dogs were not trying to
take it from him they were even allowing the cats to share their
meals with them.
He was walked 4 –5 times a day with the other collies, my
sister did not always come on the long walks, and it was one of
these walks about a week into her holiday that just the 3 collies
and I went out alone, normally Cuhelien was on a lead, but as this
vast field had no sheep in it I decided to see how he behaved after
a week of being out with my two dogs. We walked to the top of a
raised mound and I told the dogs to sit and wait, my 2 sat and looked
at me Cuhelien was not sure what to do, so he copied the others
and sat down. I walked down the mound to some distance away, turned
and to my great surprise all 3 were sitting there, my 2 waiting
for the next command Cuhelien anxious not sure whether he should
come or go, he kept looking first to Sancho and then to Oisin and
back again, when he looked at me I called them and the 3 of them
came hurtling down the hill, barking and excited. It was then that
I realised my 2 collies were going to help in the training of this
anxious young dog.
By the end of the 2 weeks Cuhelien was walking through sheep fields
off lead, playing games, walking for miles coming back to recall,
sitting when told to do so, to wait when I commanded but more importantly
he was sharing his last meal with one of the Siamese cats.
He went back to Nottingham to his life of drudge and boredom. He
was never food aggressive again, but he continued to be aggressive
towards other children except Amy. Whenever I went back to Nottingham
for a short stay all 3 dogs met up they were always pleased to see
each other, they fed together and they were walked by me 2 –
3 times a day, Cuhelien was just one of the pack.
My sister eventually got employment in Nottingham, which meant Amy
was at school leaving Cuhelien all alone for hours in the garden,
even when my sister came home in the evening she could not be bothered
to take the dog out for a change of scenery, his life was living
in the garden until night time when he was allowed in to sleep,
but when he started defecating in the house she banned him all together
to the garden and made him a make shift kennel in a cardboard box
in the garage. And that became his life until after 2½ years
I returned permanently to Nottingham. My sister and daughter, cats
and dog remained for at least another 9 months.
As soon as I came back the cardboard box went in the bin, he had
a bed in doors with the other dogs, he was fed with the other dogs,
groomed at the groomers with the other dogs, everything I did with
my dogs included Cuhelien. So when my sister informed me that she
would be moving out because she was going to buy her own house I
suggested that the dog would be better off with me and the boys,
what with her work commitments, daughter and a garden that could
not accommodate a dog. I promised I would keep him for the rest
of his life and always look after him, Amy wailed and cried but
my sister could see the sense of it, and if truth be known she really
did not have time for a dog, she liked the idea of having one around
but she just did not want to have to do things for it. She is not
a walker like me, she is a harsh disciplinarian when it comes to
dogs a subject we clashed on, on one occasion, and as much as I
love my sister I cannot for the life of me see why she would want
a dog around, she believes all dogs belong in kennels, they should
do as they are told, she does not like walking and exercising the
dogs, a big garden is all that is required. Points on which we shall
never agree!
So Cuhelien became my dog, part of the pack. My only reservation
with him was his dislike of children. When another sister, husband
and small children came to stay at my house for a week during the
summer I was trying to think of something, anything that would allow
the dog and the children to mix, a concern I related to my Mother.
“Don’t show tension about this situation to the dog
it might upset him, watch what he is doing and intervene if you
have to, don’t allow the children to make a nuisance of themselves
around him he is not used to children and may not be grateful for
the negative attention”.
The children were playing with some sand at the bottom of the garden
whilst I hovered around waiting to tell him off, Sancho and Oisin
decided that these 2 small things looked like fun so they went down
to help them dig holes, Cuhelien sat at the other end of the garden
watching. I did feel tense so I thought I would go and introduce
a game of ball, I got the boys throwing the ball for the older dogs
and they were quite excited at the prospect of some new playmates,
Cuhelien came down the garden still not sure what to do, everyone
was playing nicely, so when the ball landed at his paws he simply
could not resist, he picked it up ran to the oldest child with it
and dropped it at his feet, he showed no aggression and the child
no fear, so Peter picked up the ball and threw it again, and again,
and again. When the boys, (dogs and children) were called in the
small boys were walking alongside the dogs not a care in the world.
I always made sure that when children came over to say hello to
the dogs I always made them do it politely and quietly, he would
become a little on edge if children screamed and squealed with delight,
not that he did anything but the way he looked at such children,
tense and staring reminded me to not assume anything about dogs
and their behaviour.
I should never have allowed my sister to have the dog in the first
place, but had I not have done I would never of had the privilege
of owning such a fantastic, well behaved dog, his memory will live
with me for ever.
In conclusion I believe there are some dogs that have the pre-disposition,
to be aggressive be it dominant or passive, but on the whole the
majority of dogs just want to be the family pet they have simple
needs they require, food, walking, a cosy bed to sleep on and some
affection, they have no desire to be alpha when there is a perfectly
good boss all ready running the show. Cuhelien was one of these,
he was not really aggressive with food, but if you have to fight
for it, it is apt to make one a bit possessive of it especially
when there is not enough to go around, and humans are exactly the
same when there has been little or no food to put on the table,
but when there is more than enough for everyone then things just
change. But there was no one to tell him no that is not acceptable,
but once he understood the boundaries he was more than willing to
give it up, same as running off, in fact just about everything he
did he just gave it up because it was never in his genetic makeup
to be aggressive or dominant all he needed was a calm handler who
gave him the time and training to become a most trustworthy, compliant,
obedient dog.
Give dogs rules, boundaries and limitations then they will become
good dogs, give them non of these then we will see the instinctual
behaviour come to the fore and that is what the family pet cannot
be. Vets tell me that there are some dogs that are just mentally
unstable and dangerous, be it genetics or severe trauma. Think of
all things owners hate about their dogs then you are probably looking
at the alpha wolf in the family pack, and guess who gave them that
high position, the handler. For every action be it verbal, physical
or abusive a human shows a dog there is an action the dog is going
to give in return, anything from a lick, to excitement, to fear,
to a bite.
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