Positively Fearless

By Ann Allums, CPDT-KA

FIRST PLACE WINNER

He was just a number when I met him, barking at me from the top of his dog house in a makeshift rescue center. He had been trapped in an abandoned area of New Orleans after the destruction of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. As a dog trainer, I was sent to New Orleans to help in our sanctuary's rescue efforts by working with behavior issues of the dogs left homeless amidst the devastation.

During the days and weeks after Katrina, many dogs came running up to rescuers, knowing that humans could help them. Other dogs were too fearful to approach humans, and hid or ran from the rescuers. Months after the hurricane, the animal rescue effort continued, becoming increasingly difficult. Now we had to enlist the help of trappers to bring these fearful dogs in to safety.

Four months after Katrina, I arrived at our rescue center. I met over 100 frightened dogs. It was difficult to tell fearful from feral, or habitually aggressive from traumatized, if such distinctions have any meaning in the context of what these dogs had experienced. Knowing that my first priority was meeting the dogs' basic needs, I started out by simply caregiving-feeding, watering, poop-scooping, providing fresh bedding. I followed a routine, creating structure to help the dogs feel more comfortable. I encouraged trust by using non-threatening body language-no direct eye contact, keeping my side or back turned toward the dogs, not making sudden movements, remaining silent or speaking quietly, only petting the dogs if they willingly approached me. I gave all the dogs names.

Two weeks later, the dog who had been barking at me from the top of his dog house was still barking at me (and everyone else in the vicinity). He had scars on his body, two missing teeth, a wide muscular chest, tough-looking demeanor, and a big head-I named him Sarge.

I used Sarge's regular meals as a natural incentive to increase my value in his eyes. Rather than just bringing him food now, I would stay in his kennel while he ate. The first time I sat down in his kennel after giving him his food bowl, he barked at me for several minutes. My response was to pick up his food bowl without a word and leave his kennel. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the look of astonishment on Sarge's face as I walked away with his food.

The next day I repeated the process of giving him his food bowl and sitting down in his kennel-Sarge looked at me for one second and let out one muffled "woof," then (seemingly catching himself) he quickly ran to his food bowl and ate everything without another bark!

On the third day of this routine, I did the same thing during feeding time. This time Sarge didn't hesitate (or bark) when I put the food bowl down-he just started eating!

Each day after that I would sit a little closer to Sarge's food bowl while he quietly ate. By Day Eight, I was sitting cross-legged right beside his bowl. On Day Nine, I held on to his food bowl and fed him out of my hand. At first Sarge was wary of taking food from my hand. But his increasing comfort with my presence and his desire for the food was a more powerful combination than his fear of my hand.

Until this point, I would leave Sarge's kennel as soon as he finished eating, because I did not think I was much of a positive thing yet when there was no food around. On Day Ten, I hand-fed him again, and right after he ate the last bite, Sarge rolled over into my lap! I was stunned by this unexpected behavior and more than a little nervous since I still did not know if he would bite me if I petted him. His most significant contact with humans since arriving was his first day, at the distant end of a six-foot catch pole. But his lap rolling turned out to be a milestone in our relationship, and he never went back to being afraid of me!

I remained in New Orleans for two more months. During that time, we reunited many dogs with their people, and adopted out many into new homes. Sarge did not show well to potential adopters because he still barked intensely at strangers, that is, until he saw me. Anytime he caught sight of me, Sarge would transform into an ecstatic puppy, oblivious to everyone else.

When the time came to pack our stuff, close down the rescue center in New Orleans, and head home to Utah, Sarge was still there. I had contacted many people to try to get Sarge a home. Finally I left Sarge in the capable hands of our Adoption Coordinator, with explicit instructions to find the best possible home for him. Two weeks later, the Adoption Coordinator called to say she had found the perfect home for Sarge-me! Yes, I adopted Sarge!

Now began a whole new chapter in our relationship. However ego-boosting it is to have a dog only have eyes for you, I was only a small island of safety in a large scary world. Sarge would be a much healthier dog if I helped him overcome his fears of other people. It took about a year, during which time I introduced him to hundreds of people, before Sarge first approached a new person on his own. I felt like a mother seeing her child take his first steps!

The important part about remedial socialization is to protect the dog from overwhelming exposure to those paralyzing fears. I never allowed people to approach Sarge without asking them to do the same thing I did to start gaining his trust-use nonthreatening body language. I also used counter-conditioning to create a positive association between the people he met and the treats I would give when they approached. When he was ready, Sarge would take treats from the people, but I gave Sarge the choice. I would give him a treat just because a person was near, and he could get another treat from the person if he felt comfortable enough.

This did not always go smoothly. Sarge reminded me that all people are NOT created equal in a dog's eyes. There was a vet tech where I worked who Sarge continued to run from and bark at even after months of counter-conditioning. Jeff had given Sarge his vaccinations right after he was pulled off the streets of New Orleans. This situation called for additional measures, similar to those I had used when I first sat with Sarge while he ate. So I started bringing Sarge's food to work with me, putting the food bowl in Jeff's office, and letting Sarge choose. If he wanted to eat that day, it would be in Jeff's office. By the third day, Sarge was happily running to Jeff's office before I even put the food bowl down! After that, Sarge saw Jeff as a new buddy. Jeff even gave an endearing nickname to Sarge-Sergeant Squishy.

If need be, I am ready to help Sarge meet new people for the rest of his life. Four years after I adopted him, Sarge is comfortable around other people most of the time. Every so often, something will happen that spooks him. I never want fear to overwhelm him like it did in the past. That's why I constantly observe him around people, reading his body language. I want to be able to help him either by facing his fear or getting him out of the situation if it's too overwhelming.

Sarge had a few other issues that challenged me as a trainer and motivated me to learn more. He had to learn that it was ok if I touched his hindquarters, not to mark on every vertical surface in the house, that he couldn't run through barbed-wire fences, and not to eat the cat. And he learned it all without threats.

Sarge went through some traumatic experiences in his life before I met him. Rather than feel sorry for him, my goal was to help him move beyond as many of his existing fears as possible. I am very thankful that I had the training background to understand how to help Sarge become the dog he was meant to be. In the process I ended up with a soul mate who taught me as much as I taught him. That happens in animal rescue-sometimes they rescue you right back.

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