What The “Shore Girls” Teach Us About Dogs
by Beth Rodgers
T
he story of these two “Shore Girls” is sure to melt some hearts. The love and commitment of their foster families is an immeasurable part of their experiences and gives us hope that both will become happy and fulfilled dogs. Neither dog is the typical golden retriever in many ways, but we can learn a lot from their experiences that helps us have a better understanding and relationship with our own dogs. Fear is a necessary emotion; it steers dogs, just like it steers us, toward conditions essential for survival. It is present in all beings at different times and in different degrees. We see it predictably in dogs who come into shelter or rescue situations whose lives have been turned upside down. Even those who come from ideal circumstances and go into loving homes have no way of understanding what is going on or what will happen next. Consider that many dogs in rescue did not come from ideal circumstances so the potential for fear and associated reactions is even greater. Even our fluffball goldens can have significant fears simply being moved into an unfamiliar environment. Because these “Shore Girls” were so profoundly fearful, we engaged two wellknown, board certified animal behaviorists who typically work with shelters or with other professionals, but who were willing to help us with Gracie and Poppy. The specialized knowledge of certified behaviorists was essential in these cases because of the severity of the fear, beyond the need for “training.” Both behaviorists had very similar approaches reflecting the latest science about canine cognition. Before sharing that information, however, we need to recognize how much advancement there has been in our understanding of canine 14
behavior. In the United States, researchers at Yale and Duke Universities particularly are revolutionizing our perspective on how our dogs interpret their worlds (how they think, actually). The ideas many people have held for years about pack behavior and dominance have not been upheld by research. Once we dispense with those old ideas, there are two points that stand out from current research: Dogs are far more complex than many people realize, and they are a lot like us in many ways. What does this mean for working with our own dogs? Both behaviorists used a classical conditioning and desensitization approach that relied on very slow and careful exposure to things that were perceived as scary; critical evaluation of the dog’s response so that the dog did not exceed “threshold”; properly timed rewards so the desired response was reinforced; a slow, steady and very patient process; and reinforcement of things in the dog’s life that were pleasurable for the general welfare of the dog and also for relationship building with the foster families. Let’s look more closely at some of the key principles in this approach, especially as they can be of benefit to us in sharing our lives with dogs. •• Each dog is an individual. There is no one size fits all in terms of how they interpret their worlds, what they find troublesome, or what they need to work on to be happy and fulfilled dogs. One dog excitedly rushes to greet every stranger, another hides behind the handler, while a third growls at some and wags happily at others. Each dog is unique and has to be handled as such. •• Do not make assumptions about any dog. Golden retrievers are known for friendly, outgoing personalities, dogs who love everyone and want nothing more than to be glued to you constantly (unless they see a
SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA GOLDEN RETRIEVER RESCUE, EDUCATION & TRAINING, INC.
squirrel or a tennis ball). Such stereotypes can be harmful as they set the dog up for exposure to things for which they are not ready or to be disappointments to their families who thought they were adopting the perfect furry best friend. The new dog may not be ready to meet everyone in the neighborhood! We recommend that such experiences do not happen within the first few days of the dog entering your home, and even later for some. Every dog needs a chance for its own personality, its likes and dislikes, its tolerances and its limits to shine through and it needs things to move slowly enough in its new surroundings for those characteristics to emerge. When dogs come through rescue, they are not being their typical dog-selves. Nothing about their worlds is typical. Some adjust quickly, others need more time, and we must give them that time to adjust and learn their new environments at their pace. They also need to know that they can trust their human companion not to put them in scary or uncomfortable situations. •• Dogs need to be able to make choices. This is a major change from the old thinking based on ideas of dominance and alpha behavior that led to a “they’ll get over it” kind of thinking. Decades of research is very clear in showing that the dog world does not work based on hierarchical dominant social structures. This is crucial to helping any dog learn and gain confidence in new situations. When encountering new experiences, the dog should not feel trapped or be forced to confront its fear or endure a constant flood of the scary thing. Instead, when possible, the dog should be allowed to determine whether and how to approach something that is scary. The dog can be rewarded for approaching, then allowed to leave when it has had enough. Obviously this does not apply to important activities such as a vet visit, but we can let the dog approach on its terms and reward it
