Ashley's Story, Turning Her Human-Aggressive Dog Around

Imagine the heartbreak of bringing home a new dog, only to face relentless aggression and fear instead of love and loyalty. This is the reality Ashley faced with her shelter-adopted dog, Bark Twain. Today, we unravel Ashley's emotional journey from despair to hope, exploring the challenges of owning a fearful dog and the isolation it brought into her life. Listen as we recount the pivotal moment that changed everything for Ashley—discovering an article by host Scott Sheaffer that identified Twain's aggression as fear-based, not malice-driven.

Through Ashley's story, we discuss practical steps like desensitization and counter-conditioning that transformed Twain from a ticking time bomb into a beloved companion. This episode is packed with valuable insights for anyone dealing with similar issues, offering empathy, hope, and actionable advice.

Whether you're struggling with an anxious pet or looking to educate yourself on humane dog training methods, you won't want to miss this heartwarming and informative conversation. Join us to learn how understanding and proper training can turn even the most challenging pet behaviors around.

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Ep. 42 Ashley's Story, Turning Her Human-Aggressive Dog Around

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Resources:
Scott Sheaffer's Free & Premium Training Videos
Scott Sheaffer's Dog Behavior Articles
Book an Online or In-Person Session with Scott

About Scott Sheaffer
Scott Sheaffer, CCBC-KA, CDBC, CPDT-KA, is a certified dog behavior consultant who has worked with thousands of dog owners and their aggressive dogs. Scott specializes in the assessment and treatment of fear, anxiety, aggression, and phobias in dogs six months and older. For more information about Scott, see USADogBehavior.com.

Disclaimer
If you have a dog who is aggressive and dangerous to humans, it is important that you immediately consult directly with an experienced and certified canine behavior consultant who specializes in dog aggression to humans. Take proper measures to ensure that your dog is never in a position to injure anyone. The information presented in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is neither intended nor implied to replace the need for the direct involvement of an experienced and certified canine behavior consultant who specializes in dog aggression to humans. Scott Sheaffer, the Grumpy Dogs podcast and USA Dog Behavior, LLC, are not liable for any incidents or outcomes resulting from following the advice given in this podcast.

Transcript

Scott Sheaffer: 0:00

In today's episode I'm going to tell you about Ashley and her dog named Bark Twain Clever dog name, isn't it? Ashley and her dog, bark Twain, were clients of mine about six months ago. I'm going to refer to Bark Twain as Twain for the rest of this story. Ashley had always dreamed of having a dog, as many of us do. You know the story, the whole package, the loyal companion, the fun walks, the happy greetings at the door, so on and so forth. So when she adopted Twain, about a two-year-old mixed breed from a local shelter, she was beyond excited, as we all were, with our first dog. But oh boy, things did not go as she had planned. In today's episode, I'm going to tell you Ashley's story. Are you struggling with a dog that is anxious or aggressive? You're at the right place because in this podcast series, we educate dog owners, veterinary practices and dog trainers on how to overcome dog fear and aggression using humane methods. My name is Scott Sheaffer and it's my mission to help you better understand your dog's behavior. Before we start, I want to remind you that you can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube. I provided a link in the episode notes that will take you directly to the video at the Grumpy Dogs channel. And now for the story.

Scott Sheaffer: 1:36

Twain was not the tail wagging friendly dog Ashley had imagined and hoped he would be. Instead, he was constantly on edge, barking and growling at anyone who came near. Friends and family started to avoid visiting, and Ashley began to hear the whispers you need to get rid of that dog, he's dangerous. Her neighbor told her Ashley's dog is a bad dog and should be put down. She overheard someone in her family say. This kind of conversation scared her and worried her. Ashley's dad was wanting her to do something with Twain too. Of course it didn't help that Twain had growled at her dad the last time he visited her. Ashley felt that Twain wasn't really a bad dog, maybe, but maybe he really was and she didn't even know it.

Scott Sheaffer: 2:29

I remember Ashley telling me about the first time she took Twain for a walk. They hadn't gone far when a stranger walked by. Twain's body tensed up and he started to whine, growl. And then he just lost it, barking furiously and pulling on the leash as if he wanted to kill the stranger. Ashley was, of course, mortified and ran back home with Twain feeling embarrassed and confused. And that was just the beginning. At home, twain would bark non-stop at visitors, lunging at them with bared teeth, and in the car, if anyone walked too close, Twain would bark nonstop at visitors, lunging at them with bared teeth, and in the car, if anyone walked too close, twain would go nuts. Ashley felt like she was living with a ticking time bomb. It was a nightmare. Owning a dog was not supposed to be like this. She didn't know what to do.

Scott Sheaffer: 3:24

One evening after a particularly rough day at work, ashley sat on her couch, tears streaming down her face, with Twain lying beside her, surprisingly calm. For once, she couldn't believe it. As Twain laid there, she grabbed her phone and started searching for help. An article I wrote about bad dogs and the difference between dogs with just poor manners, like jumping on people, and those more serious issues like aggression, especially aggression directed toward humans, like Twain was doing. And that's when the light came on. Twain wasn't aggressive because he was a bad dog, he was scared. My article that she found explains that fear is driving these behaviors. Twain wasn't being aggressive to be mean, he was just terrified of unfamiliar people and was using aggression to keep them away. Ashley felt a wave of empathy toward Twain for maybe the first time she realized that she had been so focused on his outward behavior, his aggression, that she hadn't considered what was actually causing it his fear. In my article I mentioned desensitization and counter-conditioning as ways to help dogs like Twain. I also recommended seeing someone who specializes in aggression towards humans if you have a dog like this.

Scott Sheaffer: 4:51

Ashley was determined to help Twain, to get help, so she decided to find help. Ashley found my number and gave me a call. We set up a time for her first session with me. At her first session a few weeks later, I observed Twain and explained how fear was driving his actions, and I want to add that Ashley was a very nice person. It was such a joy to work with her.

Scott Sheaffer: 5:18

I worked with Ashley on how to start desensitizing and counter-conditioning Twain to people that were unfamiliar to him, those that scared him and made him act aggressively. Desensitization is simply exposing a dog, incrementally and slowly, to something that scares them at a rate that they can tolerate. Counter conditioning is associating a good thing with the scary thing, like a food treat, for example. I told her Twain needs to learn that new people aren't a threat. I further said we'll start with small steps and over time he'll begin to feel safer and won't feel the need to use aggression. The process was slow and required a lot of patience on Ashley's part, but the wonderful thing about Ashley that made her such a wonderful person is that she had patience and she loved Twain. It was obvious she was going to do what was necessary.

Scott Sheaffer: 6:17

Ashley began by doing a series of different exercises that I taught her of giving Twain exposure to strangers at a distance and speed and so forth that he was comfortable with. Gradually, the strangers were able to move closer to Twain. We always made sure Twain felt safe during these exercises. We primarily did this by watching his body language. Dogs always tell you how they're feeling about things. As the weeks turned into months, ashley started to see changes in Twain. His barking and growling lesson went around strangers and he began to relax around a lot of new people. The lunging and pulling on walks decreased and he started to enjoy their outings a little more. His hyper vigilance was declining. That's what we look for. Ashley felt a sense of pride and accomplishment as Twain's fear and anxiety slowly decreased.

Scott Sheaffer: 7:16

One day, after multiple sessions with me and many months of work on her part, ashley decided to take Twain for a walk by a lake that was near her His kind of trial run, if you will. It was a beautiful sunny day, she said, and the park was filled with people. Ashley was actually a little nervous, but she was also hopeful. She had done a lot of work with Twain. She felt that he was ready. They walked along a path and Twain stayed calm, his tail low and wagging gently One of the gold standard indicators for a relaxed dog. That's one of the ways a dog can tell you that they're relaxed. When a stranger approached a little more closely, twain just looked at the stranger, as any dog would. He then looked straight ahead, as he was much more concerned about enjoying his walk than he was about worrying about strangers. This, of course, was a very good sign. For the first time since Ashley had adopted Twain, he was acting like a normal dog. Ashley could relax a little and enjoy her dog. But, just as important, ashley realized that Twain was more relaxed, enjoying his world too.

Scott Sheaffer: 8:36

Being that fearful of his world had to be hard on Twain. For the first time, ashley saw the world from Twain's point of view. She understood the fear that had driven his aggression and this made her really feel connected to him, as everyone does that works through a problem like this with their dog. Twain wasn't a bad dog. He was a scared dog who needed understanding and patience. He needed to learn that his world wasn't as scary as he thought it was. Ashley's journey with Twain taught her the importance of empathy and the power of love and patience, which she had plenty of. Twain's quality of life improved, and so did Ashley's. That's the great part of this story. They had grown together, learning to trust each other and the world around them. Ashley knew there would still be challenges ahead, of course, but she was confident they could face them together. As they walked home from the lake that day, ashley looked down at Twain, who trotted happily beside her. She smiled, feeling a sense of peace and fulfillment. They had come a long way together.

Scott Sheaffer: 9:53

To see a dog transform like this is what makes me do this business. It makes my work rewarding. If you have a dog with fear and aggression issues, like Twain did do like Ashley did, find someone to help you who can guide you through the process. Thanks for listening today. Please contact me directly with your comments and suggestions at grumpydogspodcastcom, where you can find my social media links as well. Bye-bye, thank you for joining me today. Don't forget to subscribe and share this podcast with other dog lovers. Stay tuned for our next episode, where we'll continue our dive into the world of dog behavior.