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Leon's Journey
Cute and cuddly, that's what Leon looked like when he arrived, but appearances can be deceptive and poor Leon had problems, despite only being 10months old. Leon was originally only meant to be a short term foster whilst his breeder went on holiday. No one else really wanted to foster him as he had bitten a few people and also guarded his food and chews. Muggins here agreed to look after him, although he wasn't too impressed on our first meeting, and did have a bit of a grumble at me. When I got him home, my dogs gave him a bit of a rough time, maybe they sensed that he could be a bit of a bully and that they needed to get the ground rules sorted out straight away. Despite not being keen on me to begin with, once we got home, Leon decided that I was 'safe' and that I was his! A typical SWD trait. He decided that being at my feet was safe, but this did lead to an incident with my OH where Leon did nip him. This suggested that Leon was not happy being approached by strangers when he is in a confined space. I started off by feeding Leon in a crate, so that he had a safe area to be in. He was really slow at eating and if there was a blanket in the crate, he would try and bury his food. Not ideal for a dog that guards. So, the blanket got taken out of the crate and some tinned meat went into his dinner. That got him eating much quicker. He would be allowed out of the crate once he and the other dogs had finished eating; that ensured that there was no squabbling with the other dogs over food, and meant that he was out of the crate when I picked his bowl up (just in case he guarded the empty bowl). Leon also had issues with his collar being touched/held and would grumble. He also didn't have a good recall, particularly if he an item in his mouth; which meant that he had a house line attached to him for a while. He was also an unsettled dog in the house and would pace about given the chance. The use of the line as a tether soon taught him to 'settle' when I was busy.
Leon practising retrieving whilst wearing a long line Leon's food guarding was soon sorted; he was taught that no one was going to take his food off him when he was eating, and that people coming near him when he ate, meant something pleasant happened. He is now fed loose in the living room with the other dogs and I can approach and pet him while he feeds. The same approach was used when dealing with the guarding of chews. He will now happily let me have any of his chews (and he is always rewarded for giving them up) and I realised what a long way we had come when I managed to get him to swap a dead rabbit for a retrieve toy (which must have been much lower in value). The boy is getting there! We still have the odd problem getting a recall out of him once he has a toy, but he has improved 10 fold on what he was. He likes to have a mad blast with the first retrieve, but after that he generally brings it straight back to hand (although like most young dogs, he still has his 'moments'). I've worked on this by having two toys of the same value, so that as he brings one back, the other is thrown. I've also taught him a hand touch as this is invaluable when working with dogs like this. Leon's main problem was with strangers; usually those that tried to stroke him. He was particularly touchy about being stroked on his back and shoulders. His face and chest were not quite so sensitive and he appears to like having his rump scratched. He would sometimes allow a stranger to stroke him once, but would then growl and snap when they went back to give a second stroke. He didn't give an awful lot of warning and if you weren't quick enough, his teeth followed quickly after a very brief growl. He had nipped a few people before he came to me. This has been approached using counterconditioning (turning something scary into something wonderful) and desensitisation (gradually increasing the intensity of the scary stimulus i.e. the being touched). The first steps included; getting Leon happy to be touched all over by me, pairing the presence of food with people and getting him to realise that people meant that good things happen. I started by allowing him to get near to people and allowing them to feed him titbits but not to touch him. He was soon going through a repertoire of tricks when asked to by strangers. If he spooked at a particular person when we were out walking, then I would refocus him by asking for some hand touches.
Leon sitting to greet Caz and being rewarded for it Once he was more relaxed around people, the next stage was to get him used to being touched by them. This was achieved by using a fake hand, and getting him used to touching that and being stroked by it. Other people could then touch Leon with this, enabling them to stay at a safe distance and to remain uninjured if he did turn round to snap (which he never did during this process).
Stage 1 The fake hand/arm at full length
Stage 2 The fake hand/arm is being shortened
Stage 3 The fake hand/arm at its shortest We are now at the next stage, removing the fake hand and replacing it with real hands. Not quite so easy to get volunteers now.
Stage 4 Leon being stroked with a real hand He is progressing nicely at this stage and we are not rushing it. He is certainly a lot more comfortable being touched and did allow Caz to rub him with a towel for quite a while after his swimming lesson about 9 months after he arrived. His loose lead walking has improved immensely and I've used a head collar, H-harness and double connection lead as well as using the 300 peck method for building duration. Using a toy has helped to keep him focussed to teach him self-control and attention for teaching heelwork. I still need to work on fading the toy, but he will work beautifully even if the toy is hidden. Toys work much better for Leon than food and now that he will actually bring the toy back and let go, I can use them more and more. Leon is working towards the CP Elite Gundog Levels and will start with the Adult tests before moving on to the higher levels as I feel it will be better for him to recap his training. He did gain his Gundog Club Grade 1 Spaniel award by the skin of is teeth, despite really not liking the examiner. His self control is improving as are his stays and he can now do a 2 min sit stay. His ability to switch on and off when we are playing tug has improved dramatically. He is such an eager dog to learn that I'm confident that all his problems will be behind him soon. Leon has improved over the years and
is now actively wanting to go to people rather than woofing at them. He
will accept some fuss off people he hasn't met as long as they stroke
under his chin and his chest and stop before Leon gets too worried (as
he still does, but being stroked by people is a huge achievement for the
boy). He is much happier now in a situation where there are unfamiliar
people and dogs; no more woofing or trying to drive people and dogs
away. Stop press: Leon gained his Good Citizen Silver on 19th August. I'm so proud of Da Boy! The examiner was really lovely and took her time with the examination and kept it lovely and relaxed. I'm amazed that he let her look at his teeth, fiddle with his ears/eyes and to touch his feet. All the other exercises were a doddle for him. So proud of him. Leon has such a love of life, that he deserved to have a second chance. Thanks to Lynne Walker for allowing me the privilege of sharing my home with Leon.
Thanks to Caz Butler and Lynn Whitelaw for allowing me to use their photos.
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