Meet Mary, a mixed-breed beauty transferred to Toronto from a shelter in Texas. Mary recently celebrated her fourth birthday, and I am certain that she and her mom are also celebrating their healed relationship. Indeed, the last year was challenging, with Mary giving my client a run for her money.
Although she is a little skittish at times, Mary has a lovely temperament – happy, outgoing, smart, social — the whole package. Despite a tough start in Texas, the challenge of traveling to Canada, time in a foster home, and then activity restrictions as she recovered from heartworm, Mary was a sweetheart. Having dealt with challenging dogs her whole life, my client saw Mary as comparatively “easy,” and so, without consciously deciding, moved too quickly through the stages of the Way of Life Method. She integrated Mary too quickly at home and gave her more off-leash freedom outside than appropriate. My client was also quite affectionate with her dog and allowed herself to like the dog a little too much, a little too soon, which I recognize can be hard to avoid with such an endearing personality.
However, Mary was still immature and her relationship with my client was still fragile. About a year after adopting her, my client shared with me that Mary was incessantly taking off after squirrels and not always coming back when called. Not only that, my client had been struggling with physical limitations, making it painful for her to hold on to Mary’s leash or run after her when Mary would tear off after a critter.
Although my client was already well versed in the Way of Life Method, she reached out to me for help. Things had gotten so bad, with Mary ripping the leash away to chase a few times a day, that my client began to suffer from mini-whiplash symptoms. She was researching all she could about predation behavior, looking at using a no-pull harness, and even considering rehoming Mary.
Since the situation was dire, we went immediately to work on the four pillars of the Way of Life Method, including handler attitude and mindset, managing space and boundaries, drive development, and socialization. Because she does not want to part with Mary and knows she can find real help in the Way of Life Method, my client has dedicated herself to the program.
Highlights of Mary’s recovery include channeling her prey drive using daily games of tug and ball, gradual socialization with canine playmates to satisfy her appetite for dog-on-dog interactions, and walking in more urban environments offering Mary a different variety of distractions to deal with. Also, my client is working on maintaining the healthy emotional distance and objectivity needed to help Mary seek her approval – approval she’d been given a little too quickly.
Today, my client can take Mary out to places with a reasonable number of squirrels around. Mary perks up and sometimes attempts to stalk them, but she is now responsive, clearheaded, and able to regulate her instincts because her prey drive is being nurtured instead of frustrated and her bond with her mom has been strengthened. This is what happens when we focus less on problem-solving and more on rearing sound, strong, and spirited dogs. Watch Mary’s debut in a recent YouTube video here.
