Printed on August 27, 2007
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The Ride Along
I'm often asked, how do you keep a dog safe while you wait for animal control to arrive? Well, the first thing to assess is the dog's energy and state of mind. Is the dog in a submissive state? Is the dog in an avoidance or flight state? If so, you're probably safe playing Good Samaritan. And in such cases, one obvious way of keeping the dog around is by offering food, but make sure you don't offer a large amount, because after he eats, he will probably walk away. If you can give small pieces without getting too close, that will keep him in one place.
Another strategy is to ask for cooperation from others. Ask two or three people to calmly surround the dog, but remember, everybody has to maintain the same level of calm-assertiveness and the same distance from the dog. You don't want to scare him - you just want him to know that he can't move from that spot.
Now if the dog seems aggressive, don't approach him by yourself. You could be putting both you and the dog in a very dangerous situation. In that case, just stay calm and try and keep tabs on him until professionals arrive.
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S4:Ep7:Hudson & Orchid, and LA Animal Control
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8 Comments
Will you ever come to do a prog in Scotland? I would love you to meet my 2 Leonbergers - one is an angel that I can take anywhere and the other is good within the home environment but hard to control outwith. I have hired a trainer but I'm still not confident taking him out and about. If you ever do make it this far then please feel free to contact me! :))
Boy this is one of the hardest one for me to respond to, knowing that so many dogs are euthanized when rescued by animal control, for the slightest problem dog behavior after the observation time when owners have that small window to retrieve their dog,(three days for us). In many places, it is illegal to take a healthy rescue anywhere but to the county animal control.
One key reason for this, is the fact that in many areas, the risk of rabies infection,is a consideration with a dog bite!
We are so fortunate, that here in Phoenix Arizona at this time, rabies is not a direct issue/risk for us in our area.
What I have done which helps my safety, is to carry "bite-proof" gloves, should I decide to transport a rescue to safety, such as when a dog is on a freeway (always fenced) in a rural area for instance. One can never assume, that even when a dog is approachable, that something might trigger him into a "red-zone" (or even fear reaction) behavior.
If I take a rescue dog into my car, I tie the leash to the side of the car door to reduce his mobility and reaction if something happens to trigger an excited behavior while I am driving. This allows me to pull over to the side of the road, (I always drive on the right side when I am doing this and go slower speeds until I am sure the dog relaxes. Driving while the dog is in an excited state is dangerous distractive driving and should not be considered. A dog may be in an alert state however, and signs of impending escalation may occur too quickly for the driver to react to or be missed by the driver.
I have also seen, that passengers will frequently want to try to "sooth or calm" a dog by petting or stroking the dog, not realizing they are in fact reinforcing the undesired behavior.
Cesar's 'dont look, dont touch, dont talk, rule has really helped with several country rescue efforts I have been a part of.
Like Cesar says, remember the priority MUST be on your safety first and if you are in a part of the country where rabies is a local hazard, then it is really important to NOT approach a dog, even when it seems friendly!
I was happy to see Cesar riding along with Animal Control and helping to rescue the 3 dogs (the male Sharpai/Dalmation mix, the pregnant Sharpai, and the black dog with mange). At the end of the program, however, I felt disappointment and frustration when Cesar advised the viewers that the 3 dogs were euthanized - 2 because of illness and 1 for aggression with no further information. Since we, the viewers, were not shown evidence of aggression in any of the 3 dogs, and Cesar himself did not describe any of the dogs as aggressive, I'm wondering which dog showed aggressive behavior that justified euthanasia? Also, we were not given an explanation of the medical conditions of the other 2 dogs that justified euthanasia either. Also, what became of the pregnant dogs puppies?
I, too, was nonplussed by the result of this episode. Why would anyone knowingly take an animal to a shelter, when this is normally the result. I'm surmising the young friendly dog probably got possessive over his food and that's why he was deemed "aggressive". Give me a break! If I hadn't had a good meal in weeks, I'd be food possessive too. I was also troubled my the response Cesar had to this result. Good grief. He takes in dogs himself. Could he not have made room for these creatures he helped rescue. What a waste!
The Dog Whisperer has been my favorite TV program for about 3 months.Normally,it is very uplifting and entertaining, even though I don't own a dog myself.Cesar is so positive and his methods are really amazing.The good feeling I get from the program usually lasts long after it's over.It makes me feel good about people, good about dogs, and very much in awe of Cesar and his methods and philosophy.I am one of Cesar's biggest fans, regaling people I know with tales of Cesar's successes.But,last week's episode,about Cesar riding along with an animal control officer was a BIG disappointment.It really had nothing to do with Cesar's methods of rehabilitating dogs and it was very distressing to me (and probably to most animal lovers).Having worked in animal welfare, I know that "you can't save them all",that, in some cases euthanasia is a much kinder alternative to a life of illness,neglect and abuse.However, I don't think that this was an appropriate message for the Dog Whisperer.Anyone who watches the show is probably already an animal-lover and not in need of education on what happens to so many unfortunate dogs.I kept waiting for the happy ending for the three dogs that had been picked up, but it didn't come.Instead,those three pitiful creatures only went to their doom!Also,the light manner in which Cesar glossed over the killing of a cat by the dog "Sweetie" made my heart ache.I have cats and I would be completely devastated if one of them was killed by a neighbor's dog.To give the man, who had definitely been an irresponsible pet owner, national TV exposure,because Cesar was able to "convert" him just didn't set well with me.All of the other people Cesar works with are people who wanted his help and who will,presumably,follow through with what they learned.I doubt that there will be a lot of follow-through on that man's part. And, even if he turned into the most responsible pet owner in the world, why give him his "fifteen minutes of fame" over a poor cat's death (which he was responsible for)!My message to Cesar and to Nat Geo is: keep it positive, keep it upbeat, concentrate on what Cesar does best---rehabilitating dogs and training people---not on subjects that can only sadden animal lovers and most likely cause the loss of viewers.
dear sir my friends have a dog they take him to bed every night he chews everyhing in the house ,they keep him in a cage while at work he still uses house as a toilet he is 18 months old i have told them how to train him as i have had dogs myself in the past nut they take no notice how can i train them instead of the dog yours b agar (bernie)
dear ceaser my name is becky and i am married with three children. and this is outr first dog.... a black lab of all things my husband says they are wonderful dogs can we please get her,. so i got her when she was 2 mos old she is now almost 7 mos old and she is uncontrollable she does not listen and she is very wild i can not let her in the home she does nothing but chew everything she actually chewed up a bush out back and i have no patience for her at all i want to get rid of her my husband and kids are very attached to her..... i dont know what to do with her anymore please help me before i go crazy in new york.....please help me.
Becky, puppies chew things. But I can tell you how we disciplined our dog (now four years old), starting when she was just a puppy: every time (and I mean every time)we caught her with something we didn't want her to have, we immediately replaced the object with something she could have-- the same way we re-direct a human toddler. But this technique takes planning. Your puppy only has a 10 second memory, so you have to have the appropriate toy in hand, ready to exchange before you take away the forbidden item. We also gave a scolding and a shake of the scruff of her neck before we took away the forbidden item, so she would know she wasn't supposed to have it. Then we gave her an approved toy, and praised her when she started chewing it. She is four years old now, and only chews her own toys and rawhides. Also, remember "a tired dog is a well-behaved dog." Cesar recommends exercise to pave the way to discipline-- that means walk your dog every day, and she will be less likely to chew things.
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