DON'T LET THE CUTENESS FOOL YOU...Continued

MacTavish recuperating after his first surgery to correct elbow dysplasia. 

Does this photo not tug at your heart strings? How can this little boy be nasty? When I warn people about him the reply is usually something like "oh but all dogs love me" as they approach him, not heeding my warning, and then when they are inches from his face and he lunges at them - teeth bared with every intention of biting - they seem surprised.   

Loving an aggressive dog as you can imagine comes with a plethora of problems; you have to be on your toes every second, have eyes in the back of your head, and be prepared for anything!! 

Our family lives on a court bustling with young children, who MacTavish loves to sit, watch and bark at. On one occasion he was sitting in his usual spot "keeping watch" and he saw one of the kids on our front lawn. He jumped up on the screen door with such force and determination and because the door wasn't latched properly it flew open. MacTavish bolted after the child and I bolted after him and screamed "STOP". Well the child certainly listened and came to a complete halt; luckily his father was right there to pick him up into his arms. That moment changed things for me; I realized that MacTavish truly was a very dangerous dog and if I wanted to keep him I had to make some drastic decisions and changes.  

I started to investigate some options and decided to try a "tens collar".  The collar sends a controlled impulse when a dog exhibits behaviour that is not acceptable. There are different levels on the collar and I have tested the levels on myself so I know what is uncomfortable. The idea is when he displays the negative behaviour and becomes so focused and immersed in his aggression that he is not aware of anything else going on around him, sending the electric impulse acts the same as someone tapping you on the shoulder to get your attention: "snap out of it" and then the behaviour stops. Some may say it's drastic, even cruel,  and I would have agreed with them before trying it but if I wanted to keep my dog alive and the community safe this is what I had to do. I did not make the decision lightly but once I had and spoke to others who knew MacTavish they were all in agreement that this was the most effective and quickest way to stop him from injuring someone. The problem with other methods for MacTavish is they would have taken a long time to get the desired behaviour from him (if at all) and time was not on our side. We needed him to change immediately. It is not the same as training your dog to sit, stay, walk calmly on a leash; those training behaviours can be taught over time if needed but with severe aggression every minute is too long. I am happy to say MacTavish has responded very well to the collar and we have gotten to a point now that just having the collar on is good enough.

I hope by sharing my story and the informed decision I made it will help others and give them options perhaps they have not explored.

So if you see MacTavish walking on the street I would still encourage you not to approach him...just admire him from a distance!

Sandra McBride, Practice Manager
Bowmanville Veterinary Clinic