On his first night of puppy class, Sam was an endearingly woolly bundle of baby Golden Retriever, with no indication that he had a social problem. Golden Retrievers are usually social butterflies, and Sam was a star performer during class for clicks and treats. However, when playtime arrived, his demeanor changed from an attentive pupil (“What can I do to get you to click the clicker?”) to a bully (“I’m tough and you just try to stop me!”).
288
Sam’s chosen victim was a Rottweiler – not a breed you’d expect to find wearing an invisible “bite me!” sign. Max was about Sam’s own age and outweighed Sam considerably but was no match for the smaller pup’s intensity. Several seconds after they began frolicking together, Sam suddenly pinned Max to the ground with a ferocious snarl, then released him briefly, just to pin him again.
Needless to say, we intervened quickly in that relationship! Each time his intensity with Max began to escalate he got an immediate, “Oops, time out!” and was removed from play. His patient owners diligently monitored his activity, and by the end of the seven-week class Sam was improving, but still demonstrated unacceptable bullying behavior. After two more six-week class sessions he played well with a stable group of four other dogs, under general supervision, without needing any time-outs.
Sam developed into a perfectly normal, socially appropriate dog, thanks to very early intervention. Now seven years old, he has been known to frequent the City of Hagerstown’s annual Pooch Pool Plunge without incident, engaging with the 100-plus dogs who attend the event, playing off-leash in the municipal pool at summer’s end when the facility closes for the season. At a recent behavior consult for their newly adopted rescue Golden, Sam’s owners confirmed that he continues to play well with others, and is socially appropriate with every dog he meets.
