The APDT Chronicle of the Dog Summer 2020 | Page 37

FEATURE | THE NEW NORMAL
Working with aggression cases is a much needed and sought-after
expertise. For those who work these cases, bless them for the help
they are giving to the dog and the humans; both are hurting
emotionally and some physically. But isn’t there sometimes a
point of no return? Don’t we have to ask ourselves what is the
ultimate goal? As Michael Shikashio states over and over, safety
and management are the top criteria and the first and last thing we
strive for in working an aggression case. Let’s hope that we don’t
get so focused on “fixing it” that we lose our perspective.
"Trainers should be cautious
about backsliding on bite
behavior"
I remember veteran dog trainer Sue Sternberg saying in a
seminar that we should be adopting out pets, not predators. We
must keep our eye on not just working on the problem behavior
but on what we want as the end result. What are the odds of an
aggressive behavior occurring even with the best of training? If it
means lifetime management by a family who really is not capable
of restrictions that affect the dog’s quality of life to keep the family
and community safe, perhaps the question is already answered.
Humans have a great capacity for compassion and rationalization.
We must learn to distinguish between the two.
New normals come in a variety of ways. Today’s new normal
with an infectious disease was abrupt and acute. Due to a
pandemic, everyone was intensely aware that our lives had
changed, if not permanently, then certainly for the foreseeable
future—hence the rash of remote training seminars for all of us
who are home bound. I am so thankful and appreciative these
webinars were offered. They became a positive part of adjusting
to my new normal. These professionals stepped up to the plate
and offered immediate assistance and guidance for so many
other professionals.
But some new normals are more gradual. When we are working
aggression cases, the boundaries and expectations of acceptable
behaviors over time can become blurred. We can become so
oriented to fixing the behavior that we may lose sight of the
whole picture. We may become so emotionally involved in
the client’s or the dog’s struggle that we lose our objectivity or
professional judgment. Our training has taught us to deal with
facts: antecedents, behavior, and consequences. Don’t do your
client or the dog a disservice by losing your objectivity. You
must wear your professional hat at all times, especially in cases
as serious as aggression. Due to this pandemic, dog training and
behavior consulting have been and will be drastically changed as
well as the rest of the dog world; conferences, competitions, and
conformation dog shows have taken a critical hit, being cancelled
until further notice. As our lives change, let us be very conscious
of how a new normal can affect us and how we choose to respond.
In working aggression cases, ask yourself what are your long-term
goals for the dog, its family, and the community at large? Can the
outcome of this case be consistent with those goals as well as these:
safety and management and pets not predators? As the old country
song “The Gambler” goes, “know when to hold them, know
when to fold them, and know when to walk away.” As we branch
out into remote training with so many trainers and behavior
consultants working aggression cases, let us keep these long-term
goals and their application in the forefront of our minds. Can you
stay cognizant of the entirety of the problem presented and not
just focus on modifying a specific behavior? Can you stay objective
and not let your emotions cloud your judgment of the case overall?
Being mindful that if we become too focused on the incremental
successes, we might lose sight of the dog’s overall risk assessment.
As we adjust to the new normal, be it acute like living our lives in
a pandemic or a more subtle one like working aggression cases,
focusing on our goal can help keep us from getting caught in the
unproductive and at times unrealistic emotions of rationalization.
Focusing on realistic boundaries and goals and being willing to be
flexible and creative enough to make these adjustments can keep us
from straying into the murky waters of being slowly conditioned to
accept a less-than-ideal behavior or set of circumstances. Be it in our
daily lives or working with dogs, we can make our new normal one
of high standards and boundaries and maintain the judgment to
know what we can and cannot change.
The last few weeks was Shikashio’s Aggression webinar. Next will
be several remote training webinars. What will be next? I don’t
know…I’m still adjusting to my new normal!
Melissa McMath Hatfield, M.S.,
CBCC-KA, CDBC, earned a master’s
in counseling psychology and is a retired
licensed psychological examiner. Her
mission is to enhance the human-dog
relationship through understanding,
knowledge, and empathy. Currently she
has a private behavior consulting practice where her main focus is
performing temperament assessments and behavior evaluations of
dogs who are exhibiting mental health issues. For further
information please go to her website at http://www.lovingdogs.net.
The APDT Chronicle of the Dog | Summer 2020 35