CANINE
Iffert found it challenging to socialize Chopper, given that people and even pet professionals were not keen to come anywhere near him
discuss how I should work with my dog. When it comes up in discussions that I have a Rottweiler, people immediately offer advice to keep him on a prong collar to maintain control. To be honest, I do not see how pinching/poking him would control him any better than the “follow me,” attention and impulse training he learned as a puppy. Unlike many other dogs, he is never really out-of-control to begin with. I am also blessed with two other dogs. A yellow Labrador and a border collie/golden retriever mix round out the canine dynamic in my family. My Lab is exactly what people expect – a sweet, loving dog. It is hard to keep people away from him when we walk down the street and he relishes the constant interaction. Dino has been a therapy dog visiting schools, hospitals, libraries, nursing homes and rehab facilities for more than eight years now and has a wide range of adoring fans in our community. My border collie/golden mix is an insanely smart, highlystrung, somewhat dog-reactive, bundle of anxious energy – yet that never seems to stop people from wanting to approach her, risking their own safety or that of their dog, no matter how large my yellow ribbon or how loud I voice, “Please give her space, she’s not always friendly.” Yet my happy-go-lucky, attention-loving Rottweiler rarely gets the ear scratch, belly rub or even the polite, friendly greeting he so craves from new people. I am still constantly told by other Rottweiler buffs that I need a “firm hand to keep him from becoming ‘dominant.’ ” My hackles go up whenever this conversation starts as I try to explain to them that the “firm hand” used on my previously-rescued Rottweiler is probably what caused her extreme fear aggression, and ultimately led to our decision to have her humanely euthanized. I refuse to use fear, pain or intimidation with my dogs as a training tool which, for our previous Rottie, ultimately netted extreme anxiety, hours and hours of behavior modification training, visits back and forth to the veterinary behaviorist, Prozac, three years of constant management and a life filled with sometimes paralyzing fear in her mind and dread in mine that she would do something irreparable. She was the dog who inspired me to become the trainer that I am now. Even though I feel as though I failed her in the end, I will not lead others down that path. My goal is to eventually get Chopper into a therapy program.
Happy-go-lucky, attention-loving Rottweiler Chopper rarely gets any attention when he is out with his owner and canine siblings
He certainly has the right disposition. He is comfortable in new settings, does not fear loud noises, thrives among chaos/crowds, loves people and other animals (although I have noticed an aversion to pugs for some reason) and has such a goofball personality that he can be downright entertaining. All these wonderful traits still cannot seem to counterbalance the fear he instills in people simply by walking into a room or down the street. This has led me to alter some of my training with him. When someone does want to greet, I ask him to “kiss” a hand (rather than touch) to instill confidence in the person he leans toward, I use a light, lilting voice rather than booming “commands,” I often use the words “please” and “thank you” when working him in public so people see that he responds to softness and kind words without the need to be “controlled.” I have a much higher expectation of Chopper than I do of my Labrador when it comes to therapy work. I recognize that even though he is a very good dog, people are innately fearful and I have to respect that. I have come to the realization that not everyone will be comfortable around my dog – and that is okay, I am not comfortable with every person that I meet. Just as I will not force my dog into an interaction, I will not force humans to interact either, but consider it to be their loss if they do not. Each of my dogs has challenged me, inspired me and affected how I train, but none more than my “bully” breeds. I take my responsibility as the guardian of these dogs very seriously and respect others for their thoughts, opinions and, yes, even their fears. I will not have the dog who perpetuates the negativity of a breed based on poor training and media inaccuracies. I will have a happy-go-lucky Rottweiler who will be a living, working example for positive training and anti-breed discrimination and hope that together, he and I can inspire change and confidence in those around us. n Kym Iffert ABCDT, www.dogosophy.info, is a Family Paws licensed presenter, AKC CGC evaluator and licensed Pet Partners evaluator and instructor based in LaGrange Park, Illinois. She works primarily as the director of humane education, dog obedience instructor and canine behavior consultant at Hinsdale Humane Society.
BARKS from the Guild/November 2015
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