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| Isaiah has been in a foster home with Judy Britt and her "Thundering Horde" in North Carolina since late September, and has come along very nicely. Although we initially had aggressive outbursts over the water dish, that is no longer a problem -- except that no one wants to drink with him because he's such a sloppy drinker! He is still aggressive over HIS food in HIS dish; this is easily handled by feeding him in the garage and the Thundering Horde in the house. He's been with Judy for about a month, and she's making great progress on his "resource guarding", which is the technical name for his aggressiveness of his food and water. Judy has been consulting animal behaviorists and developing a protocol to modify this behavior. Judy will be taking him to the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) Convention and Trade Show in PA in two weeks, where he will participate in a Patricia McConnell seminar on aggressive dogs, and hopefully we will receive further guidelines in helping him with this problem. |  |
Judy has been working on establishing herself as alpha with him -- enforcing basic obedience commands, making him "wait" for his food or water then releasing him with an "OK", making him go last when she gives all five of them dog or human treats (he does NOT offer to fight in this latter type of situation). Her hypothesis is that he is very undersocialized with both humans and other dogs, may have been deprived at some time, and that his aggression is driven by fear and insecurity and the need to protect his food. All bloodwork and urinalysis have been within normal limits; he is current on all vaccinations and heartworm-negative.
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Isaiah - a sweetheart who is anxious to please |
In all other regards, Isaiah is a sweetheart -- VERY active and playful, quick to learn (learned "release" in 5 trials) and reportedly has been through basic obedience. His under-socialization shows up in his manner of play (like a much younger pup) and his house manners, i.e., he is a thief and chewer, still working on housebreaking (related to excessive water drinking). He may have been primarily an outside dog as he is not familiar with many house noises and household activities. Other than the food issue, he relates very well to other dogs, and is very active and playful with all of us. His true nature is starting to show through: he is much more alert, more social, VERY affectionate -- gives BIG wet sloppy kisses. Judy's "Thundering Horde" is doing a great job of rehabbing Isaiah!
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Isaiah has been with Judy and Tony Britt for several weeks, and is about ready for his "forever" home. The following is an update from Judy:
Isaiah has been with us for two months now, and guess what - and NO MORE RESOURCE GUARDING!! It's been pretty amazing, and I think I owe a lot of credit to my Thundering Horde for socializing him and introducing him to pack dynamics. Also used modified hand feeding, consistent behavioral expectations, and good old-fashioned bonding. Isaiah now eats in the kitchen with our four, shares the water dish, shows no nervousness or jealousy, doesn't even have to be put on a sit-stay...and they all lick each others' dishes clean together. Can't get much more unaggressive than that.
He's still a very high-energy dog, but I think that's to be expected of a 2-1/2-year-old Irish. Needs a lot of exercise, but can settle down as well. Still needs a firm, consistent hand but is very lovable and affectionate. A great cuddler and sloppy kisser. I've started him in obedience class (he's allegedly been through it before), and he is quick to learn -- or relearn as the case may be. Tried jumps last night, and he thought that was just GREAT. If someone is willing to continue to work with him, and harness that energy, I think he has the potential to be an excellent performance dog. He will need a fenced yard to run in and burn off some of that high energy; also some active 8-year-old or older children and/or other doggie companions to play with would be great.
I'm beginning to believe he does not have a truly aggressive bone in his body -- was just scared, confused, and under- socialized when he came into rescue. As far as unintentional poking or pulling, such as children are prone to, he's been stepped on here, had his hair pulled while grooming, etc., and not shown any response other than whining and submission. He also willingly steps into the shower, and LOVES to be outside in the rain, so I think he would be quite a swimmer.
Isaiah is really blossoming; he is in good health, current on all shots, on heartworm preventive, and is now a healthy 74 lbs. If I didn't have four already, I'd really be tempted to keep him. I will be willing to provide transportation to a new home, or at least help as far as possible. His rescue donation will include a new 500 Deluxe Vari-Kennel, which is necessary for him when he is home alone and possibly for sleeping in at night as long as he can be with his humans in their bedroom. We've not been having him sleep in it, but he has been known to chew on his bed (nothing else) if he wakens before anyone else. He is very well crate-trained, goes in willingly, and only fusses a little initially (until you're out of sight).
I feel his rehab with us is complete, and he is ready for his new "forever" home. I plan to take him to the hospital with me in the next couple of weeks, to let the adolescents play with him and observe how he does.
Claudia Aaron-Sneed and Laura Aaron Terbeek
Aralyn Irish Setters
Wilmington, NC USA
Member of Irish Setter Club of America since 1975
email: aralynirish@worldnet.att.net
