An Important Warning

 The critical importance of understanding canine vocalization was recently driven home to me with our foster dog, Pix. When Pix first entered our home as a foster, she was friendly and accepting toward all our other dogs, and toward me.

However when my husband or any other man got close to Pix, she vocalized a low, threatening growl if she was on leash or otherwise unable to run away. Off leash, Pix would not even be in the same room or outdoor space without defensively barking and cowering away from any man.

In this situation, it was critical to understand that Pix’s growling was an important warning signal. By understanding why the growl was happening, Pix was able to rightly express her feeling of fear of men without escalating to the next, potentially more dangerous, behavior.

Once we determined the stimulus that was causing Pix to growl (the presence of a man), we immediately began behavior modification training including desensitization and counterconditioning.

My spouse Chris kept enough distance between himself and Pix so that Pix remained under threshold, still showing quiet and calm behavior, while I provided tiny bits of roasted chicken, one of Pix’s favorite treats.

Pix quickly began to associate that when Chris was anywhere nearby, enjoyable and valuable things happened. Gradually we progressed to Chris walking past Pix with enough distance that Pix remained calm, while Chris gently tossed her favorite chicken treats in her direction on the floor. Over time Chris was able to toss treats gradually closer to Pix as she became more and more comfortable.

Within 23 days of operation “When I see Dad chicken rains from the sky” Pix was nudging under Chris’ hand to ask him to pet her and Chris was able to pat her all over, scratch her ears, and Pix even slept next to him in bed.

This same process worked with other strange men including our pool cleaner, our gardener, and eventually Pix’s new dad when she was adopted successfully into her forever home.

For this great outcome to have happened, it was critical that we understood Pix’s vocalization. It was important to keep both Pix and the people around her safe, and by following through with counterconditioning this situation turned into a happy beginning with Pix being adopted into her forever home.