E-Kantipur

Rain always makes me to desire for a world without dogs. I’ve 23 dogs and after the rainfall they march into the house. I have no problem with that but what worry me are two dogs that were rescued recently—one is a brown Apso mix and another is a black and white terrier mix—they were thrown out of several homes due to their awful and temperament nature. Their aggressiveness leads to repetitive barking and scuffing with other dogs and snarl at anyone.

They have scared my blind and deaf Great Dane and no more come near to me because they lunge her throat and nip her heels when she wishes to. They veer between a state of barking and snarling to cloying and tedious affection. The black one scratches me with her nails when she wants attention which is usually when I am asleep and gasps like an asthmatic in excitement the whole day. They will not have leashes put on them by anyone except me. They get along with no other dog except each other, raising their hackles, growling and barking, sometimes lunging and nipping others in the neck. If they are tied, they howl.

This is the classic Napoleon complex—short-stature men compensate for their size by being overly aggressive. It’s eponymous for French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who had big ambitions but was not very tall. Height is in inverse proportion to bad behaviour. Every dog owner knows that small dogs have a personality. They’re spunky and they let you know just what they’re thinking especially when they want a treat or walk. So it’s no surprise that small dog owners also need to keep an eye open for symptoms of the Napoleon complex. That is when courage turns to spite and nastiness. My mother was once bitten savagely by two apsos whose owner confessed to be helpless in correcting their behaviour. They are so sociable that they always bite guests while they are leaving, she said lamely. Someone I know threw out her dachshunds for the same reason - they bit and snarled all the time. There’s a big distinction between a spunky small dog and a damn nuisance. Symptoms of the syndrome include not following instructions, becoming territorial over areas of the house, toys, food or people, and even biting. A small dog with spunk is ready to play when your child crawls into your lap alongside him. One with a Napoleonic syndrome will probably growl and may even try to bite. The problem lies with owners who take their small dogs less seriously. A pug that sinks his teeth into you will be laughed at and dismissed. A Doberman who does the same will be put down. 

This is a battle for dominance. Take charge. Two of the most important goals of raising a healthy, happy dog of any size are bite inhibition and socialization. There is a narrow window in puppy development to teach a dog that it’s unacceptable to bite or growl. Dog trainers and veterinarians generally agree that the window closes at about 20 weeks of age. If a dog is not taught to abandon its urge to behave badly, it will always see snarling and biting as an option. Behaviour such as leash aggression, dominance, possessiveness of objects and people should be addressed early as they may persist throughout adulthood. No dog can be reformed by picking him up and cuddling him if he behaves badly. The Napoleon in him is out to conquer you and the household and this is achieved step by step in pushing the boundaries of bad behaviour. Think of him as a small Alsatian and treat him accordingly. Is it possible to prevent a small dog from yapping, jumping, peeing in the house, snapping at people etc.

What would you do if your German shepherd growled when your neighbour comes over? You would correct him, put him away, call a trainer and become very worried. This is a dominant guarding behaviour that you would do something about. What would you do if your cute little miniature Pomeranian growled at the same neighbour? You would probably ignore him, pick him up, or make excuses for him. Ignoring him tells that the behaviour is acceptable, picking him up also shows that you approve and puts him in a more dominant position, and making excuses just convinces you that nothing can be done. Jumping is one way that dogs dominate humans. Generally the higher a dog is on a human’s body, the more dominant they feel. Also, owners of small breeds usually don’t even own leashes.  Most small dogs are not taken on exercise and even if they pull on a leash they’re so small that it’s OK. But the leash is a time for the human to establish control. When a pack of dogs walk together, the leader is in front. Teaching a dog to “heel” is the process of teaching him to follow you. If your dog is following you mentally and physically on a walk, he is less likely to bark or lunge at new people or animals. If your dog is leading you in an excited dominant state, he is much more likely to bark and lunge at new things. A dog that’s walked in a submissive state will come home feeling submissive. A dog who spends an hour pulling his owner will return home still feeling dominant. Small dogs don’t know that they’re small. They have the same instincts as large dogs.

The small dog with territorial aggression will not hesitate to ignore any commands or suggestions you give him or take ownership of property. Owners are often surprised when they go to sit down on the couch and are greeted by a growl from their Chihuahua. Move into discipline mode now. 

To join the animal welfare movement contact gandhim@nic.in

      gandhim@nic.in

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