When 'Normal' Shifts
By Laura Harper, MSc., CPDT-KA
What is normal for a dog? The answer, like many things involving dogs, is ‘It depends!’ Normal is different for each dog, and every dog has their quirks. My experience living with my current two dogs has made me think hard about their ‘Normals’, and how that’s impacted me both as a dog owner and a dog trainer.
My first steps into the world of dog training were when my village dog Gabbie chased after another dog at the dog park and bit it. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but I was crushed, and after years of managing my anxious dog, it was time to get professional help. Enter Dogs in the Park, where I learned to read Gabbie’s body language, meet her needs, and teach her skills to communicate and navigate her world.
A young Gabbie at a dog park. She’s in the process of yawning, a behaviour that in this context tells me Gabbie was not comfortable in her environment. At the time, this behaviour was normal for her, so I didn’t see anything unusual and missed that she did not enjoy her time around other dogs.
Long story short – I got hooked on training, achieved my certification and became a professional dog trainer. And Gabbie has turned into the best little demo dog, a dog who loves to learn and to teach new trainers, who can do a down stay in the middle of a busy class off leash with very little reinforcement, or show off her favourite tricks in front of a crowd of people.
But there are things Gabbie and I don’t do. We don’t go to trails where we might encounter other dogs. We don’t invite other dogs over to our house. We don’t let other dogs or people come up to her and say hi. We don’t play with other dogs. We don’t go to new places. This works very well for us, and life with Gabbie is very, very easy these days.
Enter baby Zero. Zero was my first puppy as a professional trainer, and was intended to introduce me to the world of dog sports, since Gabbie clearly had no interest in competing. I wanted a tolerant, friendly dog who was versatile enough to try a wide range of sports, so I picked an Australian Shepherd from lines that have typically been friendly and dog savvy.
While Zero certainly isn’t perfect, he is friendly and socially adept with other dogs and people, and is willing and keen to try anything. From the day I brought him home, we’ve walked with various dogs, and his list of friends keeps growing. I remember very keenly the first time I realized the difference between walking Gabbie and walking Zero – and how Gabbie had skewed my perception of what life with a dog could be.
I was walking on a trail with a friend and her two adult labradors, who were romping with a 13 week-old Zero. My friend and I were talking and though I was keeping an eye on the dogs to make sure everyone was safe and minding their manners, I felt myself relax. All of a sudden, walking my dog with friends was not only possible, it was fun.
Other moments through Zero’s life (he’s 2 years at the time of writing) have also stood out for me. Zero’s visited friend’s houses and stayed overnight at a hotel. He goes on off-leash walks with all kinds of dogs, big and small. We’ve been able to meet unknown dogs on trails and after clearing a greeting with their owner, allowing them to interact and enjoying a walk together. Aside from his ability to compete in sport, Zero has opened up a whole new world of dog ownership for me, one that I didn’t realize I was missing with Gabbie.
Zero (front) has had great fun and success walking with all kinds of dogs, and almost always has a big smile on his face during off leash walks.
Gabbie has been immensely valuable to me, both as a dog owner and in my development as a trainer. She has taught me to read my dogs better, respect their choices when possible, and to accept my dogs for who they are (in Gabbie’s case, a grumpy old lady, even when she was a young dog). Our relationship has blossomed over the years, and she is one of the most fun dogs to work and live with. Life with her is easy, so long as I respect her idiosyncrasies.
But the challenge of living and learning from a dog like Gabbie is that our perception of what is ‘normal’ can start to shift. When I walk Gabbie, I am always on the lookout for approaching dogs or people. I don’t let her greet children, and I don’t let strangers or children say hello to her. I do not introduce her to my friend’s dogs, or invite other dogs into our home. My heart starts racing any time a dog runs up to her in class or on the sidewalk.
I have no problem with making these adjustments for life with Gabbie; the payoff has been more than worth it. She can do amazing things and at this point in our relationship, life together is so easy. But the other day a friend asked if I wanted to walk with her and her dog, one Zero had never met. Without much thought I agreed, and we had a lovely walk. The difference between how carefully I considered any dog introductions with Gabbie and Zero really struck me.
There is nothing wrong with living with a Gabbie, or living with a Zero. Both are wonderful types of dogs, but I do think it’s important to reflect on how the dogs we live with can influence our expectations of what living with a dog is like. For those of us who have lived with anxious, fearful, or reactive dogs like Gabbie, we can become desensitized to the challenges our dogs and us face in our lives together.
When Gabbie started with Dogs in the Park, we had been living together for over three years. I remember describing her as ‘a bit anxious’ in our first private. I was then told (quite tactfully) that no, in fact, she was a very anxious dog. She was anxious so much of the time I didn’t even notice it anymore, because for Gabbie that was her ‘normal’ emotional state. I only took notice when her fear became so overwhelming that she had no choice to but to react or bite.
I wanted to write this blog not to convince anyone that their dog is problematic, or to imply that living with an anxious or reactive dog is bad, but just to encourage dog owners to think about what is normal for their own dogs. Does that align with what we typically see in a dog of that age and breed? Does it fit the picture you had when you first decided to get a dog? Taking a look at the bigger picture can help us to see when our dogs might be struggling, and start the process of working to make our lives easier for both us and our dogs.