McDonalds, Burger King and Starbucks have taught us to expect uniformity. You can go to any of their franchises anywhere in the world and get the exact same burger or latte you would get in your own home town. So why can’t we get a dog just like the dog we had before?
“I’ve had four Bichons before! Its not like she’s my first. But she is absolutely NOTHING LIKE any Bichon I’ve ever had!”
Sophie is a 10 month old Bichon Frise. Her owners purchased her from a reputable breeder, personally flew to Atlanta to pick her up, and have given her the best of everything – gourmet dogfood, welldog checkups, cushy dog beds, three different Kongs, a BusterCube, and even a rain slicker for walks on damp days.
“She’s so ungrateful. I give her nothing but love, and look how she repays me.” Sophie’s owner shows me her arms and ankles, which are covered with bruises and scratches.
It would be simple to chalk this up to Small Dog Syndrome – what happens to small dogs that are carried and coddled and babied until they think that they own the world, and then dare you to tell them otherwise. Yes, Sophie has attitude, and something more. There’s a sense of desperation about her, as if she, too, has had enough of playing the brat but is stuck in an endless loop, doomed to repeat bad behavior over and over. Sophie’s owner expects her to be the same complacent lapdog that her predecessors were but Sophie is not the same, and needs to be treated differently than the others.
Here is what Your PureBred Puppy says about the Bichon breed:
Small but sturdy
Doesn’t need much exercise
Has a curly coat that doesn’t shed (one of the best breeds for allergy sufferers)
Makes a good watchdog, but is not aggressive
Good with other pets
Sounds great! But then again, here is what else the web site has to say about Bichons:
Notorious housebreaking difficulties
“Separation anxiety” (destructiveness and barking) when left alone too much
Shyness
Stubbornness (mind of his own)
Frequent brushing and clipping of the curly coat
Barking
Chronic skin problems
What are the odds that you will get a Bichon with at least some of the unwanted characteristics of the breed? What are the odds that you ALWAYS get a dog with NONE of those traits?
The situation with Sophie isn’t the first time I have had clients tell me what a disappointment their current dog is. They seem to have forgotten a few basic principles about canines:
1. Dog #5 is a different dog that Dogs #1-4. Remember: Each breed has its own set of characteristics but every dog has its own temperament.
2. The owners themselves were different people back when they had Dogs #1-4. Maybe they were working full time, had young childen at home, lived in a house with a yard. Whatever the circumstances, their lives are not the same now as they were then, and they are different dog owners as a result.
3. It is unfair to any dog – just as it would be cruel to a child – to compare and find that dog (or child) lacking in contrast to a sibling.
4. If you find yourself and your dog in a cycle of bad behavior, break the cycle!
Sophie’s owner would sit on the couch and allow Sophie to jump up on her. The more Sophie scratched and nipped at her owner, the more her owner would try to hold her and pet her, talking to her in soft tones. In Sophie’s mind, she was being rewarded, even encouraged to keep jumping and nipping.
The first step in breaking this cycle is – you guessed it – get Sophie OFF the furniture!
This doesn’t have to be a permanent banishment. But think about what leads up to the jumping and nipping. If Sophie was not up on the furniture, she would not have the opportunity to do those unwanted behaviors.
Suppose your dog likes to mouth your hands, and his teeth are not puppy teeth anymore. Examine the cycle that leads to the mouthing. If you are playing roughly with the dog and he begins to mouth, don’t play roughly anymore. Trade rough play for a game of fetch, or hide and seek. If your dog always licks your hand before he mouths, don’t allow him to lick.
Whatever his breed or temperament, be clear about the behavior you want from him. Correct his mistakes and applaud him when he does the good stuff, and most of all, love HIM for the special and unique dog he is.
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