23rd January

(continued from yesterday)

Once we got Poppy home we introduced her to our kitchen and the new bed and cushion which we had bought that morning. She laid down in it immediately without even being asked! In fact, Catherine and I couldn’t believe how calm and well behaved she was. We had to coax her out of her bed to join us in the living room, and whenever we ate she instinctively made herself scarce – it was like having a polite house guest on their best behaviour!

However all that changed whenever we went on a walk. She would pull on the lead so hard that she would choke herself, and any attempts to restrain her were met with even more force and determination (and even louder choking noises!) Whenever she saw another dog – regardless of how far away it was – she would snarl and growl like a rabid wolf. If we passed another dog she would lunge for it. We reasoned that she had been in kennels for so long that she was over excited by the walks and would settle down as she became more accustomed to them. But progress was painfully slow and taking Poppy for a walk became a chore as opposed to the pleasant walk in the woods that we had envisaged. The prospect of meeting another dog was unbearable, especially one off lead with an owner unprepared to recall it because (..and these are quite possibly the most frustrating and irritating words a rescued dog owner can hear…), "don't worry, he/she only wants to play!" Sometimes, my dry response "unfortunately mine doesn't and will probably bite" had the desired effect with the owner chasing after it to grab its collar or put it back on the lead. More often it would result in an argument. Sadly, as a young male with a snarling out of control staffy at the end of a lead I wasn’t really doing my bit for breaking down stereotypes or improving the image of the breed. There just never seemed to be the opportunity to say “She’s a rescue dog with a troubled past and we’re doing our best to rehabilitate her and would be very grateful if you could just hold onto your dog for a few seconds as walk past…?” I used to take Poppy out first thing in the morning (6am) and last thing at night (10pm) in the hope that we wouldn’t meet anybody. I dreaded walking her.

2 weeks after owning her, following a particularly nasty incident involving a small black Labrador, we realised that if we were going to keep Poppy we needed professional help. We now realise how fortunate we were in contacting Marina Timms and Chris Baker who run K9 Matters dog training. From the initial phone call between Catherine and Marina (which lasted well over an hour discussing our specific needs) we knew that we’d found the right people to help. We regularly attended obedience classes twice a week and practiced what we had been taught on her daily walks. At this point Poppy wore a muzzle. We didn’t like it, but we didn't want to take any chances and hoped that anybody coming towards us with a dog off lead would realise that our dog didn't want to play and bring theirs under control.

A few months later, Poppy had made significant progress and was now walking on the lead nicely and followed basic commands. She proved herself quick to learn and soon became a star pupil, although her attitude towards other dogs remained confrontational. But as we became more confident as we learnt how to deal with situations, Poppy learnt that she could trust us and we wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her. This was the key to eliminating her aggression towards other dogs (which was diagnosed as ‘Fear-aggression’). She needed to understand that as the ‘pack leaders’ it was our job to deal with any dog that came towards her, not hers.

It didn’t take long for the muzzle to come off. We’ve not needed it since. 3 and a half years later, Poppy has achieved her bronze and silver kennel club awards. She regularly attends ‘Working Trials’ and Agility classes which she clearly enjoys. It’s slightly surreal being told what a well behaved dog we have by other dog owners meeting us for the first time! But despite her progress, meeting dogs out on a walk can still be difficult. These days however it’s a momentary inconvenience as opposed to the traumatic event which used to spoil the whole walk! We have come to accept that this is just something we have to deal with; some baggage can never be left behind.

We’ve worked hard with Poppy but she has responded amazingly well to us and her training. We will always be grateful to Alison for being so patient with her and giving her so many chances. We also recognise that without the help and support of Marina and Chris we would not have the wonderful dog which we have today.

Below is some footage of Poppy on the agility course.

Mark, Catherine & Poppy