Rehab for Freddie the Ferrari

Freddie is a Fox Red Working Cocker. He’s one of the Ferrari’s of the dog world, born and bred to work. Unfortunately, his owner Janet, is a Morris Minor driver. She chose Freddie with the best of intentions. She had previously owned a Show Cocker that had been unruly. After doing her research, she chose a Working Cocker as a more trainable dog.

I’ve seen Janet and Freddie since he was a puppy. He’s always been too fast for her but over the months, I’ve used gundog training so that he is mentally and physically stimulated, establishing a more contented dog for Janet. However, with inconsistent training at home, Freddie has been showing signs of dominant aggression, snapping, growling and barking. Six weeks ago I recommended that Freddie came to me for residential training to stop this behaviour but Janet decided against this.

It often takes a specific incident for clients to realise that they need to make firm decisions about their dog. A few weeks after my offer, Freddie bit Janet and she called me and asked me to rehome him. I always assess the dog before passing it on to new owners when aggression is involved. I knew Freddie’s pedigree and that with the right stimulation, he could be a great dog. It would have been easy to find him a new home but I thought the right thing to do was to rehabilitate him so that he could return to Janet. She agreed with this course of action and paid for him to stay with me until he was ready to return to the family.

A few weeks later and the job is done. Freddie is a different dog, happy and obedient. The challenge now is for Janet and her family to remain consistent with him. His Ferrari engine will always be waiting to take over. They have to harness that energy in a positive way. If the owner is still anxious about the past, if she shows any weakness, Freddie will dominate.

You have to work with the dog you have. Research before you buy and once you have the dog, be positive in your training. You will be amazed what you can achieve when you stay in control.

Posted: September 4, 2018