Wyatt, Border Terrier

He was a puppy, who was just a bad match for his first home. His first owner was not an inexperienced dog owner, and was not inexperienced with terriers. Unfortunately she had never had a dog like Wyatt. He is an extremely high energy dog. He was 6 months old and just out of control. He was a very disrespectful adolescent who had NO self control. Frequently biting his owner in play to make her move her feet and entertain him, and biting willfully, with intent, when she would try to restrain him or stop unwanted behavior. 

This was NOT puppy behavior which was going to get better with age. And at 5 months old, the severity of his behavior already needed to be taken very seriously.  His groomer was seeing the behavior the owner was dealing with on a daily basis and talked to his breeder to get help with the situation.

Of course being a responsible breeder she was very concerned about the puppy she produced, and the owner getting the pet she desired.  The breeder also knew excess energy was the root cause of most of the problems and the owners personality and lifestyle was not going to be compatible with this dogs' energy level and strong temperament. She knew he needed a job and an owner that could give him the structure he needed.

I try to explain it like this. Excess energy comes out the mouth... barking, biting, whining, chewing... and energy also comes out upwards... with jumping. Also, dogs do what works... for them. His behavior was definitely working for what he wanted. But not if he wanted to stay in a home. What he was doing is why MANY dogs wind up in shelters or on the street. And it was not caused by his previous owner.  Many people call Wyatt a "rescue" because I am not his first home. But he is not a rescue. He was not abused or neglected in any way. But his behavior was certainly inappropriate and the same behavior in a new home (IF he could qualify for one), getting progressively worse, until he was "un-adoptable". 

Maybe he was rescued from himself.

I feel that there is even a degree where the previous owner was rescued. From an unhappy life with a pet that she tried to take care of to the best of her ability, but could not provide what he needed. Because of this she would be doomed to potentially relinquish him or live with him as a family member who didn't trust or respect her, and was willing to hurt her.

Wyatt was re-homed by a very responsible breeder, and adopted by me. Not "rescued" as I define it.  So the breeder took him back to try to find him the right home, or keep him until she did.  I had been considering adding another dog to my family, preferably a smaller dog, and a terrier. I had met some Border Terriers I liked very much. Well, technically, Wyatt fit the bill. 

When he arrived, I heard him coming from down the street. Barking his head off in the back of the van. He also was lunging and pulling at the leash and acting aggressively to any dog or animal he could see or come in contact with, from the moment he stepped out of the car. 

Now, I know I have the skill to deal with these problems. But that doesn't mean that I wanted to take it on as my personal pet. Nor does it mean that I am going to fall in love with this creature. None of the traits I described are inherently embraceable. Its hard to fall in love with some of these things. And I think when you are looking to adopt a new family member, that is understandable. You want to fall in love. So I agreed to take him on for 2 weeks as a foster dog. And either I was going to see positive change, and fall in love with him, or the breeder would at the very least get back a dog who was on the road to improving his behavioral issues, so she could find him the right home.

Well needless to say, I fell in love. With a little tough love and some strict rules and boundaries and a selective reinforcement regimen, he was already on the right track and made very noticeable improvement within 48 hours! I got to see this little monster change from what appeared to be a dominant aggressive, hyper-active individual with no self-control, and reactive issues... change into what turned out to be a sweet, sensitive, submissive, intelligent little guy that just needed the right leadership, a job, some structure, and someone who could help show him how to practice some self control.  But... it is important for you to know it wasn't magic. This guy has an exercise plan. We make sure to make a point to drain his energy, REGULARLY, in a calm way. He is a puller! No, not on his leash (well not anymore). He has a job. We call it Dragging. He puts on his custom made harness, and he goes to work! So now instead of channeling his energy in a variety of undesirable ways, he does it by dragging a little weight, for 15-20 minutes, a few times per week. Find about more about using weight pulling for behavioral modification.

Today he is a sweet, friendly little man with (almost) NO evidence of his mis-spent youth.