Aggression toward a moving man

First in a series

Evie was a 5 year old cattle dog when we met. Now she’s 7 but she’s still a cattle dog. Vicky and Richard adopted her from a foster home when she was 2. Now they needed help. Evie was barking, chasing, and sometimes snapping at Richard when he moved. He’s a good guy. He deserved better.

There was more unhappy history. Vicky worked from home and reported Evie being relatively calm – until 3 PM. Like clockwork this dog sat near the door, anxiously anticipating Richard’s arrival. The intense barking and jumping that greeted him daily had been rehearsed many hundreds of times. After about 15 minutes the histrionics subsided. Evie then ran to her bed in Vicky’s home office. Richard could finally approach and safely pet this somewhat less wigged-out dog.

Even when the big guy was away, Evie wasn’t truly normal, moving about the house quickly and furtively as though chupacabra lurked around each doorway. When Richard was home, Evie seldom rested and rarely slept, reacting to the slightest noise or movement. When Vicky and Richard watched TV on the couch Evie always sat between them. On off-leash hikes she circled them, often looking back at Richard (spawn of the devil). He wasn’t happy; Evie’s wellbeing suffered even more.

Their lives weren’t a complete wasteland. Like many of us, of a certain age, Richard had a rather wonky back. When he laid on the living room floor to stretch and relax Evie was transformed, suddenly smitten with her dog daddy. If he’d been a ferret, always horizontal, there might never have been a problem. Evie lived on the horns of a dilemma: Was the man in her life fun or scary? Maybe he was both.

Why was Evie so frightened of Richard while trusting of Vicky?

a)       She’d been abused by a man in her previous home.

b)       Despite his mild-mannered demeanor, Richard actually was the devil.

c)       His typical male mannerisms were a fear trigger.

d)       Evie was repulsed by Richard’s cologne.

Next week: Would Evie ever invite Richard to the father-daughter high school dance?

For help with behavior problems, you can sign-up for a Zoom Group Conference on my website, drjeffnichol.com.

Dr. Jeff Nichol is a residency-trained veterinary behaviorist. He provides consultations in-person and in groups by Zoom (drjeffnichol.com). Each week he shares a blog and a video to help bring out the best in pets and their people. Sign up at no charge at drjeffnichol.com. Post pet questions through my website, drjeffnichol.com/contact/ or by US Post to 4000 Montgomery Blvd. NE, Albuq, NM 87109.