A desperate call for help
By Jennifer Stoeckl, MAT - Dire Wolf Project CEO, Nov. 11, 2024
On Friday evening, I received a desperate, call-for-help text from a family who bought one of our puppies in December of last year.
There puppy is now 11 months old.
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“Hi! Wanted to reach out and ask for some advice regarding _______. We seem to have shifted from health issues straight into behavioral issues. We have worked with a private trainer throughout his puppyhood and before he became lame. Now that the Pano is done, we have been taking him to group obedience classes. His behavior has been noticeably worse since his energy has come back. He’s now 11 months old, full of testosterone, and much of his training has regressed. He listens maybe half the time, much more to me than to my husband, he pulls at the leash, he’s the worst student in class causing distractions for other dogs, people cross the street to avoid us when we’re walking him even though he’s on a prong collar. He jumps all over people which is a major problem because he’s huge. We keep putting him in increasingly more restrictive collars. Graduated from the gentle leader to the prong, adding something else in a day when we meet with our trainer again. He’s chewed the wall of our house while we were upstairs sleeping resulting in him losing crate free privileges during the night. That one was especially hard because he’d already chewed it 2 other times and we had repaired it. And then he did it again less than 72 hours after we repaired it. My husband told me he regrets getting him. The amount of money that we have poured into his health/recovery, damage fixing the house, and training is well over $15k at this point. I’ve burned through my savings and am living paycheck to paycheck. I never anticipated that the dog who was the number one pick in the litter for temperament, knowing he was supposed to be a therapy dog for a living, would have this magnitude of problems. It’s especially distressing for me because of the way it has affected my husband. He hates coming home and the constant maneuvering and shifting we have to do to accommodate the dog’s needs. He feels like the house doesn’t belong to him anymore. At this point ________’s not even acting like a decent companion dog. I’ve lost hope that I’ll be able to take him to work with me since his behavior is so bad. I love him so much and I don’t know what to do. Should we neuter him? I’m so worried about his health/development if we do. But the amount of damage he is doing to our property, pocketbook, and marriage is significant. Other than neutering him I’m not sure what else there is we can do. Just hope the training works at some point I guess. I really don’t want to put him in an e-collar. I feel like I’m failing. I’ve been training him for months and this is the result. He gets walks, private and class training sessions, mental puzzles, quiet time, playtime, naps, lap therapy etc. I’m terrified of what happens if we neuter him and his behavior doesn’t get better. And then he develops yet more health problems. Please help, any advice we are desperate for it.”
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Now, before I reveal my reply, it’s important to note that this puppy had entropion in his left eye before being delivered.
In entropion, the lower eyelid turns inward, causing the eyelashes and skin to rub against the eye’s surface. This can lead to irritation, pain, inflammation, and even damage to the cornea if left untreated. Entropion is often seen in certain breeds with loose or excess skin around the eyes, but it can also be caused by trauma, infection, or genetics. Treatment usually involves surgery to correct the eyelid position.
This is the first and only reported case of entropion that I know of in our breed.
This condition was revealed at the first vet visit prior to traveling to their new homes.
The family knew of this condition before accepting their puppy.
As an act of goodwill, I refunded them $1000 off the puppy’s price.
The family opted to perform the minor cosmetic surgery to correct the condition.
I heard nothing more from the family until September 2024.
After they had already spent thousands of dollars at the vet’s office…
Only to be told, “It could be his hip, knee, foot, toes, we just don’t know. But it’s likely because he’s growing so fast.”
When I heard about the symptoms, I knew instantly what it was… panosteitis, a fairly common condition in giant dog breeds that humans often call “growing pains”.
(Pano is when the bone marrow inside the bone cannot keep up with the bone’s growth, causing pain, which in turn causes limping.)
It goes away on its own without any medical intervention.
If they had reached out, I could have saved them thousands!
Now, in the second detailed text message above, I can hear their intense frustration.
Can you?
One of the most prickling sentences to me was, “I never anticipated that the dog who was the number one pick in the litter for temperament, knowing he was supposed to be a therapy dog for a living, would have this magnitude of problems.”
I don’t get riled up easily, but I have to say, this rubbed me the wrong way.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that they somehow blamed me for their 11-month old dog’s unruly behavior problems!
It took me a couple of days to gather my thoughts and reread the text for intention, and not succumb to my initial reaction.
But in the end, I know they need help and support, which is what we are all about here at the Dire Wolf Project.
It doesn’t matter how old your dog is or what your circumstances are, if you own a DireWolf Dog from the Dire Wolf Project, we are here to help.
But there is something I need each and every one of you to remember:
I can’t help you if you don’t communicate!
Furthermore, if you want my best effort, do not jump to conclusions that an issue must be genetic because it’s cost you a lot of money without any permanent fixes.
We are extremely generous at the Dire Wolf Project.
We often err on the side of genetics whenever a health issue comes around, many times listing reported health conditions that are likely not genetic just to be sure we don’t miss anything.
Assuming a dog’s bad behavior is genetic, however, is quite a different matter.
Nine months have passed from when that puppy left my care.
Literally, millions of decisions have been made that I have not been a part of.
And the outcome of all those decisions is completely out of my control.
When you receive your puppy, you hold in your arms great potential.
I have ensured through two standardized temperament tests and two months of constant observational data that what I describe in inherited temperament is exactly what you receive.
But I can NEVER guarantee any dog’s adult behavior.
There are simply too many external factors that shape a dog’s life.
Genetic health is guaranteed for life.
A certain type of behavior is not.
And could never be… no matter what breed from whatever breeder.
You are solely responsible for your dog’s upbringing.
And don’t forget… your dog’s behavior is 100% shaped by its environment.
Inherited temperament gives you potential.
You must take that potential and use it to help your puppy live it’s greatest life.
Because my response to the family in need is so lengthy, I have opted to place it on a landing page for further reading.
If you are interested in my advice to this dog’s behavioral concerns, click the link below:
https://mailchi.mp/direwolfproject/free-training-advice
It’s Movie Monday!
This week’s movie shares how to build a trusting relationship with your dog.
Here’s the link to view it:
Jennifer Stoeckl is the co-founder of the Dire Wolf Project, founder of the DireWolf Guardians American Dirus Dog Training Program, and owner/operator of DireWolf Dogs of Vallecito. She lives in the beautiful inland northwest among the Ponderosa pine forests with her pack of American Dirus dogs.