Jay Walking from Dog Dilemmas
In many ways Apache was a pretty typical Irish Setter. Big, red, loveable and a few points shy of life membership in MENSA.
Apache was a dog with two overriding passions: birds and a small dumbbell with feathers, his favorite toy. Apache spent the better part of his day pointing through the sliding glass door or pointing and flushing his feathered friends in the back yard (where the Tubermans had installed a birdbath and two birdhouses) or mouthing his dumbbell. Apache never caught a bird, but the fun was in the pursuit and each morning he would bound out the door in quest of the impossible dream.
The Tubermans did not have a particular problem with his bird chasing. True, the birds were being harassed, but no harm was done and the birds still managed to negotiate getting their food and bath. Apache was resolute but not effective in his bird hunting.
Then a rather unusual change, which prompted each request for my advice. Apache suddenly lost all interest in the great outdoors. Instead of springing out of the house each morning, he began slithering along the side of the porch, constantly looking up, then sneaking back inside the house. In fact, things got even worse. The Tubermans had trouble getting Apache outside at all, finally having to take him on the lead in the front of the house. Apache ventured into the back yard at night, but he remained uneasy. Inside the house, Apache still did a fair amount of pointing, even though his interest had waned. He was going through the motions, but his heart wasn’t in it.
The Tubermans were perplexed. Was he sick? That was a fair question. Most of my cases are referred from the family veterinarian, who identifies purely medical issues or medical issues that might impact behavior. Nevertheless, I still always ask a few basic questions to get a bigger picture of the animal’s history.
“How is Apache’s appetite?”
“Fine, Dr. Sampson.”
“Any problems with elimination?”
“He seems fine to us in every way. Just that little skin problem…”
“Well, that would probably not have anything to do with…”
“…on top of his head.”
“What do you mean, on top of his head?”
“Well, the rash is just on top of his head. Looks like little pimples.”
I’m not sure if the light bulb went off on top of my head or the Tubermans’ first, but it was clear that “top of the head,” was the operative phrase here.
“You don’t think, Dr Sampson, that…”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I think.”
Poor Apache. It was starting to look like he had a role in the remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.
For the next several days, I had the Tubermans watch their back yard through the living room window. Apache was still very hesitant about venturing out there, so it was impossible to confirm anything, but there was one piece of overwhelming circumstantial evidence: a large blue jay seemed to be pretty much in control of the back yard bird sanctum. He chased away other birds, even terrorized the squirrels. It was pretty clear, we had our culprit. At least we had a heads-up on the problem.
The issue here was to create an environment where bird and dog could live together. The blue jay was threatened by Apache and Apache was now afraid of the blue jay. This was not the beginning of a lasting friendship. I had the Tubermans move the birdfeeder and bath to the side of the house and outside the fence so that Apache could go outside without threatening his nemesis. Apache could still see the birds from the house, outside the fence, so that ultimately Apache could go outside with threatenng his nemesis haven.
We slowly desensitized Apache to the outside area. I had the Tubermans begin early evening or early morning, walking him through the yard during the darker hours, but each day exposing him to more and more light. His walks were always accompanied by treats and obedience commands. As we have discussed, these commands embolden the dog by giving him a sense of what is expected of him and thus a feeling of security.
The back yard was becoming a safer place. Apache was now fed out in the back, given his beloved dumbbell, and praised for all his outdoor activities. The blue jay was happy, also. His gripe with Apache was never personal; it was all about territory and both bird and dog were happy with the new arrangement.
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