Hi, I’m Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my five funny dogs, Poppy, Bailey, Kodah, Ned, and Fred.
When we adopted Kodah at 11 weeks old, we were expecting a German Shepherd. That meant that we were expecting a loyal, intelligent, loving dog, who would occasionally scream the house down and keep a watchful eye on the neighbors, delivery drivers, and windblown leaves.
What we didn’t expect was that he would turn out to be more than just a little bit Malinois. We later found out that the people he came from also bred working Belgian Malinois dogs, and we have to assume that there had been an opportunistic male leaping fences at some stage. And leaping is definitely something these athletic dogs are built for.
So, in addition to meeting our German Shepherd expectations, Kodah was a tightly wound ball of energy in constant need of stimulation, and raising him has been a massive learning curve.
More Than We Could Chew
The first six months with Kodah were a dream. As expected, he was a quick learner, easy to please, and I don’t remember him toileting in the house even once (unlike two Chihuahuas I know, who shall remain nameless). Then, when he was around 9 months old, dreaded adolescence struck, and Kodah went from being a dog we could take anywhere to one who was overstimulated by everything and screamed at everyone. The screaming was enthusiasm, but try telling that to other dog owners! Kodah’s excitement levels were so intense that nothing we did or said seemed to get through to him, and it got to the point that we started to dread taking him anywhere. Fortunately, there is a dog field nearby that we could hire for an hour to let him and the others have off-leash adventures without disturbing anyone else.
Kodah wasn’t aggressive; he was aggressively friendly, and didn’t seem to understand why other dogs weren’t overjoyed by his loud and boisterous advances. Having been raised around Chihuahuas, he could be amazingly gentle when he needed to be, but he just wasn’t great at introductions; he wanted to launch straight into playtime.
By the time he was 18 months old, we decided that castration might help him feel less distracted by hormones and allow him to focus a little better on his training.
It did not.
As a vet who had helped countless dog owners through their dogs’ behavioral issues, I can’t tell you how frustrating and soul-destroying it was to feel like I was failing my own dog, and I wondered, more than just a few times, if perhaps we weren’t the right home for him. Not that I would rehome him or take him to a shelter, but I did consider exploring police or military work for him.
A Little Help From Our Friends
After doing a lot of reading and research, I started to explore different diets and supplements to see if I could find the right balance for a dog of Kodah’s temperament. Frustratingly, I found that he would likely benefit from the type of protein found in chicken and eggs, and he had developed an allergy to both! I finally found an insect protein diet that has been great for his skin allergies, which also seemed to help bring about a bit more ‘calm.’ I can’t be sure whether it was the nutrient balance in the food or the alleviation of his itching that helped him feel more settled, but either way, I was happy with the results.
The addition of a calming supplement that provided the L-Tryptophan levels that a poultry diet may have provided has also helped, and it is noticeable if he misses out on a few doses (ie. when Husband is in charge of feeding!).
Despite the improvements, we still couldn’t get out the door without a ridiculous level of jumping, screaming, and barking. Ordinarily, I would advise owners to ignore the behavior and wait for the dog to settle before taking the next step. However, after 10 minutes straight, Kodah was out of breath, but still jumping and screaming. The problem was that I could not reward calm behavior if he could not display it, and nothing I did or said would get through to him.
Although I knew better, I had yelled, screamed, and even cried in my frustration, but nothing would penetrate his excitement. It was time to swallow my pride and get some help.
After much searching, I found a dog trainer with loads of experience, great reviews, and an approach to dog behavior that seemed both practical and sensible. Enter Gary from Dog Behaviour Cornwall.
A Different Approach
Kodah warmed to Gary immediately, and the feeling genuinely seemed mutual. Gary agreed that the things I had been doing to date should usually have been successful…if it weren’t for Kodah’s Malinois temperament.
You see, when dogs like Kodah are used for police or military work, much of their training relies on their hyperexcitable nature rather than trying to fight against it, which is what I had been trying to do. Rather than waiting for Kodah to calm down, I needed to meet him at his level before I could bring his focus back to me, and we did that using his favorite squeaky ball.
To me, that seemed like I was rewarding his crazy behavior, but it was clear within a few minutes of employing this technique that it was the perfect way to reach my overstimulated dog. The squeaky ball broke through his excitement, allowing me to give him the ‘sit’ command and reward his calm response. It was a total game-changer.
We have also changed how he dresses to go out. Kodah had learned to associate his Halti head collar and tactical harness with going out, which resulted in his excitement level being 10/10 before we even got to the front door. He is sporting a new Halti harness that he has not yet worn outside. I put it on him at various times of the day and night (saying “put your bra on” – I’ve gotta get my kicks where I can!), after which nothing happens. So for now, his ‘bra’ is not linked to anything exciting, not even a treat. It is just something he wears sometimes, making it a completely neutral piece of kit.
We still have a lot of work to do, but we are getting there, gradually.
Is Kodah Depressed?
Over the past few months, I started to become concerned that Kodah was depressed. Had I broken his spirit? He was spending more time sleeping on the sofa or taking himself off to his crate to chill out with a toy. He wasn’t leaping up to follow me every time I moved (just 99% of the time). And then I noticed something else – he had started dreaming.
When Kodah slept in the past, I had never witnessed any ear twitching, teeth chattering, paw waving, or vocalizing that I saw with the others, and he would go from sleeping to standing in 0.5 seconds flat. He wasn’t depressed – he was relaxed!
Kodah turned 3 in August, which, for a German Shepherd x Malinois, is around the age that males do start to settle down. Females tend to mature much earlier…obviously.
I hadn’t broken our dog. After seeking help, using a different approach to training, and reaching maturity, we finally cracked the Kodah code. I am hoping that we will soon be able to take him to the beach without fear of embarrassment!
This article is a part of Dr. Karyn’s series with her five dogs.
