Jekyl & Hyde Puppy

I haven't, until now, posted anything about the challenges I am having with my purebred 9 month-old Catahoula puppy named Chinook. Suffice it to say that it has been very, very stressful and I can't my brain going 'round & 'round about it playing the same tape loop which sounds something like, "shit, what the hell is going on with him? Is it my fault? I hope I don't have to get rid of him. But, how could I possibly do that?? He is my wonderful, sweet puppy...except for when he's not. But, then, shit, what the hell is going on with him," etc., etc.

So, rather than trying to start from scratch to describe everything, I'm just going to go ahead and post a recent email that I sent to the assistant of "certified, applied animal behaviorist" Dr. Elizabeth Shull, whom we're driving out to see next week in Knoxville, TN.

Before you read this, I will tell you that things have gotten much better since Wednesday now that I am again taking him out off leash. We're doing what all of us love - hiking in the woods. Our new favorite place is called Bent Creek Experimental Forest. I'll tell you more about that sometime soon.

I also want to specifically mention the invaluable assistance of Christine Brown, owner of Travel-N-Blue Catahoulas in Hohenwald, TN (http://www.travel-n-bluecatahoulas.com/home.html). She has provided an incredible amount of support, crisis counseling, telephone advice and encouragement to me. In addition to her kennel, Christine is the Southeast regional coordinator for Catahoula Rescue, Inc. Her female, Copperhead, was the dam of my puppy, Chinook.

I also want to acknowledge my dear friend, Jennifer Schwarz, a very gifted psychic living on the Big Island in Hawaii. In speaking for Chinook, she reminded me that he is just a puppy who is doing his best in much-too-tight quarters and that both of us had intended to find a wide open space in the country. THANK YOU, Jennifer!

Here is the email:

Hi, Olivia-

I really appreciated your help today and your calm, friendly demeanor. That helps. I will get those forms completed and send them back ASAP.

I know I told you I was going to forward a prior email to you so Dr. Shull could read it. I request that she please read this PRIOR to our arrival next week. Well, unfortunately, we had another "incident" tonight that I will describe:

Today was a great day, or so I thought, for Chinook. This morning, we went to obedience class and he did great with sit, early/short time stays, recall exercises. We came home and he played in the yard with my other dog for about an hour. Then he slept - out like a light - for 5 hours! Then, I took him on a walk - about 2 miles. He was fabulous on the leash and very well behaved. I was so pleased. Then, he had dinner and he growled once, quietly & briefly, at my other dog who came towards him while he was eating. That has never happened before today. I reprimanded him. After dinner, he went out into the yard and did a lot of very annoying barking at dogs, people, etc. Just a few minutes ago, we were in my room - Kali (my female), Chinook, myself & my sister. The was petting Chinook & he was quite submissive, on his back for her. Then, he saw something outside out the window that he couldn't get to. He became quite excited, then frustrated with some growling and pacing for about 5 seconds. He started circling Kali and then EXPLODED, morphing into a wild animal. I took hold of him by the scruff of his neck, saying "NO." I jerked him and forced him down to the ground and straddled him. I didn't turn him over on his back b/c I was afraid he would bite me. He kept growling and strugging, his eyes looking wild and crazy. I managed to lead him into his crate and closed the door. Five minutes later, he was snoring and asleep.

I am willing to invest this time & money and give it a go. But, this is happening more and more frequently and I cannot deal with having an unpredictable dog.

I have had mixed breed "American mutt hounds" for 20 years and have learned a lot about dogs, their behavior, training, etc. However, back in August, I purchased a registered Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog as a 10 week old puppy. I bought him from Carol West of Chaos Kennels in WI. The dam is Travel n Blues Copperhead from TN and the sire is J Ann J's Talladega. I also have a 5 yr old blue heeler/Catahoula x Kali. I really need some help - hopefully before I have to simply surrender Chinook b/c he is too dangerous.

We started out attending a puppy kindergarten class prior to my cross-country move from Seattle to Western North Carolina. We spent a week in the car and arrived here in early January. Since then, I have noticed some very, very troubling behavioral issues with Chinook which make me extremely concerned and scared.

First a bit of history: The day I got Chinook, I picked him up at the airport where he had flown on Northwest airlines from Minneapolis. He was, of course, stressed and scared. I brought him home, gave him a little food and loving. After a few hours, I gave him a pressed rawhide bone to chew on. When my friend and dog oficionado came over, I went to take the bone from him and he growled and snapped. I was alarmed but assumed it was b/c he was stressed. I encouraged him and was firm and he dropped the bone. Over the next number of months, I practiced with getting him to give up his bones and he got pretty good at it. To this day, he will always sacrifice his bone to me, usually with just a little encouragement. Unless my other dog is around....

While we were still in Seattle, I used to give both dogs chew toys stuffed with treats to keep them busy. I also used to give them soup and marrow bones. They would each take their bones to a corner of the house or yard and work on them. At some point, they would switch. There was some playing and "stealing" but no fighting. While on the road, in hotels, I would do the same thing. A couple of times, things got pretty heated with Chinook but I assumed it was due to being cooped up in a crate most of the day. They didn't actually fight but the behavior would escalate and I would take away the bones.

Once we arrived here in Asheville, things got pretty bad. Chinook & Kali would get into fights over the stuffed chew toys and rawhide bones, even when they both got one. I mean full on fights, drawing blood. I would struggle to pull them apart and it got harder and harder. I resolved: no more chew toys; no more bones. Most of the time, it looked like Chinook started it but it was hard to tell. So, for the last 5 weeks, I have just avoided the situation by no bones or chew toys. It was very upsetting for me and for my niece & nephew & sister with whom I am living. Once, my sister had to help me pull them apart. I consulted some neighbors of my friends who "rehabilitate" shelter dogs. He told me that it was due to Chinook being young and testosterone filled (although he was neutered right after xmas) and the confusion of a larger pack. As I said, we've just avoided this situation for the last 5 weeks.

Then two times about two weeks ago, something else scary happened. Chinook saw a cat outside the window and started leaping & pawing at the glass, growling in a very scary fashion. When I tried to tell him "no" and redirect him, he turned his aggression and frustration at my other dog. The first time, I caught him just as he was about to attack her. In order to keep everyone safe, I put him in his crate. After about 10 minutes, he was calmer, that cat was gone and I let him out. The second time, he did attack and while trying to pull them away from each other, I found myself IN BETWEEN these two dogs. He snapped at me once, didn't even touch me with his mouth, but he's really starting to scare me. He's only 9 months old and already 65 lbs and quite strong.

Kali, my female, has always been very alpha and doesn't get on well with other alpha females although she's just rude with them, no actual biting. Normally, all her best buddies are males and she tends to play pretty rough. But, she had never drawn blood until one of the recent incidents with Chinook over the chew toy.

After all this happened, I consulted with James Ha - an animal behaviorist in Seattle and also Carol West (the breeder) and Christine Brown, breeder of the dam. They helped me put together a behavior protocol (attached) and, in the meantime, I have contacted behaviorist Elizabethe Shull in Knoxville. We don't yet have a date for a consult set up but, honestly, I'm not sure we'll make it that long.

Then, yesterday, three things happened. First, in the morning, Chinook stole a plastic rotissiere chicken container from the trash and ran outside. I went after him to retrieve it. He growled at me but easily gave it up when I traded him for a biscuit. It troubled me that he had growled at me but I didn't react. Later in the day, he was licking dishes in the dishwasher and as I said "no" and tried to lead him away, he growled again. I verbally corrected him and put him in his crate. Then last night, I was letting him out to pee one last time. Again he grabbed the chicken container (although I had 'triple-bagged' it) and ran to the back corner of the yard in the bushes. When I went out to get it, he had a wild, crazed look on his face and growled at me repeatedly, ferociously like a possessed wolf. I was scared to death and backed off. But, I knew that if I let him "win," I'd been showing that he was dominant over me. So, I went inside, put on my thick coat and pulled the sleeves down over my hands. I got a blanket, a flashlight and a leash and went back outside. Somehow, I managed to distract him with the blanket and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. He bucked wildly and tried to bite me (or, at least appeared to but he didn't chomp down hard) twice. I managed to get the leash on him and led him back into the house. We had not gone two steps past the threshhold when, literally, he reverted back to him normal puppy self, wagging his tale and looking a bit confused why I was so worked up (panting and shaking).

I am desperate to get some help!! I'm afraid I may need to get rid of Chinook. I have tried the whole "ignore the dog for several days" routine. He sleeps in his crate most of the night and I have been hand-feeding him the days I am home (otherwise, he's at the dog sitters with one other male dog - a red bone coon hound and Kali). Chinook eats fine next to Kali.

FYI, started an obedience class on Feb 18th and he is learning that type of thing. But these problematic behaviors are not the types of things that they handle. I feel that if I don't get help right away, I may have to surrender him to the pound as my breeder will not take him back. Christine Brown in TN WILL take him but she'd at a Catahoula show this weekend and is not home. I don't really want to give up on him but this is becoming WAY TOO scary for me. I'm just a normal person - not a macho trainer.

I look forward to hearing seeing you next week - if we can make it that long.

THANKS.

Sha'ari Garfinkel