27/07/2023
Dogs and pain - please read! (It's a long but important one!)
I've pulled a muscle in my lower back and have had to cancel my training sessions (I apologise to those I've had to do this last minute to), as when I'm walking, it is causing a sharp shooting pain in the area.
To see me, you wouldn't be able to see there is anything wrong unless you noticed the very slight wince in my face every now and then. I know I need to rest and am able to.
It is frustrating but I know why I am in pain and what to do about it, especially after having a session with a sports injury therapist yesterday late afternoon.
However, if someone tried to grab, touch, push or get physical with me, I would likely behave in a way that would be classed as self-defense, initially using words to ask them to move away and then, if they were not listened to, I may use physical force to create space from that person to avoid further pain.
All of us know what it is like to have a sore back, tooth ache, headache, stomach pains or any of the other common ailments we may get, but we don't walk around displaying that discomfort for the world to see. You may pass people in pain in the street every day and not know.
Why am I saying all this?
Because MANY of our dogs are carrying injuries like this, that go unnoticed for a long time or never get noticed at all, and this can cause their behaviour to regress quickly or worsen over time.
They may then show some behaviours that are out of character.
They will display easy to miss body language signs that say 'give me space' when they are approached (freezing, yawning, stillness, lip licking, cowering, avoidance, mouthing, frantic behaviour to move us away and more) and when these are ignored, they may escalate their behaviour to growling when approached by a person or another dog, whether in the house or on a walk.
When their lower levels of communication are ignored, they may then escalate to barking and lunging or worse, biting.
A dog does not have to be limping to be in pain. If your dog is displaying aggressive or sudden 'out of character' behaviour, you should always look at why they are doing this and get a VERY thorough vet check, which may include scans, blood tests, stool samples and other important tests. You should not look to punish or suppress this behaviour.
We have the gift of being able to understand why we feel a certain way and we can also communicate this clearly to those around us. We also have the option to avoid things such as hugs, physical exercise and more, but this doesn't stop us being grouchy about it at times, especially if it is something chronic and on-going.
Our dogs are often put in situations that mean they cannot avoid things, such as being out on a lead, being taken to busy places where strangers may try to touch them, or other dogs approaching them without them having the means to get away so they then begin to escalate their behaviour.
This is what makes outdated, punishment-based methods all the more cruel. You see many 'trainers' online, especially on social media platforms and often on TV (Cesar Milan for example) that are quick to try to punish a dog's unwanted behaviour to make it stop, but they never look at WHY the dog is behaving this way, which can very often be related to pain or another medical issue such as poor gut health causing a lot of discomfort.
Another terrible example being on the popular show 'Dogs Behaving Badly' when, during one episode, there is a clearly in-pain golden retriever refusing to get off the sofa. She is called a 'diva', 'stubborn' and a 'madam' and is then forced off the sofa and made to walk. This dog likely has arthritis, hip-dysplasia or something similar and getting off the sofa probably caused her pain. She is not being stubborn, nor a diva.
If your dog is showing any behaviour such as barking and lunging, snapping at people or dogs, growling when approached, refusing to walk, sudden onset of excessive barking, excessive mouthing, avoidance of touch or sudden change of behaviour, please speak to your vet and get the help of a professional.
Avoid anyone that mentions any nonsense about dominance, being a pack leader, that calls your dog stubborn or says you're being too soft.
In the past 2 months alone, a number of dogs I've asked to have a vet check due to their behaviour have come back with the following results: several dogs with blocked a**l glands, one with a cracked tooth, several diagnoses of hip-dysplasia and one had an easy to miss cut paw between their claws. Imagine punishing these dogs for their behaviour when they're suffering already.
None of these dogs were really limping or showing any obvious signs of pain except reactive behaviour on waks, one was growling at home when stroked and another suddenly started barking excessively at even the slightest noise.
If you are working with or get in contact with a trainer or behaviourist and they ask you to get a thorough vet check, not just a quick 2 minute once over, then please do so for the sake of your dog's well-being.
Our dogs don't have a voice until they have a loud one. We need to learn to be observant of their behaviour and take action when we spot things changing.
