Dillon is a nervous wreck, scared of people, plastic bags, open spaces, closed spaces, squeaky toys, the list goes on. Tristan wants a dog he thinks could reflect his personality, sociable, fun and bubbly but Dillon just shivers and cowers in company. “I just want him to walk proud” Tristan tells Marc at the Pet Shame Clinic as Marc examines Dillon to ensure there are no underlying health issues at the root of the problem. Given the all clear from his health check, Dillon is diagnosed by Marc as having not been socialised during the ‘golden’ period in puppyhood.
Marc recommends that Tristan and Dillon see a specialist animal behaviourist and invest some time and energy in getting the problem fixed. Behaviourist Dr Roger Mugford visits them both at home and comes to the conclusion that Dillon is a master of trickery and is faking it in order to get more attention from Tristan. Optimistic for a positive outcome Dr Mugford prescribes a front control harness for Tristan to use so that he can control Dillon more confidently. Armed with this new tool Tristan takes Dillon to the park, and starts to build Dillon’s confidence with strangers.
PDSA Senior Vet, Sean Wensley, says: “Many behaviour problems arise because pets aren’t socialised when they are very young. Socialisation means letting puppies, kittens and other young animals experience every day sights and sounds, as well as meeting a range of different people, when they are less than 10-weeks-old.” Find out more about this crucial aspect of puppy care at www.pdsa.org.uk/dogbehaviour
