Reactivity, Genetics, Socialization [ & all that other good stuff :) ]
Spawned by what Brad said in another thread;
"Another point on reactive dogs that I wanted to point out - just for general knowledge for anyone that reads this (and Osy) - is that genetics plays a really big role in how a dog relates to their environment (including other dogs). In Blue's case, and maybe Sage's case, he was dog reactive as early as 8 weeks old! I mean, we got him into puppy class at that age and he was already aggressive toward strange dogs - that really young - only 2 weeks into his socialization window. Could something that damaging really of happened to him between 6-8 weeks to make him that aggressive?
When you take a dog out to be socialized, which is critical to do during that 6-16 week period, you need to consider their age. If they are in the socialization window (6-16 weeks of age) then it is critical that minimize negative experiences as much as possible. Any negative experience the dog has during that small window will stick with them from that point on...
This is where genetics plays an important role - if your dog is dog reactive out-of-the-box (genetic) then taking him to a puppy class and letting him socialize with other dogs will be a negative experiences for him - which is what you want to minimize during that socialization window. In a case like this, some believe that your dog will be better off avoiding those negative experiences until they are socially mature (because then the negative response is not reinforced or practiced)."
I thought this was extremely interesting
So let's go off of this...
Let's say one has a reactive pup who shows this at 8 weeks. From what I understand, some believe that holding off on socialization [ in a pup who is genetically predisposed to being reactive & shows so from a very young age ] until the pup is more mature.
In this manner, the pup was not shaped by any negative experiences during the "critical" imprinting for socialization between 8 -16 weeks. [ which for a dog who is genetically reactive, most "socialization" experiences will be negative ]
Now my question is...if the above theory holds true, what happens to a dog who is neither "reactive" nor "confident" at 8 weeks, if his socialization is postponed by waiting until he is more mature? [ like how you would postpone socialization for a genetically reactive pup ]
Also...at one point does it become an uphill battle? I think, if a dog is [ genetically ] reactive, wouldn't it be better to just manage the situation [ avoid other dogs ] rather than attempt to recondition the dog to being social? Is it even possible to take a genetically dog reactive dog & make him social-able?
To that last point...I kind of see a reactive dog being like myself. I don't like being in groups with people I don't know. So what do I do? I just don't go hanging around with groups of people I don't know. I'm happier this way...why does it need to change? I imagine it'd be similar for the dog reactive dog?
Some of us just don't like other people...so isn't it acceptable that some dogs just don't like other dogs?
[ of course you guys know I'm 100% for socializing, just asking...when do we accept that that's the way the dog is & move on? ] ~
"Another point on reactive dogs that I wanted to point out - just for general knowledge for anyone that reads this (and Osy) - is that genetics plays a really big role in how a dog relates to their environment (including other dogs). In Blue's case, and maybe Sage's case, he was dog reactive as early as 8 weeks old! I mean, we got him into puppy class at that age and he was already aggressive toward strange dogs - that really young - only 2 weeks into his socialization window. Could something that damaging really of happened to him between 6-8 weeks to make him that aggressive?
When you take a dog out to be socialized, which is critical to do during that 6-16 week period, you need to consider their age. If they are in the socialization window (6-16 weeks of age) then it is critical that minimize negative experiences as much as possible. Any negative experience the dog has during that small window will stick with them from that point on...
This is where genetics plays an important role - if your dog is dog reactive out-of-the-box (genetic) then taking him to a puppy class and letting him socialize with other dogs will be a negative experiences for him - which is what you want to minimize during that socialization window. In a case like this, some believe that your dog will be better off avoiding those negative experiences until they are socially mature (because then the negative response is not reinforced or practiced)."
I thought this was extremely interesting
So let's go off of this...
Let's say one has a reactive pup who shows this at 8 weeks. From what I understand, some believe that holding off on socialization [ in a pup who is genetically predisposed to being reactive & shows so from a very young age ] until the pup is more mature.
In this manner, the pup was not shaped by any negative experiences during the "critical" imprinting for socialization between 8 -16 weeks. [ which for a dog who is genetically reactive, most "socialization" experiences will be negative ]
Now my question is...if the above theory holds true, what happens to a dog who is neither "reactive" nor "confident" at 8 weeks, if his socialization is postponed by waiting until he is more mature? [ like how you would postpone socialization for a genetically reactive pup ]
Also...at one point does it become an uphill battle? I think, if a dog is [ genetically ] reactive, wouldn't it be better to just manage the situation [ avoid other dogs ] rather than attempt to recondition the dog to being social? Is it even possible to take a genetically dog reactive dog & make him social-able?
To that last point...I kind of see a reactive dog being like myself. I don't like being in groups with people I don't know. So what do I do? I just don't go hanging around with groups of people I don't know. I'm happier this way...why does it need to change? I imagine it'd be similar for the dog reactive dog?
Some of us just don't like other people...so isn't it acceptable that some dogs just don't like other dogs?
[ of course you guys know I'm 100% for socializing, just asking...when do we accept that that's the way the dog is & move on? ] ~
Comments
I do believe some dogs just don't like each other, or don't like certain breeds. I do think it's acceptable and I don't think you should force your dog to "work it out" or "get over it"
All in all, I think it depends on the owner of the dog. Does the owner care if their dog gets along with other dogs? Does the owner have the patience and time to work with the dog? Can the owner afford training for the dog? Some people just don't know enough about dog behavior or care to learn. Others can't afford training, some can't find a good trainer in their area. Whatever reason, if the owner doesn't address it, the dog will never learn.
If a first time dog owner got a pup who was showing aggression or reactive behavior at 8 weeks of age, It seems obvious that the dog will end up being aggressive. But if an experienced dog owner were to get the pup, the pup would have more of a chance to grow and learn to be sociable.
I was not comfortable with having a potentional "aggressive" dog. I spent A LOT of money on training. I found a trainer I trusted, I was extremely consistent, I read many dog behavior books, I talked to many dog people, learned more about dog body language and signs and was focused to do anything in my power to help my guy succeed.
I tried many different training methods. Avoiding other dogs became a hassle. Having to walk him at odd hours of the day, being nervous walking around each corner wondering if a dog is going to be there, etc. It becomes very stressful and depressing.
After consistent training and learning to read Ninja's signs and body language - he is happily able to be in a room with 50 dogs at once and be completely fine
(at daycare of course). Even able to nap. Some cases won't be as successful as Ninja - I'm not saying anyone who trains and is consistent with their reactive dog is going to have the same outcome. But I know it is possible for a reactive dog to be sociable.
I was pretty positive that while Ninja was around, I would never be able to add another dog to my household. But I just added my 3rd dog, and he is doing very well for being a very territorial dog. I have fostered dogs and always had to keep him seperated. But learning more of what type of dog personalities he is okay with, I was able to find the right dog with the right personality that Ninja would do the best with. The new dog has been with us for almost a week, and I just started off-leash intro's and he is doing great.
I guess it also depends on how much the owner wants their dog to be "sociable". Do they just want their dog to be able to be within 20, 10, 5 feet of another dog? Do they want their dog to be able to go to dog parks and doggie daycare? Do they want their dog to be able to be in dog sports? Do they just want to be able to walk by other dogs with no reaction? The owner should always be the leader and the dog the follower. If the owner isn't the leader, the dog is leading the owner and that's the owners own fault!
I think you brought up some excellent points. [ & it's great to hear how well Ninja's been doing! ]
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I'm excited to hear what everyone else's thoughts / experiences are too
I'm sure it must be the best feeling in the world to see him come so far
Personally, I am not one for puppy classes when it comes to socializing a puppy, especially for the "sensitive" pup, since there is little control in a room full of puppies. A "sensitive" pup having to deal with the rudeness common to puppy play would see no benefit from it, just discomfort. There seems to be this common misconception that a puppy needs to play in order to socialize, but physical contact is not always necessary, especially in the beginning. If you eliminate the pressures of play, the pressures of physical contact, you reduce the pups discomfort level and give an "easier" starting point to work with. This doesn't mean that one shouldn't socialize their puppy, just take to a different path in doing so and explore other options.
Instead of expecting the pup to learn all it needs to know from a pack of rude puppies, why not have it interact with calm, older dogs during that socialization window. And by interact I don't mean physical contact, but more just being with each other. Giving that puppy a dog that knows respect for another dog, that can actually "speak dog" is what the pups would benefit from. Going for a walk together or laying near each other while the humans chat, low key interactions that show the puppy that not all strange dogs will invade their personal space or be rude. And eventually, the puppy will build up its own group of friends, its own posse of pups that it will enjoy playing with. So don't go thinking that the pup would never ever get the play, play is just now an end result of being patient and understanding.
The pup may never play with every dog it meets, but does it really have to? Would it really be better to have a dog that has this insatiable need to play with every dog it meets (including the aggressive ones), or just have one that plays with its buddies and ignores the rest?
I am assuming that this type of positive 'watching' socialization would help a dog-reactive dog as well. Just take it slow and provide LOTS of treats when they are able to sit calmly while watching other dogs.
First,
In this manner, the pup was not shaped by any negative experiences during the "critical" imprinting for socialization between 8 -16 weeks. [ which for a dog who is genetically reactive, most "socialization" experiences will be negative ]
I would agree with Brad that this could leave a bad imprint on the dog's mind, however I would like to know how many people knew their dog was dog reactive at 8 weeks old. I would estimate that less than 10% of owners could determine this. So what a "normal" owner would do is go ahead and start the socialization to learn later at about 5-6 months old that the dog is reactive and that maybe he/she was stressed out during this early socialization. Unfortunately, an owner would have to deal with the effects later on.
Now my question is...if the above theory holds true, what happens to a dog who is neither "reactive" nor "confident" at 8 weeks, if his socialization is postponed by waiting until he is more mature? [ like how you would postpone socialization for a genetically reactive pup ]
There is a huge difference between a reactive dog and an unconfident one. Koda had some confidence issues that were present at around 4 months old. He did great in his early socialization classes, and is still very dog social. But his confidence really is just starting to come around now that he's becoming a man. I would enroll a dog in activities that they could gain confidence from. Koda gets his confidence from me, and always looks to me when he's unsure in a situation. For him, I chose activities that him and I could do together: agility, tracking, and ofcourse obedience. I want to say that everyone does what they think is the best for their dog. I'm not sure if in the end this was the best. He still looks to me for confidence, and maybe that's him or because we did so many things together. Maybe if I had pushed him out on his own more, he would be more confident. Maybe it's his age and he still needs to mature. I will never know. I still say to enroll in activities.
Also...at one point does it become an uphill battle? I think, if a dog is [ genetically ] reactive, wouldn't it be better to just manage the situation [ avoid other dogs ] rather than attempt to recondition the dog to being social? Is it even possible to take a genetically dog reactive dog & make him social-able?
Now I think this has a lot to do with breed specifics. A CC is different from a Kai. Kais are usually not dog aggressive. Maymay has had her issues with a Malinois puppy (who by the way the owner is not training him or teaching him manners so I don't allow my dogs to hang out with him anymore it's sets up for a disaster with Maymay) and with my friend's Boxer who did come into our home pretty obnoxious one day. I'm not excusing Maymay's actions. She wanted to kill my friend's Boxer Roxy. She was out for blood. But in general, I think that Kais can work these feelings out. I still socialize her in areas where she feels comfortable. Mainly this is off leash (Remember she was tied up for a year of her life. She likes being able to run free) and where there are no fence boundaries. Also, I keep her walking and moving while interacting with other dogs. I never stop, but will allow dogs to greet her and her greet them. If I think there's a dog that will come up in a rude way, I call Maymay to continue walking. She is extremely obedient with commands, no stubborness like Koda. I always set her up for success and not failure. I would never put her into a stressful situation, and have to really think about how she will handle things but I continue to socialize her. So far, we have had successful outings and no dog fights. I can't resocialize her. She is what she is, but I can teach her to tolerate other dogs and not be rude.
I guess what I am saying is that we can tell you what is good for our dogs, but it's too difficult to determine what is good in general. So many things apply: breed, gender, personality, age, etc. to answering your questions. And when it comes down to it, when an owner gets a dog reactive dog, they have to take the situation into context and figure out what is the best solution. For me, it's getting Maymay out there. For Brad, it's not doing off leash hikes with Blue.
I think I have said this before, but it's really easy for experienced owners to tell everyone what they did with their dogs and how great it's working out. Then when new owners get a dog who is reactive they freak out a bit, and wonder if it's something they did or can't figure out how to handle it. They can look at our success stories and feel overwhelmed and stressed out because what they are trying may not be working out as easy as ours. It may take months, years, self education, hiring a behaviorist, and it still may lead them to the solution of keeping their dogs away from other owners. I think I have said this in a thread before, but I have a neighbor with a dog aggressive Pit Bull. She tried everything to get him to settle down with other dogs, and it just wasn't going to happen. She now keeps him away from any opportunity to meet other dogs, and gets up at like 4am to walk him. She is amazing, and is such a great owner. I have always admired her. I passed by her last week walking her female who is very social. Maymay had kind've gone after her (on leash) when I first got her. But this time Maymay greeted properly and sat while we were talking. She almost started to cry because Maymay has come around so much and she couldn't do that with her dog. It made me feel terrible to see her guilt. She really did all she could, and he's just not wired to be around other dogs. She is doing the best job she can, and I'm sure he's happy with not being stressed and forced to be around other dogs.
***My point was that, if your dog is showing dog aggression at a very early age and you feel it is genetic, then you should continue to socialize your dogs with other things (cars, people, birds, places, colors, noises, smells...) and avoid trying to socialize him with dogs until he has passed his socialization window (roughly 16 weeks) - and I would go as far as suggesting you wait till social maturity. That way you avoid subjecting your dog to his/her trauma of meeting other dogs***
I was also not suggesting that a dog reactive dog is not capable of learning to be social, that is not the case IMHO. Maui is an example of this, he does great with new dogs now, he has learned to just ignore them and stay out of the way. My point was really just to drive home how important it is that you limit a dog's negative experiences during the socialization window.
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I agree that Ninja has come a really long way, he was a very reactive dog when we first met him, but I also think most of the "fixing" that was done with Ninja happened after his socialization window had closed. At that point the risk was much lower that his issue with other dogs wouldn't be "imprinted", and he had reached enough social maturity where he could manage / cope with the (social) stress of being around other dogs. IMHO, when a dog has reached, or is close to, social maturity they can handle certain levels of environmental stress w/o causing harm (imprinting), that is not the case (IMHO) during the critical 6-16 week period where their brain is still developing.
This is just my opinion, from experience, but there is a method to my madness... Take, for example, PPDs and their training, there is a reason why the PPD training professionals don't put any pressure on a dog until they are 1 - 2 years old, which is right around the time dogs hit social maturity. PPD trainers will work puppies as young as 6 weeks old, but its all in fun for the pup and simply conditions them to the sleeve and works their drives they don't pressure on them until they are mature enough to handle the pressure.
For a reactive dog, meeting other dogs is a high pressure event.
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good discussion!
for the record, Sage was born wary and susceptible to reactivity. I unknowingly overexposed him in adolescence tryingto socialize, and he suffered traumatic incidents with other dogs that are indelible for such a sensitive guy.I sought help for dog-reactivity for him at 8mos. andworked on it actively with trainers until last june. (he's 4) the environment change,and expectationchange has been fantastic for his generla happiness. he doesnt go socializing now and he isnot missing anything he would consider fun, heis only missing out on stuff he doesnt enjoy anyway.
i thinkBrad is right that an adult dog is less vulnerable imprintwise than a pup or adolescent. What HE said.
I also think that it is significant to figure out if the reactive episodes are being caused by a *conditioned* response(in which case "counter conditioning" is often a successful prescription, and all my reactive dog books spend lots of time explaining how dogs accidentally become conditioned to respond aggressively (leash tightening, owner freaking- infact this is theonly kindof reactivity Patricia McConnell addresses inher bookFeisty Fido) but counter conditioning doesnt work on pathological fears (anyone read "Because of Winn Dixie?") because they are deep.Dr Dodman himself shook his head when I described all the Counter conditioning work we had done, "No, he said, for these kind of fears it is too deep." and put it in context of human fears. His colleague is afraid of heights, and you cant offer her a chocolate - even though she loves chocolate- when shes driving on a bridgeso that she associates the height with the bridge and tolerates it better. She may even begin - with repetition - to detest those chocolates.
I do think it is kind to give a dog a break and if it is just the way he is,then give it a rest. I (for one) was blinded by crazy loyalty or idealism or something and took a "I'll never give up on you! We'll beat this!" attitude for a long time, but i think if Sage could talk, he'd have said "Oh no! she's never going to give up!" I think he was relieved when i quit beating everyones head against the wall and accepted this is the way his life is written from genetics onout. what I needed to think was not "I love you so much I will never give up" but "I love you so much I will understand and accept you.and we dont have to go thru these exposures anymore"
the pit bull people (PBRC, BadRap, Jessica) have the best information and perspective, I feel, on dog-reactivity. I find a lot of the literature by border collie/golden/JRT/terv trainer/behaviorist/authors is only part of the story.None of them are working with guarding breeds.
imagine 3 intersecting circles- Environment, (contains home, neighborhood, choices of outings, activities, exposures and community) Training (contains reactive dog training, NILIF, standard obedience and manners, and structure), Individual (contains maturity, relationship but also relaxation, health, diet and medication) Your goal with a reactive dog- and I dont mean a conditioned reactive dog, I mean an inherent sensitive reactive dog- is to do enough in each circle to put yourselves in the place where all 3 intersect for that individual dog and person. Training alone wont do it, I dont think, and no one is happy living in a depleted environment, and some stuff you just can't train till the student is ready (think addiction- noone can make someone change, they have to decide themselves and be ready)
Personally, I am not one for puppy classes when it comes to socializing a puppy, especially for the "sensitive" pup, since there is little control in a room full of puppies. A "sensitive" pup having to deal with the rudeness common to puppy play would see no benefit from it, just discomfort. There seems to be this common misconception that a puppy needs to play in order to socialize, but physical contact is not always necessary, especially in the beginning. If you eliminate the pressures of play, the pressures of physical contact, you reduce the pups discomfort level and give an "easier" starting point to work with. This doesn't mean that one shouldn't socialize their puppy, just take to a different path in doing so and explore other options.
Instead of expecting the pup to learn all it needs to know from a pack of rude puppies, why not have it interact with calm, older dogs during that socialization window. And by interact I don't mean physical contact, but more just being with each other. Giving that puppy a dog that knows respect for another dog, that can actually "speak dog" is what the pups would benefit from. Going for a walk together or laying near each other while the humans chat, low key interactions that show the puppy that not all strange dogs will invade their personal space or be rude. And eventually, the puppy will build up its own group of friends, its own posse of pups that it will enjoy playing with. So don't go thinking that the pup would never ever get the play, play is just now an end result of being patient and understanding.
I disagree with this statement. I don't think there is a "common misconception" about puppy play with other puppies.
I think its pretty much been proven that puppies need to play with other puppies in order to learn social skills and proper social manners. The more crazy the play session the better - because that is part of learning. Puppy socialization (with other puppies) also acts a "practice session" for the puppies to "practice" their instinctual motor patterns. Very few adult dogs would let a puppy act out their FAPs on them without correction - other puppies are less likely to correct them for it, and so they get more opportunity to "practice" those important survival skills.
Lets make sure, as we write our thoughts out here, that we clearly state if we are referring to a genetically reactive dog or if we are speaking generally. Beth's statement above is a dangerous thing for someone with a puppy that is not a genetically reactive dog to subscribe to.
Here is what the The Dunbars have to say about this topic: http://www.dogstardaily.com/radio/306-puppy-class-problems
(Listen to it all, or at least at @10:00)
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What I was more referring to was the fact that people expect a puppy to play so much that they ignore how the puppy feels and forces these interactions. Not all puppies will want to play in every situation, but when they cower their human will push the interaction wanting the pup to "man up" and play. This is what I was referring to with the misconception of play, the fact that the puppy has to play even if it doesn't want to.
Like Toby: I want to say he might be genetically reactive (though I honestly don't know) because he was already growling at other dogs and posturing a lot at 8 weeks. The day I brought him home, I took him over to see my friend who had a grown Rottie and he growled at her, and to my great surprise, she dropped down and rolled over, and after a little really ridiculous looking posturing (8 week Shiba standing over a full grown rottie) they played. That was his response to all other dogs if they got near him (within, say 5 feet): he'd growl til they backed off. (it may sound like play growling, and sometimes it was, but there were a lot of times he was clearly NOT playing either--he'd snarl and snap at other dogs). In his puppy class (he was about 10 weeks old) they wouldn't let him play with the other puppies because of his "dominance" though he played just fine with a pitbull puppy and with a big lab puppy (both who played a bit rough and weren't intimidated by him). I also was told I needed to control his "staring," which I still have no idea how to do, though I guess now I'd try to distract him.
So I wonder, was the puppy class harmful or just useless? I felt like it was the latter, because he never was allowed to socialize with the other dogs anyway. But I wonder if his reactivity was conditioned then to a degree: he growled, he was swept away from the other dogs (by me, by the trainer) so the thing he didn't like (the other dog) disappeared. Problem solved (in his mind).
I haven't worked on counterconditioning, but partially this is because he's manageable, for the most part. We can go for a walk just fine, and he'll ignore other dogs (unless they come into his "safety" zone, which is closer to him then 4-5 feet) and he will accept some dogs just fine (larger, docile dogs for the most part).
So I guess I wonder how you can tell if you have a genetically reactive dog?
I also feel that since I managed to raise Reilly to be a well adjusted member of society that as owner, I did not come into handling Sage with fears and anxieties to project on him, or the leash-tightening that causes a conditioned reactive dog. I expected him to be as comfortable as Reilly with other dogs. A conditioned reactive dog isone who learend that a display "works" (Sage's reactive displays never got him much space in the offleash dog field days- it is a desperate display, not a macho one.) Conditioned reactive dogs are operating in response to cues to make the dog go away. Emma Parsons describes this about Ben well in Click to Calm- that she tested hi by tightening the leash and sucking in breath when no dogs were around and he repsonded as if he had seena dog. She inadvertantly conditioned it, and he found it was power and worked to get dogsaway, and it made a cycle.
He doesn't get along with intact males, "furry" dogs with hair in their face and dogs with flat faces (pug, AB, FB) and breeds smaller than him - except papillons. Especially when he is leashed he acts aggressive.
And he mostly dislikes being touched outside or being touched when he is cornered, wearing a harness or eating. If people are annoying him in these situations he'd growl and finally snap with a loud bark to fear people off...
His problems with special breeds are definately due to lack of socialisation. Why he doesn't like to be touched outside I don't know, he was that way from the day he came to me at 9 1/2 weeks.
The rest is a combination of both, I guess. He is a very insecure dog and since he was my first puppy I wasn't experienced enough to see that and give him the protection he would have needed, so he protected himself. And many dogs, even very nice and good socialised ones, reacted aggressive towards him, when he was a pup, so one thing came to another and he ended up barking furiously when leashed at any dog he saw, when he was just six months old.
I switched my behaviour, to show him, that I'd protect him and it worked. No stranger dog is allowed to get to him, when he is leashed. That means that I often have to step between an unleashed dog and him and send or even chase the other dog away (which makes the dog owners in the neighbourhood think I'm a bad dog owner, because I don't let their nice and good socialised dogs go to him).
In the meantime the work payed off. Not only that he is not aggressive but curious when dogs go by, but he can also meet some stranger dogs on leash if they don't belong to the ones mentioned above.
I would really like to know what of his behaviour is due to his genes and what is due to his surroundings (me)...
What I learned for my next puppy is to not allow meetings on leash right from the start and that I will carefully introduce her to nice, well socialised adult dogs of as many breeds as possible. Plus I will only allow the meeting to happen so close, that I can interrupt at once, if anything goes wrong.
Eventually my new pup will have more self-confidence then Etsu. But since Shikokus and Shibas are not too different in their crazy way to meet other dogs, I fear that she might have similar problems with stranger dogs acting aggressive...
Sometimes it is not enough and I have to shout or even split with my body and push the other dog away. A few weeks ago a Jack Russel Terrier (unleashed next to a big street!) ran at Etsu and bit him directly in the neck. That was the only time I hurt a dog - I kicked him away so he could not injure my dog.
I'm not happy about having to keep dogs away, but since, as I wrote before, many dogs react aggressive towards Etsu when he is leashed (maybe it's the Shiba-stare?) and he is by far not the tallest and strongest one around here, this is necessary to prevent struggles...
there was just an article in the new WDJ about teaching your reactive dog a "run away" command, when you see another dog....you run away with the dog on the leash and reward them for coming with you and ignoring the other dog. It sounded kind of fun, but of course a loose dog might just chase you....
And a slight hijack, but I once had to kick a Boston Terrier that attacked me! I was walking my GSD and it rushed up to us and bit me on the foot. I did a kick, but not very hard--more like a push--and then my GSD grabbed the dog. He was going to kill it, but I stopped him and luckily his "leave it" command was quite good--he dropped the dog. He hated Bostons on sight ever after, though. (And even more annoying? The owners of said dog still let it run the neighborhood terrorizing people, or as much as such a little dog could terrorize).