Temperament Theory - Shadow Personalities

TYPE STORY: Hobo was a young, terrified Border Collie when I first heard of him. He acted like a Wary around new people and acted like a Shy in new environments. Coming into rescue brought the Wary and the Shy to extremes and on his first day in his new foster home, Hobo climbed a six foot chain link fence, pried the chicken wire off the top of the kennel run and took off. His foster dad was frantic. Luckily, he'd taken some photos of Hobo when he'd picked him up in Indiana, so he took the photos and made posters offering a reward for information and/or the return of this dog. Then he spent the next week distributing flyers all over town.

The foster dad received a few phone calls, all reporting sightings of a lone black and white dog traveling along an old, abandoned railroad track. (This is why we named him Hobo). A few weeks later, a woman slowly lured Hobo by leaving food and water near the railroad track and each day leaving the food and water closer to her garage. Eventually, Hobo entered her garage and he allowed her to put a leash on him. She called his foster dad and they met in the parking lot of the humane society. (The woman told the foster dad to make the reward check out to the humane society. She never gave us her name, but I'll always think of her as Hobo's guardian angel.)

The foster dad called me and said he didn't want the responsibility of keeping Hobo, so he was immediately dropping everything else and driving the five hours up to my house. Lucky me.

When they arrived, the foster dad told me not to take it personally, but that Hobo growled at every new person and depending on what he decided, the growling could go on for a long time. I told him to bring Hobo out on a leash and then we'd just sit and chat and ignore Hobo until he stopped growling. That's what we planned to do. What really happened was that as soon as the foster dad brought Hobo out of his van, Hobo leaped on me and pinned me to the side of the van. He wasn't being aggressive. He was actually clinging to me like I was a lifeline to a drowning man.

That was the beginning of my long and complicated relationship with an incredibly awesome Border Collie. While I was fostering Hobo, I neglected Moss. No one around my house would take responsibility for watching Hobo, so I ended up having to take him with me wherever I went. And since I didn't want any rivalry battles between him and Moss, Moss stayed home and bossed my husband and volunteers. I got closer to Hobo than I have to all but a few of my rescues.

Hobo turned out to be a Bold/Upbeat temperament. God only knows how much abuse and neglect it took to force this dog into acting like a Shy/Wary. What it took to get him being himself was setting up a lot of situations where he could succeed and backing off and letting him explore his own options without making demands and commands of him.

Hobo eventually chose a family in Cleveland to supervise. This also made me happy because I get to see him and be his pet-sitter when his family goes on vacations. He's still an escape artist (we call him Hobo Houdini sometimes), but now he escapes from rooms and crates to go towards people instead of running away from us.

THRILL: The thrill to a dog forced to live in his/her Shadow is being in an environment that is helping the dog find his/her true Self.

ANXIETY: A dog living in his/her Shadow is anxious about everything.

TRAINING RECOMMENDATIONS: BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS IN DOGS by William Campbell. Read and re-read Campbell's "Jolly Routine" until you know exactly what he means and how to do it. The "Jolly Routine" is a lifesaver to all dogs living in their Shadows. Also read Appendix IV, which is an explanation of the Peace & Quiet Routine. The Peace & Quiet Routine helps all re-homed (sold, adopted, inherited, and found) adult dogs, but it is vital in the care and true rehabilitation of the dog who's been shriveling inside a Shadow.

TRAINING EQUIPMENT: A crate and a quiet place. A small or fine pinch collar for the dog's own safety. A tab or a permanent six foot leash until the dog is more comfortable. A nylon buckle collar with your phone number prominently displayed!

ACKNOWLEDGMENT: When the dog makes his/her first hesitant moves towards his/her true Self, acknowledge the great leap of hope and trust the dog has shown you.

PROBLEM PREVENTIONS: Education about Border Collie Behaviors. Stricter laws about abuse and neglect. A more humane human species.

AGGRESSION: A dog forced into the Shadow can be the most dangerous dog to be around. He's not like a confident Bold, who is as precise as a neurosurgeon in the teaching marks s/he leaves on unmannerly people and animals. This dog's aggression is a learned behavior, based on forced responses and feelings. Back off, keep yourself safe in the meantime, and give the dog the space to figure out who s/he really is.

HUG: Hug therapy must wait until the dog is no longer in the Shadow. It is too dangerous to you and too uncomfortable for the dog to attempt this until the dog trusts both of you. Once he's started the process of rehabilitation, start hug therapy on the floor and take each step slow and patient. Back off
and start from scratch if you went too fast for the dog's comfort.

DRUG: Amitriptyline! This is an anti-anxiety drug and it is a miracle for abused, neglected, living in the Shadow Border Collies. The drug takes about two weeks for the full effect to kick in---just enough time for the Peace & Quiet Routine to be finished.

BORDER COLLIE BEHAVIORS: A TEMPERAMENT THEORY Shadow Personalities

by Val Maurer

BORDER COLLIE BEHAVIORS:
A TEMPERAMENT THEORY
Shadow Personalities