Veterinarian News
Meet Roxy!
Pet of the Month
Roxy came into our extended hospital family in April of 2010 when she was 11 months old. She was offered up for adoption due to behavior issues. She was headstrong, destructive, stubborn, and aggressive at times. A trainer had even said she was "impossible" and "untrainable".
First, she tried training. They went to our friends at Training Tracks and got some pointers. Positive reinforcement and consistency seemed to be the key, but Roxy still wanted things her way and would lash out if she wasn't happy.
Adding fuel to the fire, the dog seemed prone to skin problems. An itchy dog is a grumpy dog. But even when those issues were resolved, she was still causing trouble. Felix was starting to get discouraged.
One night, Roxy jumped up and grabbed Felix's collar and pulled her to the ground. While it was probably play behavior, it's still scary to have a 90 pound dog drag you down. Combined with a few instances of Roxy biting other people in the household, that was the last straw. This behavior had to stop.
Felix felt awful. She's great with animals, why couldn't she control this dog? She and the doctors decided to try a anti-anxiety medication in conjunction with a special collar.
Strict training and medicine and a control collar combined worked! Roxy started to understand her boundaries. The "untrainable" dog was learning the rules and following commands. Just when they were about to give up, Roxy showed them that she really could be a good dog.
Today, Roxy is a happy member of the family. She still has moments when she tests the limits, but now it's more like sneaking cat food or chasing the chickens in the back yard.
