cradling therapy

Dear. Dr. Fox: I have two 1-year-old Pomeranians. Calvin has shown signs of being an alpha dog since we brought him home at eight weeks. He seems to know his place with the family (eight children live at home). The problem occurs when other children come over to play.

He tends to pick one and dominate the youngster. He actually bit one little girl twice. And there are certain people in the neighborhood whom he wants to go after.

He has also started wetting when he sees my husband. He will snuggle up to my husband at night, showing no signs that he fears him. My husband never had a dog and expects Calvin to understand more than he is capable of. He has chased the dog down angrily, punished him for running out the door, etc.

Is there a way to stop these behaviors? The dog's, I mean; I don't think I can do anything about my husband's. -- P.M., St. Louis

Dear P.M.: Husbands can be a problem. Many flunk basic obedience school. Your spouse should learn that getting frustrated and angry at the dog will cause fear and confusion.

Calvin could benefit from the cradling theory described on my website and in my book "Dog Body, Dog Mind." In this book you will also learn how to better communicate with Calvin and help him not to act aggressively toward visiting children. In the interim, keep him in another room or on a leash when children visit; and when on the leash, he must sit and stay. Above all, he needs to learn self-control -- what Ivan Pavlov called "internal inhibition."

[staradvertiser, 8/21/10]

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What is cradling therapy?

Simply cradling a puppy or kitten in one’s arms is part of the process of animal socialization that is as gentle as it is profound. Pups and kittens soon learn to accept being picked up and gently held in one’s arms without struggling, and enjoy the intimacy and security of close physical contact.

Submitting to and accepting such handling is integral to effective and proper socialization or bonding with the human care giver. It greatly facilitates subsequent training and communication. If and when the animal struggles while being cradled, the gentle embrace becomes firm resistance that immediately softens and yields as soon as the animal ceases to struggle, begins to relax, to accept cradling restraint, and starts to trust.

This gentle psycho-physical ‘judo’ can help in the behavior modification of adult,hyperactive, and poorly socialized companion animals, often with a history of being over- indulged and having no sense of boundaries. They have limited self-control that Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov called internal inhibition. Cradling conditions the animal to accept restraint, develop internal inhibition or self-restraint; and above all, helps the animal develop the kind of trust that is the keystone for a strong and sustaining human-animal bond.