“I don’t understand” said Leo’s owner “The first two weeks were amazing. Leo never barked, was great on the leash, he had one accident in the house and that was it.”
“But now, its like he’s a different dog! He doesn’t listen to a word I say, won’t come when I call him. He barks at every little thing. He’s been peeing on the furniture, and I can barely walk him, he pulls so much.”
“I don’t know what to do. I’m thinking about returning him to the rescue group I got him from but my kids are already attached to him.” I could have p
redicted that this would happen.
It is such a common occurrence that it deserves a name of its own. Let’s call it The Shatya Syndrome.
Why Shatya?
Shatya was a Dachshund that I adopted from an animal shelter many, many years ago, before my dog training days. I hold myself personally responsible for ruining her.
When I brought her home, she was quiet and loving, housebroken, a dream on the leash. The first two weeks were heavenly.
And because my heart melted for the abuse and neglect that I imagined she had endured, I felt supremely sorry for her, as nearly everyone who adopts a shelter dog does, and so I carried her around in my arms, kept her on my lap constantly, fed her scraps from the table, let her sleep in my bed, and I mean between the sheets.
In truth, I knew nothing of her background but given how rotund she was and that she knew obedience commands, she was probably the well-cared for pet of an elderly person who could no longer look after her.
And what had been a sweet-natured, happy dog in a very short while became a veritable Cujo. She barked incessantly, did her business on every rug in the house, and completely warranted the sign I had to post on my door that said BEWARE OF DOG.
I had coddled and spoiled and transformed a perfectly nice dog into a mess of anxieties and fears. And with that came Shatya’s aggressive responses to anything she felt she couldn’t control.
Shatya is gone now. But now there is Leo – see above – and so many other dogs that have overly sympathetic owners who have inadvertently created doggie monsters.
Now, this doesn’t happen to EVERY dog. There are plenty of great rescue dogs out there that were treated like royalty and stayed just as lovable as the day he came home.
But I’ll bet everyone reading this has known, or owned, a dog with Shatya Syndrome.
So for a refresher on what NOT to do, read How To Ruin a Perfectly Good Dog.
And please, if you rescue a dog and want to avoid contracting The Shatya Syndrome:
DO NOT FEEL SORRY FOR YOUR ADOPTED DOG!
You have rescued your dog and presumably are giving it shelter, exercise, good food, water, toys, and companionship.
You have a life in addition to your dog.
Live your life and take care that your dog doesn’t think he is the center of it.
And by the way, that goes for purebred dogs, pet store dogs, mixed breed dogs, and well, any dog.
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