No Cowardly Lions Here!

Caroline the Lion

We have been having an issue with Caroline being very aggressive towards strangers and displaying tell tale signs that she would bite a child - absolutely not acceptable.

Can't chalk her behavior up to bad raising, she was rescued at 5 weeks and has been with us every since. True, our neighbors in Greenville, SC had two children that would tease her and cause her to bark and eventually 'go - after' them. When I caught sight of this-  it nearly blew the top of my head off, I had words with the kids and their parents - maybe not the best solution to the situation... still myself a 'work in progress'. It only made the children very sneaky in their meanness. The children liked our other two dogs but something went down that I'm not aware of and Caroline did not trust or like them.

Caroline is a brat, I know it, she is spoiled rotten and gets to go places and do things the other animals don't. All the animals in the house know that, including her. I don't know to what degree they understand us or each other, some of the crew seem to be fine with my judgement and don't balk a bit, some have serious issues with the 'C' dog getting to do so much.

They will just have to get over it, Caroline is a Service Dog in Training and has to be exposed to all kinds of stimuli - Especially - since she has already shown fear-aggression responses. My theory when addressing this type of situation is to go All Out crazy. I've done some really, really crazy things in order to correct a behavior issue in an animal. (saving those for the book) lol

For Caroline, I had noticed what I thought at first was true aggression - no fear, but I was wrong and it has everything to do with fear. She doesn't know, she doesn't understand, she gets scared and you just can't read that 'poker' face.

'Poker' face is not just the physical area of the face, it actually means the whole stance of the animal. Their tail, their leg placement, how are they carrying their head, their nose - what do they have their eyes focused on... it is the whole package. Caroline just doesn't read like known breeds do, which is why I still do believe in breeding by professionals who will actually contribute to the breed standards and NOT just make money. There is something (a lot), to be said about knowing what to expect when tailoring a working relationship between human and animal. Caroline is part Shepherd, that I have no doubt - but there is at least one other breed in her genetic makeup and I don't know what that is. Given the area she was rescued I would say most likely her other breed is Pit, but I'm not 100% convinced and if I had the extra funds I sure would have her tested - I believe it would be easier for me to determine her best training regimen by knowing her ancestry.

My *strongest experience is with GSDs, Dobies, Rottweilers, and most recently JRTs and Bulldog\Boxers. There is something completely different in Caroline than any of those breeds and the Bulldog\Boxer mix has very 'Pit' attitude because if you look back into they're heritage(s) they are one and the same. (The Bullenbeisser, an extinct breed was the originator to the Pit and the Boxer Wikipedia information).

No, we have something completely different and new to me, my hypothesis is:
1).  Akita
2).  Shar Pei 
3).  Husky
4).  very slim chance of being some type of hound.

To say "Terrier" is too wide based and she does possess a terrier type attitude.

Whatever her heritage I have to 'get on' with her training and ensure she doesn't bite a child (#1 priority), or any other creature. She has to be a model citizen for her up coming job, she has to be a shining example for All Service Dogs because I say so. She will be accompanying me everywhere I go one day, she will be put into situations that could be very dangerous for herself and others - she will have to think - she will have to respond - she must be correct in her actions - That is MY job!

So I'm taking a cue from Hollywood and The Wizard of Oz, Caroline was gifted a 'mane' that fits her to a T from a very theatrical presences and I just went with the whole 

'Cowardly Lion Gets Her Courage On'!

She loves to do these 'role playing' themes we engage in and for this instance it seems to be working. The girls from next door were out and about the yard yesterday while I had the girls out for some play time. Caroline's whole posture when she seen the girls changed (from previous encounters), - she had her ears up and her tail relaxed (not tucked or pointed down or up). Even her shoulders didn't tense up - so I call that a win and she continues to wear her 'mane' so long as she is with me. (In the other room Paca was trying to eat her 'mane').

*strongest - as 'raised in home'.

Couldn't of made a better match to her coat.

she gets a little nervous - stage fright - we are working on that too

Such a noble beast.

Setting her gaze across the savannah...

Family

See that crease down the forehead - I look for that in a dog - I call it a working brain.

nope not submission - exhaustion - so hard being a model.

That's my happy friend, Caroline the Lion!

When told to stay in our yard after her first real good experience with the children next door - didn't capture that digitally - oh well - had to supervise the situation - more important!

Yawning is a sign of uncomfortable situations for a dog. When I see this I change the energy around. This is usually where I get silly.

See the difference a stupid face and funny sound can do...