A huge number of dogs these days have behavioural issues. For a high percentage, training for reactive dogs or medications don’t make any difference. So despite spending tons trying to resolve it using these avenues it can still be a great challenge to take them for a walk. Or even have visitors around to your house.
More and more you can end up living your life around it and as you dread meeting other dogs whilst out on a stroll. And plan your route and time of departure to minimise that possibility.
As an experienced animal healer I always end up with working on highly reactive dogs like this. And how I approach this kind of a case is to heal them from the inside out. Clearing the traumas, fears and whatever else is going on for them from the root issue.
And once we do that, then all the training you may have invested in can begin to work as they can now absorb it and respond from a calmer and more confident place.
To help you understand the power of this animal work, I want to share with you the story of one of my doggy clients, and how to socialize a reactive dog in a lasting & effective way.
Can a reactive dog be cured?
Frank was a 13 year old jack russell who had suffered with deep fear, reactivity and anger issues for his entire life. This meant it was hard to help him when he needed support.
As going to the vets was traumatic for everyone as he needed to be muzzled, so it was avoided as much as possible. But as he was in his senior years, his devoted family asked me to work on him.
To see if we could calm him, and build up his confidence so should he need to see a vet it would be that bit easier.
Aside from that, they also wanted him to have more joy. To not live on edge so much, even at home where he was so safe and deeply loved.
Because there really was two sides to Frank – he could be such a sweetie but at the same time, he could lash out and even bite. Due to his behavioural imbalances, life was centered and planned around his needs in the home.
So bringing in more flow and ease would actually help everyone. And if you have a reactive dog too, I know you get this!
His imbalances started to become apparent when he was about one year old.
At the time he was on a dry food diet but he started to go off it. He would also vomit up bile in the morning time. This shows me that his liver was starting to go off even as early as then.
The liver really doesn’t like dry food, it puts huge stress on this organ and the gall bladder. In Chinese Medicine when the liver is out of balance it in turn puts pressure on the stomach and spleen. Nothing is separate when we view imbalances holistically.
So it really is about identifying what the pattern is for the organs involved, the root cause and resolving it from there.
The liver is also the seat of anger. It houses stress and trauma too. So it would make sense that a dog like Frank would start to show liver issues, even this early on.
But it came to a bit of a head when they were trying to get him to eat something in the evenings so he wouldn’t vomit bile the following day. And they were hand feeding him small bits of chicken.
This is how loved Frank was from the get go!
They often had to wake him up to get him to eat the chicken. Soon this proved too much for Frank, and he had his first major outburst as a young dog.
It was triggered when his guardian came into the room with a bowl of food one evening, and Frank suspected it was for him and started to bite his guardian’s trousers.
This was a turning point for all the family.
When they realised they needed to be more acutely aware of his needs and challenges as a reactive dog, bless him.
And I just want to say, in my line of work, most families would surrender a dog like Frank at this point. Which in my experience just makes them worse and worse with each home change, as they inevitably start to get passed around as a hard to manage dog.
So he was lucky to be with this family who always put his needs first and foremost.
Back then he came more into balance when they started to feed him a fresh diet and gave him three smaller meals each day. However he was always a fussy eater, and remained so right up until I started working with him.
This, along with his behavioural tendencies, shows us that his liver was out of balance all that time.
What I feel was also going on with him was a disconnect between the heart and liver.
The soul of the liver in Chinese Medicine is the Hun, and the soul of the heart is the Shen. These two organs work together to break down the blood, but I could see from his blood results this was not happening.
Trauma can cause this disconnection. So when Frank experienced a frightening situation, his liver would contract and the Shen would then leave the body.
The resulting behaviour in those moments would be a reactive Frank, who couldn’t be consoled or calmed. When this happens it is like they leave their body.
In other words when the Shen is not rooted and held by the liver, it goes out of control and so does Frank.
Every Spring he would also develop skin issues.
His paws would get so itchy and sore, that he would go at them and break the skin. And if his guardian tried to distract and prevent him from doing so he would give warning snaps.
Each year, his skin would get worse and worse. Despite diet changes and the different supplements that his family tried with him.
And once again this brings us back to his liver. It can really drive itchy skin, particularly in Spring as this is the time of year that the liver is most active. As it detoxes the body from all the germs and whatever else the body picks up from the Winter months.
So any symptoms with liver imbalances at the root cause can show up at this time when the organ is at its most active.
How I helped Frank.
I started to work on him over the course of a nine month period. Sending bespoke botanicals that he self selected for himself each month.
I work remotely through the animals’ photos and with the use of a pendulum they show me what healing essential oils, hydrosols, herbs etc that they need. Which I then ship to wherever in the world the animal lives.
I also started him on Chinese Medicine food therapy meals, which he selected for himself and consequently lapped up, much to the surprise of his humans. As at one point he was lovingly known as Fussy Frank!
In my work I see fussy appetites as a digestive imbalance. And if the animal is refusing food, it is most likely because that food is antagonising the issue.
Especially if they’re on a poor diet of commercial pet foods. Including prescription diets which are not actually healing in any way, and do in fact usually make matters worse.
Over time Frank became calmer, and would even allow his Dog Mum to help him if he needed it. His energy levels increased and he started to go on longer walks.
He was sleeping better over night, and his skin started to calm down.
But the biggest surprise of all was that he became far more outgoing. And for the first time ever, they were able to take him to dog friendly places. He would pick the coffee shops he wanted to go into as they were on their daily walks.
His final year of life was literally the best one they all had together as a family.
And those vet visits?
I managed to get Frank into my friend’s holistic vet practice, Dr Emily McAteer based in Portmarknock, Dublin. She knew he was a reactive dog, so she took her time with him with great kindness and compassion.
He was never muzzled for visits, and she would use homeopathy to calm him down. She was also able to work on him remotely too, keeping his stress levels to a minimum.
And I often do that with my long term clients, help them find a holistic vet that can become a key role in their animal friends care team. Wherever they are in the world.
As working alongside holistic vets over the years, I have learned where I end they begin and vice versa. There is a beautiful symmetry between our fields, not to mention the multitude of trust worthy options it gives you as a pawrent should your fluffs ever need veterinary care.
Then eventually Frank’s health took an unfortunate turn in his senior years. He developed an acute condition that he was not able to move past despite everyone doing all they could for him.
And the wee man took on his angel wings.
He continues to be an inspiration for all of us who knew and loved Frank. His case was a complex one, that taught us you can actually teach an older dog new tricks.
You can actually turn things around at any stage of life, to help a challenged soul such as Frank find more peace, joy and happiness.
And his Dog Dad and Mum cherish that final year they had with Fantastic Frank, as we started to call him as he grew from strength to strength. Loving live, and building a local fan base on his daily walks.
Thank you Frank for coming into our lives, and showing us all what is possible. All that you taught us continues to help other dogs and their families.
As you shine down on us from the heavens now, we love you so.
And if you feel inspired to learn more about Frank’s case I invite you to watch his video below where we put him up in lights and he also shared his wisdom through the power of animal communication.
If you would like me to support you and your dog or cat or in any way I have spaces available on my six month programmes Happy Dog Happy You & Happy Cat Happy You.
You can check out those links to learn more and book a discovery call so you can tell me all about them.
Take care,
Lisa