One of the most interesting things about working with pets in homes and wildlife in the field is that every day is a different day. I frequently have to humbly scratch my head and say: “gee, I dunno, I’ve never run into that before …”
I saw a six-month-old Golden Doodle for idiopathic aggression a few years ago. I sat with him for over two hours and watched while he savaged a hall way wall and took a nap to awaken suddenly savaging his own front legs.
It was the only time that I told a client that this was out of my league and sent them to the vet school at Missouri University, in Coumbia. It turns out the dog was missing his entire pre-frontal cortex. He had to be euthanized. His owners were actually his breeders; respectfully they neutered all their breeding stock and got out of hobby breeding.
Usually I am able to solve my cases. In this situation, however, there was nothing behaviorally that could have been done, but it was an interesting, if not sad, case to be involved in. It certainly made feline house soiling cases more mundane for the next few days.
More later!
Dorene
TARA Training and Behavior, Teaching Animals with Respect and Affection