Bartie the Indian Pariah

We brought back Bartie from Mumbai where we adopted him over a year ago whilst living and working there. He is an Indian Pariah (or Indian National Dog/Street dog). Quite frankly, Mumbai is no place to keep a dog - there is no where to walk or socialise dogs and we had to keep him indoors most of the time. Then, four months ago when we returned to the UK, we had to put him quarantine for four months as a result of an error our Indian vet made with his export paperwork.

Bartie got through quarantine just fine, and when he came out three weeks ago he seemed to be back to his charming old self. But within a few days, he started showing signs of overt dominance both inside the house with us and outside in the park. For example, barking at us for no apparent reason and trying to sit on us, pressing his toys into our faces and running riot in the the house. On walks he would pull on the lead and not listen to a single command. In the park, having never seen grass or such big open spaces before, he would muscle up to other dogs in an aggressive manner - not really knowing how to approach them and then rearing up on his hind legs to make himself bigger than them. It was becoming embarrassing to approach other people and their dogs and walks in the country were just not the pleasant experience that we hoped for.

Thanks to a chance meeting with Sally in the park after Bartie came off his lead and ran off - and she helped us get him back - we arranged to have Sally over for some obedience training. That was one week ago and I can't believe that Bartie is the same dog!

What Sally teaches - without the aid of treats or toys - is that you go back to the primitive instincts of a dog and that YOU should take charge and become the pack leader. Only this way will the dog show you true respect and be put in a position where he will take commands and learn from you. By just using body language, a few select words and a calm voice, we have now managed to master our own dog so that he knows his place in the 'pack' Sally has trained us to walk Bartie so that he stays right by our left leg and doesn't pull or hang back unless we let him. As a result of all of this, Bartie is far less 'alpha male' so doesn't try to 'mug' other dogs in the park. Occasionally he pulls ahead or tries to run towards another dog but we know how to deal with this to get him back where we want him. It's taken some practice on our part, but thankfully Bartie has been a quick learner - walks in the park are now a real pleasure. And I love that he is happy to sleep during the day instead of incessantly annoying me whilst I am trying to work!

Many thanks Sally for showing us your approach to dog training - we are looking forward to being happy pet owners as a result

Julia Edwards