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Major Biden is in the country’s niche. The President’s 3-year-old German Shepherd is known for his “agitated” behavior around the White House, ranging from pouncing on staff members to accusing them. On March 8, he bit a Secret Service agent and was then sent, along with his older brother Champ, to training camp in Delaware (which Joe Biden said was scheduled before the bite). Then, this Monday, back at the White House, the Major would have “bitten someone during a walk”. And then reports are starting to emerge that there was dog poo on the red carpet outside the diplomatic reception hall. (Champ is also a suspect in this incident.)
At least one outlet has called on Biden’s dogs to “quit”; The White House has not provided information that Major will step down from his role as the first puppy. We wanted to know more about why Major might be taking action and what could be done to help. Slate turned to canine psychologist Nicholas Dodman to find out what might help a dog like Major. Professor Emeritus at the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Dodman is the co-founder of the Center for Canine Behavior Studies, where he studies how to help aggressive dogs. (To be clear, he hasn’t personally met the Major.) Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Elena DeBré: So I’m sure you’ve been following the Major Biden saga?
Nicholas Dodman: Yes, I tried to contact Jill Biden about this. I think I could help them.
What do you think of what the Bidens have done with Major so far?
I saw a photo of the people doing the training [at the camp in Delaware], and I didn’t feel very comfortable with the methods they were using. When Major was fired from the White House [after the first bite]I told my friend, “The bite is going to happen again.” This guy couldn’t fix the problem. I don’t like the methods.
What were the methods? And what was wrong with them?
Well I looked at this trainer’s bio, and his qualifications are all in sport dogs and holding dogs. It’s a kind of police, almost military style. I don’t know exactly what this guy does, but there are usually punitive aspects to this style of training. I saw in the most recent photo, Major was reintroduced to the White House with a choke collar, which I don’t think at all.
How would you psychoanalyze Major?
First, someone needs to tell the Bidens the truth, and that will set realistic expectations for the dog. Major Biden is a fear assault case.
What could have scared Major?
I imagine that somewhere in the past Major has had some negative interactions, perhaps as an older puppy at some training time, with someone – most likely a male, as males tend to be a lot. more abrupt and more physical in their interactions with dogs. So, generally speaking, it is men who are the targets of fear assault cases.
What are some examples of fear aggression triggers?
A veterinarian friend of mine in California had a dog who was afraid of white bearded men. Sometimes it’s a hat. Men with boots. People with sunglasses. People in uniform. If someone with a specific characteristic did something to bother a dog when it was very young, the dog will be triggered by that characteristic for years to come.
So there is something about Major that we don’t know that triggers it. And in a way, it doesn’t matter what or who the targets are. What matters is how you work during treatment.
what is the treatement?
If you identify the trigger, a counter-conditioning program helps the dog get close to the feared object. What motivates the dog? Sweets? Tennis ball? Work with a positive thing and use it to help the dog get closer to the dreaded target. You can also desensitize dogs to the fear target using relaxation techniques: bring a mat to the White House grounds and train Major to stay relaxed while his fear target passes.
You also need to give the dog the right amount of exercise. The more exercise, the better – exercise generates serotonin, which has a mood stabilizing and antidepressant effect. Diet also. Too much protein can stoke the fire of aggression. So a low protein diet. And get the dog some sort of harness. Not a choke chain – something like a head halter will work much better. If you put a slight strain on the leash, it applies pressure to two pressure points that a mom dog would use on her puppies to calm them down. Just pressure, not pain. It is, however, a long process. Joe and Jill probably don’t have the time.
If you were in charge of the Major, what would you say to the Bidens?
I think the most important thing to understand is that nothing is a 100% cure. Anyone who says he can cure this dog, I would challenge him to a duel.
This is a dog who, due to genetics and an early lack of good experience, has likely developed a distrust of certain types of people. And German Shepherds are the No. 1 biting breed in the country, although they tend not to bite hard. Most German Shepherds I have seen over the past 30 years have anxious and suspicious dispositions.
They’ve already had the bites in two months. If you don’t want to have six bites a year, you can reduce that to a negative encounter – maybe a leap or a growl – by not turning the dog into a little lamb but just using techniques of understanding, control. , relaxation, habituation to desensitization.
Do you think being the most famous dog in the country affected Major?
I don’t think it makes much of a difference, as long as the people who deal with him directly are well informed.
Do you think Joe or Jill’s stressful jobs or public lifestyle may have had an effect on Major?
An owner’s personality has an incident influence of about 15% on canine behavior. These numbers are averages and can only be used to gauge the chances of a particular personality affecting the dog’s behavior. In some individual cases, a particular personality mix may have little effect at all, while in others the effect may be much larger.
So, you see, it’s impossible to say for sure that Joe’s or Jill’s personality fueled Major’s behavior. In my opinion, Major came up with issues that were unaffected by the personalities of his new owners.
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