Kihoon: We wanted to get some help because we’ve had some issues with Richie (pet dog)...
Kihoon: You have to be careful
One fella charges at a staff member
He barks loudly to a point the ears hurt…
Minji: You might get bitten on your calf…
His guardian tries to calm him but Richie doesn’t seem to show any signs of calming down
Minji: Shall we bring some snacks?
Richie stopped barking hearing the word ‘snack’
Minji: Alright Richie~ down! Good boy!! Richie, paw! Good boy!! The other paw!! Good boy, no, wait
Minji: Both paws! Good boy! High five! Good job! Turn around!! Good job, boy!!
Kihoon: He listens well for one second and the next second he’d bite out of the blue
Richie seems to have calmed down now
Nope, not a chance…
Production crew: So he doesn’t stop barking when he sees a stranger?
Minji: No, he doesn’t stop…
He begins to bark at the production crew again…
Minji gets bitten while trying to hug Richie to soothe him
Minji: I got teeth marks slightly. Here. It’s alright as long as I don’t bleed
Kihoon: When we try to pick him up from the front, he always bites. It’s alright when we pick him up from the back, but not from the front.
I still have a scar that I got from him biting me when I tried picking him from the front
The biggest problem Richie has is that he doesn’t only attack strangers but the fact that he also attacks his own family…
Minji: I don’t think he barked until he was 5 months old. He got along pretty well with my parents as well
I spoiled him a lot. I bought dog-exclusive water, changed different food so he wouldn’t get tired of eating the same food
Reportedly, he was a gentle dog until 5 months old, but what made him change so much?
Minji: When Richi was young, I tried trimming his nails and so I trimmed a little and he bit me slightly then
Ever since she tried trimming his nails, Richie began to snap.
Moreover…
Kihoon: We’re newlyweds. But he would bark whenever we’re sitting close or he’d come and sit right in between us and stuff…
Minji: We don’t know when he (Richie) would change and bite
Kihoon: We don’t do anything even though we’re newlyweds…
They’re forced to social distance…
Richie changes abruptly again
Minji: Did you get bitten? Kihoon: It’s not bleeding…
The two became pretty indifferent to Richie’s bites…
Richie… what’s wrong…
Decided to observe Richie’s day in order to figure out what he’s feeling!
As Kihoon heads to the bathroom, Richie stares at him
Then, he rushes to the bathroom and gets heated
He seemed to have calmed down once the door closed but,
he can’t control himself as soon as the door opens
Kihoon: He’s always like this every time I use the restroom. Always…
This time, it’s Minji’s turn!
Richie reacts the same towards Minji
Kihoon: He gets quiet when we close the door like this.
But, as soon as the door opens, he goes at it again.
This time, the production crew goes in…
Why does Richie react so sensitively toward the restroom?
Minji: I think he acts that way when someone closes the door. Even at my parents’ house for 10 years he barked whenever my dad used the restroom, went inside the room, and stuff.
He’d follow after people, barking…
It’s not just the restroom that gets him worked up, but whenever anyone closes a door going into a restroom or a room, he becomes aggressive.
Then how’s Richie outside when on a stroll?
Richie barks and struggles at people passing by.
He can’t stop but barks even louder…
Eventually, his guardian picks him up and carries him
Minji: Oh no… he’s bleeding a lot…
He injured himself while barking and thrusting himself at dogs and people passing
Eventually, they give up on taking a stroll and head back home…
Minji: I think Richie’s a victim, too.
I feel bad.
I sometimes think he would’ve had a better life if he was raised by someone else…
Kihoon: We’ve been trying various methods and ways to make things better but…
The family’s heart rends thinking it’s their fault that Richie turned like this
Is there a way to live happily with Richie again?
So, invited Director Lee Chan-Jong, Animal Behaviorist!
Upon seeing the director Richie starts to bark as expected,
Director, what’s wrong with Richie? Why’s he acting like this?
Director Lee Chan-Jong: Seeing aggressive fellas, it’s due to lack of sociability training, but,
often they become aggressive due to some kind of result of trauma.
Director: There must be a reason why you can’t touch Richie’s feet anymore. Something from the past
Minji: So, I couldn’t trim his nails at home, so
I took him to the hospital to trim them but, since he’d resist so much, trying to bite, slip his foot, and stuff
they put a muzzle on him and two people came and pressed him down
Director: When you get your teeth pulled out, let’s say you resisted so much they pressed you down and pulled your teeth out. Would you go back to that dentist or not?
Richie barked so much because this memory became a trauma to him and it resulted in fear to him.
Others show their weakness toward that fear and in that process, Richie becomes pretty dominant. His dominant behavior increases.
That being said, Richie sat on Kihoon’s lap rather than Minji who he spent more time with
Director: His dad is a pushover to him… “I’m going to dominate you”
Richie’s behavior of sitting on his lap was to show off his superiority
Director: The problem is he tries to show off his dominance more from where he is. Richie needs to be trained to suppress his dominant character
Training to suppress Richie’s dominant character begins now
Director: He'll only come onto my laps only when I tell him to
Step one: Block him from coming onto the lap upon he desires!
Director: So that he can’t come up on his own
This time Kihoon’s turn
Step two: Let him know he can only go on the lap upon permission!
Director: Come up! Kihoon: Richie, come here…
Richie’s confused, but he’s slowly adapting…
With repeated training, his dominant behavior is getting corrected bit by bit!
This time, it’s time to correct Richie’s behavior of barking whenever someone goes to the restroom
What’s the reason for his behavior?
Director: In Richie's perspective, the thing that he didn't like disappeared as he barked (thinking he defeated it). The moment he decides he has won and has defeated it is
when the door opens and closes when he can't see the person anymore. That's when he thinks he won
This behavior, too, was an action he took to confirm his superiority so it needs an adjustment!
Director: Tell him to sit pressing down his butt!
Kihoon: Sit!
Director: Press on his shoulders, too
First, let Richie know it's not an appropriate behavior with waiting training and
Director: Wait!! Kihoon: Wait!!
Director: Sit, lie down.
Kihoon: Richie, sit! Director: (Lower) his butt!
He restricts Richie firmly before heading into the restroom
Director: Go in after you say 'Wait'!
Kihoon: Richie, wait!
Richie stays still despite Kihoon going into the restroom!
This time, lets Richie wait in front of the restroom
If it were before, Richie would've barked the moment he would head in…
Richie has changed!
This time, the stroll! Why did Richie act like that in the past?
Director: When there's danger, Richie thinks he needs to take care of it. Why? Because he can't trust (his guardians)
Direcotr: I'll show you! Let's go Richie!
Director says Richie acted sensitively in order to protect himself as he couldn't trust his guardians…
Director: Just gotta snap slightly. Snap your wrist slightly like this!
The key point is to remind him the guardians will protect him, by pulling on to the leash!
This time, Kihoon's turn!
Let him pace with the guardian using the leash when Richie bolts out first.
Going into an actual situation,
if Richie shows anxiety due to passersby, redirect his anxiety by pulling on the leash
Minji: He didn't bark despite people passing by!
Kihoon: He wasn't even interested?
Minji: I'm speechless. I'm so surprised…
Richie learns how to depend on his guardian through repeated training
Richie will be happy in the arms of his family forever..♥︎