Langley dog named baddest of the bad

It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye. This truly was the case for poor old Kobi, a fluffy shitzu-lapso cross which has little dog syndrome.

“He’s been food aggressive his whole life,” said owner Lesley Johnson, 32.

Two months ago, nine-year-old Kobi didn’t like Lesley’s other dog, a lab, near his food bowl, so he let the dog have it. In response, some sort of scuffle ensued and Kobi’s eye was squeezed a bit out of its socket.

“Shitzus tend to have big eyes in small sockets anyways, so it can happen. There was no bite marks on him and he didn’t appear to be in any pain.”

But, a trip to the vet led to surgery and the removal of Kobi’s eye. It hasn’t changed the aggressive nature of his incessant barking, she said.

“He barks at everything, the leaves, the wind.”

While at the dog park, she saw a flyer for a contest Bark Busters was putting on searching for Canada’s Naughtiest Dogs. She knew Kobi would be a shoo-in.

“My sister adores Kobi and I thought why not turn a negative into a positive,” Johnson said.

The winner of the contest is treated to a day working with a Bark Buster dog behaviourist. Bark Busters guarantees change in the dog and will come back for a lifetime of follow-ups should new problems arise.

So, after looking at hundreds of submissions, Kobi was chosen as B.C.’s naughtiest dog.

“Kobi’s going to doggy bootcamp,” she said.

On Sunday, dog specialist Rob Scheel arrived at her Langley City home to meet the pack of dogs and Johnson.

He knew he had a challenge on his hands because he isn’t the first dog trainer Johnson and Kobi have seen.

“I know it’s not him. It’s me. These dogs are my children,” she said. But with a new baby in the house, she’s looking to make it a calmer, quieter home.

“That’s why we come to the home to observe the dogs in their own environment and how their owners interact with them,” said Scheel.

The key to stopping a dog’s bad behaviour is becoming the leader and demoting the dog, he said.

“Once the dog knows he is demoted, the stress of running the house goes away and he is happier for it,” he said.

He does this by acting bigger and carrying his body with authority and having an attitude of authority.

“I rarely have dogs jump on me even though they are jumping on everyone else,” he said. Jumping is a dog’s attempt to assert dominance and to stand at your level.

He’s helped more than 1,000 dogs and their owners and has never been bitten, even though he deals with aggressive dogs all the time.

“I’m their fourth trainer. It sounds like there is some sibling rivalry going on here and I am going to find safety for Kobi.”

Within a few tries, Scheel had Kobi silent and waiting when someone knocked on the door.

To see the country’s other naughty dogs or to learn about BarkBusters go to barkbusters.ca. See video of Kobi’s quick transformation from naughty to nice at www.langleytimes.com.

+More Lifestyles Headlines
<Back to Mobile Edition