The wolf that only attacked the mother guardian, "Gongtan"'s aggressiveness resembled that of an adolescent child.
On the 8th, Channel A's dog rehabilitation reality show "Time of dogs and wolves 2" episode 13 aired, revealing the story of Incheon wolf No. 1 Gongtan among the fifth cohort "discord stirrers." Gongtan, who lives with a couple in their first year of marriage, was disrupting the previously peaceful balance of the newlyweds with aggression at a level that threatened daily life.
Gongtan behaved calmly outside, but inside the house he would suddenly change and display aggression as a "guard-type wolf." He barked intensely at the sound of the intercom alone, and while trying to pick up food that had fallen during meal preparation he bit the guardian, leading to an accident. Notably, the direction of the attacks stood out. Gongtan's teeth repeatedly targeted the "face."
Ultimately the mother guardian had to receive 20 stitches after her brow was bitten. The mother guardian said, "I have also been bitten on my lips and around my eyes before," revealing that she had been suffering repeated threats. The studio, facing the risk that could recur at any time in daily life, was at a loss for words.
But what was even more strange was the "target." Gongtan showed aggression uniquely toward the mother guardian. In contrast, he leaned on and snuggled with the father guardian, showing a completely different attitude. Same space, same dog, but the relationships were entirely different.
Kang Hyeong-wook identified this point as the essence of the problem. He mentioned the possibility that Gongtan perceived the mother guardian, who fed while simultaneously restraining him, as a "rival," and analyzed that the guardians' opposing attitudes had increased Gongtan's confusion.
In other words, Gongtan's aggressiveness was not a simple tendency but a "form of expression arising from relationships." The father guardian's neglectful attitude and the mother guardian's blunt and excessive intervention clashed, accumulating stress for Gongtan. Kang Hyeong-wook explained, "Like an adolescent child throwing a tantrum, it's a learned complaint," suggesting that Gongtan's aggression could be a result of warped emotional expression.
The solution focused on rebuilding the relationship. The guardian role was transferred to the father, and the mother guardian was given the distancing homework of "3 don'ts": don't talk to him, don't touch him, don't look at him. Cutting off the physical contact that had continued until then was not easy, but it was a process to correct the relationship.
Also, through spatial separation, kennel training, and adjustments to feeding methods, the process continued to lower Gongtan's vigilance and create a stable environment. Kang Hyeong-wook emphasized that changes in the guardian's attitude were above all important, saying, "Excessive physical affection toward a sensitive dog can actually be poison."
After the solution, Gongtan's aggressiveness gradually eased, and a positive trend appeared. As the way of understanding the dog changed, the relationship also slowly changed.
"Time of dogs and wolves 2" is a program that looks beyond dog behavior correction to the guardians' attitudes and environment as well. It features a three-step solution that includes studio feedback, close daily-life care, and actual home visits.
[Photo] broadcast capture
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