SHOCKING! Elizabeth Taylor's Secret Love? Turns Out Dogs Were Always Her True Soulmates!

We all know the fiery love affairs and doomed marriages, those violet eyes, the larger-than-life looks and giant jewels—but who'd have guessed doggies were this gal's real best friend?

Words by Teoti Anderson, CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP

We all know the fiery love affairs and doomed marriages, those violet eyes, the larger-than-life looks and giant jewels—but who'd have guessed doggies were this gal's real best friend?

And honestly, who'd fault her? More than one husband had a messy tie to the high-rolling life—the late nights, the cheques scrawled at dawn, the open tab at every casino from Monaco to Vegas—and Taylor, ever the survivor, watched it all with that famous raised brow and a pup in her lap. She came up in the grand glamour-gambling days: fur draped over a baccarat rail, a martini sweating at the elbow, photographers kept politely in the lobby. One can only wonder what Liz would make of today's stripped-back spin on the same habit—a husband on the sofa in sweats, phone in hand, the household budget quietly vanishing into online gambling real money apps between ads. Sugar, no doubt, would've backed her mistress: dogs really are the safer bet.

• Balking. Say your puppy refuses to walk in the neighbourhood. You might think she’s tired or that the distance is too much, but often she’s simply afraid of the surroundings and won’t go forward.

• Shutting down. A well-behaved dog isn’t necessarily a calm one—he could be suppressed. A young dog who sits stone-still and sedate at the vet, then growls or snaps on later visits, may not have been fine the first time either. Watch for shifts in demeanour. Always laid-back? Probably not stressed. Normally bouncy and curious, but not now? Likely fear.

• Sleeping, especially in puppies. That’s another shutdown sign. If it’s midnight and she’s ready for bed, fine. But ask: what’s the context? Surrounded by new people? At a store for socialization? A confident pup is curious about new places. If she’s nodding off somewhere new, she may be shutting down.

• Growling, barking, lunging. Most aggression is fear-based. A dog who barks, lunges, and growls at people or dogs is usually afraid of them—putting on a scary front to drive off what frightens him. Owners sometimes read this as protection. Test it: if you weren’t there, would he still bark and lunge? Then he’s not protecting you. He’s protecting himself—he’d happily shove you at the monster to save himself!

Unsure if he’s afraid? Picture how he looks greeting you: curvy, bouncy, squinty eyes, tail wagging fast at mid-level. Hold that image. Now watch him elsewhere. Same look with strangers or other dogs? Out in new places? If he doesn’t look like his greeting-you self, fear may be the cause.

How to Identify the Real Problem

Next, pin down what sparks the anxiety. Sometimes it’s obvious: vacuum turns on, dog bolts under the bed—the vacuum is clearly evil. He hesitates with new people—strangers seem dangerous to him.

Sometimes the trigger is murky. He stops mid-walk, staring at nothing. You can’t see the problem. Try listening. A dog barking behind a fence? A plane overhead? A distant mower? He may fear sounds.

Do your best to name the monsters so you can teach him not to fear them.

Practical Steps to Slay Behavior Monsters

Once you know the triggers, you change his opinion of them.

Desensitization – introduce the monster gradually, at a distance where he stays calm. As he grows comfortable, you inch closer in a slow, systematic way.

Counter conditioning – swap his emotional response. The monster is terrifying, but cheese is delicious. If every look at the monster earns cheese, he links monster to cheese. Monsters gain popularity!

Keep him under threshold—the distance where he notices the monster but hasn’t panicked or reacted. Push past it into a reactive episode and you lose ground.

Don’t flood him by dropping him in the monster’s den. Scared of other dogs? Skip the dog park—you can’t control thresholds there and he’ll be overwhelmed, not fixed. Instead, do desensitization and counter conditioning. Start where he notices other dogs but before he reacts. Each time he looks at the distant dog, mark (a click or ‘yes’) and treat; repeat until it’s gone. When the monster leaves, treats stop. If he won’t take treats even without barking or lunging, he’s still over threshold—move farther back.

A Guide to should you comfort a scared dog?

Old advice said don’t comfort a frightened dog, for fear of reinforcing the behaviour. That doesn’t fit current practice: fear isn’t a behaviour, it’s an emotion.

If your best friend came to you in tears over a terrible health diagnosis, would you ignore her? Would comforting her in crisis just be indulging attention-seeking? Of course not. You’d be there for her.

If your dog is afraid, be present. Don’t overdo the attention or you’ll convince him something really is wrong. Just stay near. If he’s climbing your leg to escape, pick him up—he trusts you to protect him. Don’t panic, and skip the ‘It’s okay! It’s okay!’ loop. Soothe him quietly.

When he’s brave, pile on the praise! Make a huge fuss and call him the bravest warrior ever. Be his safe harbor while you nudge him to face his demons.

As always, if the monsters win, call a reward-based trainer experienced with fear and anxiety. Your vet can say whether behaviour medication might help. Facing fear is hard, but there’s hope—help him learn those monsters aren’t so scary after all.

First published in Modern Dog magazine. Get your subscription today!