TIP #1: AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION If you have a reactive dog you've probably already spent a lot of time trying to prevent incidents while walking in the neighborhood, but it always helps to review what you're doing now to stay out of trouble while you're working on a treatment plan. Most people with feisty fidos try to walk their dogs at quiet times of day. When you do encounter another dog, don't hesitate to cross the street or turn and go the other way. To make this possible, try to walk on streets that have little traffic. Obviously, you are already avoiding streets with dogs running loose, but you also might want to look out for yards with high hedges that may conceal approaching dogs until they are too close. Most importantly, if any situation makes you feel concerned, avoid it. Many of our clients skipped their neighborhood walks during the early stages of training, and found other ways to exercise their dogs. Don't think you are being a wimp for avoiding trouble. You're being a wise and thoughtful dog owner with a carefully thought out rehabilitation plan. - Excerpted from Feisty Fido TIP #2: MY DOG IS A FAILURE Don't worry if your dog fails. Failure is a natural part of learning. Remain calm and resist the urge to yell "no" or physically move your dog around. If your dog fails three times in a row, stop. The task is too hard for your dog. Go back to the previous step or find a way to make it easier for your dog. Each training session should be 5 minutes long or less. Training should be fun, so don't keep going unless both you and your dog are enjoying it. You can repeat a lesson up to (but no more than) three times in a day. Ten minutes a day is an excellent target. Each training session should focus on one behavior only. If you'd like to work on another behavior, do so in separate training sessions. Each lesson should be repeated until your dog is successful at least 80% of the time. In addition, your dog should be bright and eager to train. If she's not having fun, that training session has not been successful, no matter how well she performed! - Excerpted from Beyond the Back Yard: Train Your Dog to Listen Anytime, Anywhere! Staig completed his basic manners training with a walk around the neighborhood where we encountered several barking dogs, a couple pushing a stroller, traffic, and Staig didn't react to any of it. He has come a long way and his people have done a great job with him. Today we taught Greta how to Come When Called, and she did great! We started inside with recall games, then went outside to work with distractions. She came to us every single time because of the relationship we have built with her. She even came when the neighbor walked by, and she was heavily reinforced for doing so! Henry had a busy day, learning Wait, Drop It, and Leave It. Wait was a breeze, as we had him sitting and waiting for his food in no time. Drop it went just as smoothly. But leaving food on the floor is hard and, while it took a little while, Henry did great! TIP #1: SET YOUR MULTI-DOG HOUSEHOLD UP FOR SUCCESS Living with multiple dogs brings a whole new set of challenges. Adding a second (or third, or fourth) dog means more fun, more love, more joy and more wonderful doggy companionship. But it also means much more from you: more time, more money, more energy, and more working through problems. Expect your dogs to get along, but avoid taking sides if they don't. Scolding a dog for initiating a conflict could easily backfire. For dogs with inherently good social skills, let them negotiate minor, nonviolent differences without interfering. If the dogs are headed toward a major confrontation, however, you can step in and redirect the dog's behavior before the conflict escalates.
TIP #2: WHY OTHERWISE FRIENDLY DOGS MAY BEHAVE AGGRESSIVELY WHEN ON-LEASH If you hang around with other dog owners, you've no doubt heard the same comment I have, over and over again: "My dog is fine with other dogs when he's off-leash; he's only dog-aggressive when his leash is on." You may have even said it yourself. The reason it's an often-heard comment is that it's a common behavior: A lot of dogs who are fine with other dogs when left to their own devices become aggressive if they are leashed when they meet other dogs. We know that aggression is caused by stress. Clearly, there is something about being on a leash that a lot of dogs find stressful enough that it prompts aggressive behavior. There are several reasons for this. Let's take a look at one of them. Leash Interference with Normal Social Interaction Picture in your mind two dogs meeting and greeting, off-leash. They engage in a social dance - advancing, retreating, moving around each other, sniffing various body parts, giving body language signals intended to keep the interaction civil. Sometimes the movements are slow; sometimes they are quick. If one dog is cautious or fearful of the other, he can retreat as he wishes, using social distance to keep himself safe. Now picture those same two dogs meeting on-leash. The dance is stilted, inhibited by the restraint of the leash. One dog tries to circle the other, and the leash tangles around his legs. The cautious dog would like to retreat to safety, but knows the leash restricts his movement, and elects to act out his second option to increase distance - a growl and a snap to signal to the other dog to move away - who cannot, because he is leashed. The fight is on. In the future, the cautious dog will offer a growl and snap before he's close enough for the other dog to make contact. The best defense is a good offense. Alarmed, owners move away from each other, and the fearful dog's aggression is reinforced by the increased distance. Behaviors that are reinforced repeat and increase, and the cautious dog's aggression escalates as he realizes that it's a successful behavior strategy for him - it keeps other scary dogs away. You now have a leash-aggressive dog. Absent the leash, he still chooses to move away from the other dog - his first behavior choice. - Whole Dog Journal |
AuthorJeff Dentler, CPDT-KA, IAABC-ADT, FFCP, CTDI Archives
March 2024
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