EXTREMELY reactive/anxious when her humans are swimming

[MILYNN MEZZACAPO]

Hello! My 18 month old Belgian Mal has been extremely reactive since day one over anyone in the swimming pool. She barks aggressively the minute we get in and will do laps around the pool. If we come close to the edge she bites. (Not the playful type..) It doesn’t matter if we are calmly laying on a raft or playing around/ the behavior does not waiver. It’s not realistic for her to be kept inside the whole time we are in the pool because summertime is short so we absolutely take advantage while we can. I reallllly need help- I’d love her to swim with us or at least let us swim while she plays in the yard etc. 

We have never forced/thrown her into the pool EVER. However, I have done everything but that to coax her in. (I’d never throw her in, to be clear!) I’ve gone stair by stair with her with treats/praise for every step- but as soon as her feet are submerged on the third step she turns into a kuala, holding onto my shoulders for dear life. It’s as if she wants to go in but is scared to death- and my back has been shredded up plenty with the amount of tries! 

I take her to an agility center and have one on one time with her in a small pool with a ramp for dogs to learn to swim/get over the fear of it.. but it’s more of the same thing. I have gotten her to swim to me but I absolutely cannot get her to not hang on me with those claws. 

We live in the northeast on the lake where we have brutal winters and only 3 good months of swimming weather, so her exposure to the pool has been limited since she was born October 2021.. straight into the winter.

We have three young kids and love having friends over.. but I can’t risk any of them getting bit. My oldest son was bit once while he held onto the ledge and I can’t let anything like that happen again. I assume she fears for our lives because she herself isn’t comfortable with the water.

Please please please! Any suggestions or different approaches to this issue? Any follow up info on the matter needed?

thank you!!!
 

 

 

 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi there!

Welcome to the forums, 

Lovely dog! Malinois have a soft spot in my heart, I love the breed, and although they can be challenging to own, when their needs are met and they are given the structure they need, they can be amazing dogs. 

She sounds very over threshold both in being in the water and seeing you all in the pool. In this cognitive state, there is little space for learning. She won't be able to do other things in the yard, while you are all in the pool, until her emotional state is tackled. 

I am not sure if teaching her to swim and stay in the pool with you would stop her behavior. Certainly, not until she is in a calmer state. 

I have a few questions:

1) Is the the agility center you take her to actually run by dog trainers?

2) Is it a dock diving center?

3) What have they done so far to try to help her overcome her fear of water? Do they use a doggy life jacket/ flotation device?

4) Do you have any beaches or lakes with shallow waters near you where you can take her with you?

5) When she did bite your son, did she break skin? I share your concerns about her biting, especially with her being in such an over threshold emotional state that even if she does have some natural bite inhibition, she might not be able to gauge much her bite pressure as if she would in other contexts. 

[MILYNN MEZZACAPO]

Thank you so much for the quick response! I answered the questions below for you!
 

Is the the agility center you take her to actually run by dog trainers?

 -Yes! The owner was actually one of the first AKC judges and she hosts around 50 AKC trials there every year. She was also selected to compete on the AKCs 2009 World agility team- she is so gifted with dogs! (And still trains!) She has an experienced team of trainers as well. Below is the link to the facility and I also added the link where you can see the pool for reference. 

 

https://www.countrysideagility.com/

 

https://www.countrysideagility.com/rentals

 

2) Is it a dock diving center?

They do have a seperate pool for dock diving. 

 

3) What have they done so far to try to help her overcome her fear of water? Do they use a doggy life jacket/ flotation device?

• I have only rented the space for me to work with her one on one in a quiet space to ourselves without any distraction. They do provide life jackets there. I haven’t used one yet.. I’ve actually been more concerned with her being comfortable near the water more than swimming. I think I didn’t explain myself entirely!    

 

4) Do you have any beaches or lakes with shallow waters near you where you can take her with you? 

-We do! We live minutes from one of the Great Lakes. It is still very cold here.. even snowing today.. so I haven’t taken her there in at least 7 months. She did okay along the shoreline when we went previously, but did not go often whatsoever. 

 

5) When she did bite your son, did she break skin? I share your concerns about her biting, especially with her being in such an over threshold emotional state that even if she does have some natural bite inhibition, she might not be able to gauge much her bite pressure as if she would in other contexts. 

 

-She did break skin. The more I have read into your explanations on threshold, the more disappointed I am with how I let it get to that. We have done heavy training together since last summer including obedience, trick and agility classes. I work with her daily for a relationship where she trusts me to guide her and be the ‘leader’ ..mental and physical stimulation, calm trails where she can sniff, etc. We have grown so much together and I truly love our bond. I have wanted a mal for the longest time but waited until I had the ability to give one the dedication, time and training their breed needs.. I’m still learning a lot with her. 

 

I initially thought her learning to swim would ease her mind about the pool- but it’s definitely more about her being able to relax around us while we are in it. I hope I gave you the answers you were looking for to have a better understanding! I soo appreciate you and how responsive you are. 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Thank you for the extra details, they are very helpful!

So we are dealing with two different "issues" here: 

1) getting her to be less reactive around people swimming in the pool.. and

2) getting her more comfortable around water.

The two aren't necessary correlated, although your thinking makes perfectly sense as it is true that some dogs may relax more if they are sharing the pool with their owners and they understand that their owners aren't "drowning," but are actually having a good time. However, dogs who act this way when people are in the pool may do for some different reasons. We can't always though stack behavior neatly in designated "diagnostic boxes" as there are several variables and sometimes the underlying causes are actually a mix of several causes.

So let's start with her reaction around people swimming in the pool. You are certainly not alone with this problem. I have known dogs who were so agitated when people were in the pool, that their constant running back and forth around the pool has caused them to develop sores on their paws that required weeks to treat. So why do dogs behave this way? There are several possibilities. Here are just a few. 

-Dogs wanting to join in and frustrated they cannot 
These are dogs are eager to dive in, but are afraid of doing so. The pool water is therefore perceived as a barrier, preventing them from joining in the fun. When it comes to a pool, they may not like jumping into deep water or they may not feel safe if they don't know a quick way to getting out. Factor in also the slippery surfaces leading to insecure footing, and steps that dogs cannot see as the last are underwater. 

When dogs may want to do something, but for some reason they are prevented to, this can lead to deep feelings of frustrations, which causes them to pace, whine and bark.

-Dogs With a History of Separation Distress
These dogs are the type that follow you around, can't tolerate being left home alone, and whine and bark, the moment owners use the bathroom with the door closed. In some dogs this distress can be so pronounced that they even struggle when their owners are in sight, but they can't be glued to them. When the owners are in the pool, these dogs may therefore show signs of distress because they can't stick to their side.

-Dogs Feeling Worried About People Swimming
Some dogs struggle with understanding what is going on when we jump into a pool. If there are kids playing in the pool and screaming a lot, these dogs may think that they are in danger. They may try to grab our hands to try to pull us out. These can lead to lacerations due to their teeth snagging on our skin.

- Dogs Failing to Understand What's Happening
Some dogs become anxious when something unusual takes place and they can't understand it. This falls under the same category of dogs who become anxious upon seeing their owners ride a bike, dance, wear a hat, do gym, use an umbrella or push a stroller.

When dogs see us swimming, they don't grasp the idea that its our way to stay afloat. What they see is us flapping our arms and legs in an odd way. They may therefore respond to our pool-time with anxiety which prompts them to bark, whine and pace back and forth. 

-Dogs With Herding Instincts at Play 
Often times, dogs who bark and pace when people are in the pool are dogs belonging to the herding group (corgis, Australian shepherds, German shepherds, border collies, and of course Malinois)

In this category are many dogs that were selectively bred for rounding up sheep or cattle. Their instincts tell them to have control over animals running amok and keeping a certain level of law and order.

When there are several people in the pool, especially children, these dogs may therefore feel inclined doing what they were bred to do: barking, running around and trying to control movements. This reaction is not really fear-based, but triggered more by an  over aroused/excited state associated with people jumping in a pool. 

When dealing with cases as such it helps if, on top of understanding the dog's underlying emotions and motives, we can find what ultimately triggers their reactions. 

Does your dog start acting worried when people are splashing?
Does she struggle when there are children screaming?
Does she start acting up the moment people enter the pool (even if not splashing or screaming?)

Once we have identified the triggers, we know what we may need to focus the most on. However, consider that in many cases, dogs may initially start freaking out with people splashing or screaming, but then their anxiety generalizes and they'll start reacting with just the mere fact of people entering the pool. Sort of like it happens with separation anxiety, where a dog initially may have a meltdown when their owners leave the home, and they realize they're alone, but then start panicking when their owners get ready to go to work. 

If we have isolated a clear trigger, we therefore know what we need to work on. More than training, this type of issue requires a good level of behavior modification before we can reach a state where the dog is capable of cognitively functioning (yep, dogs over threshold can't think straight). 

So how is behavior modification carried out? It varies based on the dog's triggers, how over threshold a dog is and several other factors, but here are some general guidelines and tips. *Please note that the process will take several days to even weeks and structured set-ups. 

-Prevent Rehearsal of the Problematic Behavior

One of the most important steps is to prevent your dog from engaging in the problematic behavior. The more your dog engages in the barking, whining, pacing behavior, the more these behaviors establish and become habit-forming. On top of this, stress hormones circulate in the body keeping dogs more on edge after the happening, which makes them more likely to react. If dogs are stressed day after day, the phenomenon of trigger stacking takes place. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/how-trigger-stacking-impacts-your-dog/

-Try Giving Your Dog Something Else to Do

If your dog's anxiety is mild, you can try to give her something very enticing to chew that will keep her busy for some time  (like a bully stick, frozen Kong filled with canned dog food mixed with kibble) while people spend time in the pool. For safety, since there are children, keep inside an exercise pen if she's trained to stay in one.  

Make sure the people stay calm and don't splash around or scream. Once your dog is close to being done with chew, have the people come out of the pool and call it a day. Repeat several times to establish a new routine. 

What if My Dog Won't Eat? In many cases though dogs won't be able to eat when people are in the pool because they are so deeply distraught and anxious. If your dog won't eat, take that as a sign of her being too over threshold. When dogs are in the state, their appetite is gone and they can't cognitively function. 

In this case, this is a sign that you need to start implementing some more in depth behavior modification strategies. 

-Desensitize and Countercondition Your Dog to Her Triggers

This is the heart of behavior modification. Desensitization is a behavior modification method that aims to expose dogs to their triggers at lower levels of intensity. Low intensity exposures allow dogs to the ability to better cope with their triggers while remaining under threshold. 

You can read more about the process of desensitization here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/

Counterconditioning is a behavior modification method that aims to creating positive associations with triggers. These positive associations are often attained through the use of treats. This method works best when used in conjunction with desensitization. 

You can read more about the process of counterconditioning here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/

-Examples of Behavior Modification for dogs reactive/anxious when people are in the pool 

Following are some general examples of behavior modification. Every dog of course may require an individualized plan that is different based on several factors (level of anxiety exhibited, type of triggers evoking the behavior). You may need to work on several elements individually starting with the less intense ones before putting them together (e.g first start with people entering the pool, then splashing, then screaming before presenting all of these together)

-For Dogs Struggling With Splashes

If your dog struggles with people splashing, you would start by keeping your dog at a distance from the pool and have her watch a person place an arm in the water while she's fed super high value treats (like strips of chicken, baked liver-check with your vet if your dog has a sensitive tummy-food allergies). Once she's fine with that, you can then progress to the person moving the arm under water just a bit while keeping on feeding treats. 

Afterward, you can progress to the person splashing the water just a bit, then more (while always feeding treats). Next, the person can start with placing a leg in the water and doing the same exercise. You get the idea.

The goal is to get the dog gradually and systematically used to seeing the person splashing and eventually swimming without feeling anxious. When using desensitization and counterconditioning to tackle triggers, I like to aim for what's known as a positive conditioned emotional response. This is what I call the "where's my chicken ''look!" More about this here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/conditioned-emotional-response-cer/

-For Dogs Struggling With Seeing People in the Pool

If your dog barks just seeing somebody in the pool, start this exercise indoors if you have a window that overlooks the pool. Have your dog observe the person swimming while your dog is on leash at a distance from the window, where she can the person swimming.  Have her watch the person and feed treats every time she looks at him/her.  The goal is to getting her calm enough to then watch the person outdoors (while still on leash) and then eventually off leash while remaining calm and looking for her treats. 

This exercise is explained more in detail here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/

-For Dogs Struggling With Children Screaming/Splashing

Have your dog on leash at a distance from the pool (you can start indoors) and have a child enter the pool (with a grown up of course nearby). Feed your dog tasty treats for watching the child enter the pool, then for splashing in the pool (using the above exercise) and then for screaming at a low volume, then higher volume. Then once you have fluent response add more kids to the pool doing the same.  

When To Take a Step Back, and When to Raise Criteria?

If the dog at any times struggles with any of these exposures, it's important taking a step back and working more on lower level exposures making them less intense and ensuring the dog is fine with those before moving forward. When your dog is reliably doing fine at a certain level of intensity, you can raise criteria and move on to the next level, aways monitoring your dog's body language carefully. 

-Train an Alternate Behavior 

Once your dog is in a calmer state, you can train your dog to engage in an alternate behavior so as to keep her busy and happy.

For example, you can train her to fetch balls you toss at her and have her drop them it in the pool so that you can toss them again. This can also help in the case the dog is worried about the safety people in the pool. Since play is incompatible with fear, this can help the dog understand that no one is drowning and that you're all actually having fun in the pool.

-You can train her to go lie on a mat to chew on something tasty and long lasting.

-You can have your dog "fetch treats" from a remote treat dispenser, or bubbles from a bubble machine made for dogs. This latter is great for dogs who love to herd!

-You can train your dog to target a target stick randomly and toss treats for complying. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/targeting/ 

-If your dog eventually becomes comfortable being in the water, you can even have her ride on an inflatable pool float. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08P6JT5XJ

Anything that keeps her busy and happy and feeling involved with family time should help.

-Manage When You Can't Work on the issue 

When you don't have time to work on the issue or in its earliest stages (when your dog isn't ready for high level exposures), it's best to manage the situation and prevent your dog from rehearsing the problem behavior.

You can do this by having a family member or helper walk your dog or take her on a car ride when you are planning to enjoy the pool or have guests over enjoying the pool with you. 

-Make safety top priority

You mentioned her biting and breaking skin, and therefore we need to make safety top priority, especially if she's around kids. Even though when working on behavior modification the goal is to keep the dog under threshold as much as possible and not allowing rehearsals, a mishap can always happen. It's therefore important having some extra layers of protection and this can be attained by:

-Muzzle training, in this case using a bite-proof muzzle:  https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-your-dog-to-wear-a-muzzle/

-Keeping the dog on leash with a helper

-Using a secure outdoor tether attached to the back ring of harness (always under supervision and after gauging how the dog does on this, some dogs may not be good candidates)

-Work with a professional

In some challenging cases, such as when it's difficult getting the dog under threshold or when there are risks for bites, a professional should be sought out for help. This is for correct implementation of behavior modification and safety. Some dogs may need prescription meds to lower their threshold initially so as to achieve a calm enough state for learning.  A board-certified veterinary behaviorist is my first choice, followed by Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists and then dog trainers/behavior consultants well -versed in tackling behavior using force-free behavior modification techniques. 

Will be providing some insights shortly about her fear of water and increasing her confidence with that. 

Disclaimer: behavior modification comes with risks. If your puppy or dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting) for safety, please consult with a dog behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification techniques (no shock, prongs, choke collars, or physical corrections) for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos and general info found in the forums or course (or any online source) are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this course and forum, you are waiving any liability claims or other type of claims related to any dogs' behavior against you or others.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

OK, so now let's tackle the issue of fear of water.

As you may expect, even this involves a certain level of behavior modification, involving a good amount of desensitization and counterconditioning. Depending on how complex her fear of the water is, this may involve a more or less comprehensive plan. If your center has a staff of trainers/behavior consultants experienced in force-free behavior modification techniques, they can help you in the process. 

For example, if your dog dislikes the sensation of getting wet/being bathed, then we will start with low level exposures using a water hose/sponge soaked with water and tackle this first, here is a guide for this:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/fear-water-bathing/

Other tips that come to mind:

Start With a Baby Pool

If your dog's fear of being in the pool stems from not liking water, you need to start slow using baby steps (desensitization). What better way to introduce your dog to water than with a baby pool?

Get in the baby pool yourself and start pretending to dig with your hands and feet in the water and have a blast. Toss your dog treats as she watches you kick the water with your feet and let her go back and forth to eating treats and then approaching the pool.

Then aim to create positive associations with being in shallow water. Once she's more comfortable, you can start with a few fun games such as bobbing for treats:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/high-school/bobbing-for-treats/

-Practice at a River/Lake/Beach

Have your dog watch you have a blast playing with waves, digging with your feet in the sand and tossing balls. Then start walking more and more inside the water and see whether your dog reaches you.

If she does, praise like crazy and toss the ball away from the water, towards the shore. The reason you toss it away is because you want your dog coming back on her own because it's so much fun. If you toss the ball towards deeper water instead, you risk scaring her and develop trust issues. We don't want her to get stuck in an approach/avoidance trap: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/approach-avoidance/

Make sure to make this a wonderful experience.

-Bring Along a Confident Dog

It's called social facilitation and it's the power of dogs  being influenced and learning from observing other dogs. Often times, this is the missing piece to the puzzle! If your dog gets along with other dogs, and has some best buddies, this can help heaps.

Therefore have a dog/dogs who loves swimming/playing in the water accompany your dog to your outings at the lake. Have your dog watch them have a blast in the water.  See if that helps.  Then plan on inviting this dog/dogs over in the pool to show your dog how fun the experience can be. Have your dog watch them getting in and out of the pool with ease.

Watch for Your Dog Being Over Threshold

Always keep an eye on your dog's body language and avoid putting her in situations that can overwhelm her and make her fear worse. Going in the water should be done on her own, free choice. We want to desensitize and not allow "flooding" which literally means putting a dog into an overwhelming situation with the risk for the fear getting worse rather than better.

So if she's scratching and holding on to you as if holding on to dear life, that's too overwhelming and there's no space for learning, just sheer panic.

However, since she's prone to this scratching, even when she is more comfortable in the water, it doesn't hurt to take some steps to reduce her risk for scratching others, even if just out of play. In such cases, it may help to have her wear Soft Paws. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003SM5BAG

I honestly haven't ever tested these in the water, but in some reviews, a while back, I recall seeing somebody mention using them to help prevent her dog from scratching the pool's lining or something else used in a pool when playing in the water. 

Of course, these are just general guides, you may notice that you need to overcome certain specific challenges such as helping her overcome the fear of stepping down the steps of the pool, helping her figure out how to get out the pool anytime she's uncomfortable and making surfaces less slippery if that's part of the fear. 

You will also have to gauge whether (once she's overcome her fears), it's safe for her to be in the pool around children or whether she may still try to engage in "rescuing efforts" or "herding behaviors' which can lead to nips and scratches which of course is not good and allows her to rehearse problematic behaviors. 

So here are just a few ideas! I know this is a lot to "digest", but let me know if you have any questions or need to do some deeper troubleshooting.

Hope this helps,

Happy training!

Best,

Adrienne