Looking for help with occasionally reactive dog laying down when seeing other dogs

[B HARPERINK]

So the title already said it, but I'm looking for some advice on how to keep our dog from laying down when seeing other dogs. It only happens when the other dog approaches us. She'll lie down and then jump up as soon as they sniffed at each other for a few seconds.

Usually, it's all fun and games from there, but occasionally (more often in the past few months) she'll start to bark and growl instead and I have to forcibly pull her away. She does it more with me (F) than with my partner (M), though it happens with both of us. I'm not sure what the distinction between 'friend' and 'foe' is in her mind. The other dogs don't necessarily seem to have to show any aggressive/deviant behavior for her not to like them.

Additionally and possibly relatedly, she also sometimes barks at men (never women) on the streets or when they visit our house. They're usually tall man with low voices. My guess is it's a small trauma, but I've never been able to pinpoint the source of the problem. 

She plays with other dogs daily in the park (off leash), so I don't believe it's a matter of socialization. She does the same thing there, but she'll get up when the dog is still a few steps away and it's much more playful. I've never had a problem with her behavior there. The easy solution would of course be to simply not let her meet other dogs on leash (I'm for that anyway, also to not reward the laying down behavior), but I'm thinking my behavior might be the problem here, and if so I want to correct that. I'm pretty sure she (also, if not mainly) does it to prevent us dragging her away. My nervousness at the situation probably isn't helping.

For context, she's a 1,5 years old ~35kg lab/husky/Anatolian shepherd/Swiss shepherd mix, mostly lab and husky. She's always had a bit of a nervous streak and does show guarding/protective (and sometimes herding) behavior at home. She used to resource guard, but we corrected that. We walk her 3 times a day, two rounds of 20/30 minutes and one round to the doggy park to play for ~45 minutes. If she's still very active in the evening after that, we do an extra round. 

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Greetings, welcome to the forums!

I am glad to hear that you were able to successfully work on the her previous resource guarding issues. That's not easy to tackle and it sounds like you have made great progress. 

At the age of 1.5 years, that's when dogs are reaching social maturity, a time when their social interactions towards other dogs often start to change. Dogs may get more "serious" and standoffish and may get more and more selective as to what dogs to include in their "circle of friends. 

Another possibility is that you're seeing the start of "barrier frustration" since you mention that she does well with dogs at the off leash dog park and this behavior is mostly seen when she's on leash. Here is a read on barrier frustration: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/barrier-frustration/

Regardless of the underlying cause, it may help to introduce some new training cues that give her an alternate behavior to engage in, so as to replace the laying down and lunging. The trained cues will vary though based on whether we're dealing with a case of barrier frustration or a case of no longer liking certain dogs invading her space. 

For example in a case of barrier frustration, to replace the laying down behavior, she can be trained to "stand for inspection" meaning that when a dog approaches, she will have to stand still (basically a stay trained in the standing position versus sitting or standing) and look up at you as you hold a treat at eye level (here's how to train this https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/look-into-my-eyes/). 

You would give the treat the moment the other dog is done sniffing, and then keep on feeding treats as you both walk away with her still looking at you. This replaces the lunging behavior. See the attention heeling section on how to train this: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/

Of course this will take some time to train at a fluent level, and to help her succeed, it may help to have a volunteer with a doggy friend you know that your dog won't typically lunge at, practice walking towards her as you work on these cues. If she loves meeting dogs, the volunteer can be instructed to keep approaching if she's standing, but will do a quick about turn and leave the moment she lies down. 

If you have a pet store nearby that offers classes, you may find trainers who hold sessions on "1-2-3 greetings" where your dog practices meeting other dogs for only 3 seconds and then move on. The trainer should be skilled in dealing with barrier frustration and reactivity cases so as to help your dog succeed and not be placed in situations that are too overwhelming. 

In the case that her lunging is because she's not comfortable around certain dogs, then before training cues, it would be important working on creative positive associations with a variety of dogs (feeding her treats as she sees them) and blocking them from getting too close to her so at to trigger her need to lunge. If this is a classic case of reactivity, you may find these tips helpful: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/how-to-make-your-dog-less-reactive-on-walks/

The laying down behavior is something you definitely want to work on because this behavior may be "frowned upon" by dogs due to the fact that they may not understand your dog's intent. Is your dog just wanting to play or is she trying to attack? This unclear behavior can make other dogs uncomfortable and even defensive. 

More Tips:

-Keep Your Dog Under Threshold 

Often this entails giving your dog distance from other dogs so that she doesn't feel the need to engage in the lying down behavior. Therefore work on finding that sweet spot where she isn't overwhelmed by other dogs being too close and where she's more responsive to your cues. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/

-Scan the Environment 

Scan the environment looking ahead. When on walks, pay close attention to your surroundings and work on maintaining that distance. If another dog is approaching and you cannot give your dog enough distance, make an emergency u-turn: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/emergency-u-turn/

-Train an Alternate Behavior 

Train your dog an alternate behavior to engage in. Since many dogs prone to herding are naturally predisposed to wanting to stare at other dogs/moving objects, how about training them to stare at you while walking when another dog walks by? 

-Use Gentle Techniques

Avoid using aversive training methods (such as leash pops, collar corrections, spray bottles, shock collars etc.) as this can lead to the dog associating the corrections with the sight of other dogs which risks further exacerbating problems down the road.

About the fear of men visiting, here is a general guide on how to create positive associations (a similar process can be carried over on walks upon seeing men that you know your dog fears)

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dog-barking-someone-enters-room/

I hope this helps, let me know if you have any questions!

Happy training!

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, 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.