aggression

[billprispark]

I am having a difficult time walking my dog if there are other dogs around. He is on a leash but will attack and bark no matter what I do. I have been using the sh sh word and giving treats when he even attempts to be quite. However that's not work, My dog was rescued from a home that had six dogs and he was sent to another home because he couldn't cope .Finn is a poodle mix and very smart. when we walk where there are no dogs he I great and he is wonderful in the house. Any ideas what I can do

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Greetings, and welcome to the forums,

Thank you for rescuing this dog and wanting to help your dog be calmer on walks.

If your dog is lunging and barking, what you are dealing with is a dog who is over threshold. When a dog is over threshold, it is more difficult to get the dog's attention and work on changing behavior. An important first step would therefore be taking measures to keep your dog better under threshold. One good way to do this is by increasing distance. You can read more about dog threshold levels here:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/

 

A "game" that can come handy in reducing reactivity over time is the "look at that game" that you can practice from the home as a starting point: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/

 

On walks, you therefore need to work on finding that distance that makes your dog less reactive so that you can work on behavior modification. Behavior modification for reactivity most often involves techniques using desensitization and counterconditioning.

Here are some reads on what these are and how these are applied:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/desensitization/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/counterconditioning/

 

Techniques that incorporate these methods include:

Open bar/closed bar: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/open-bar-closed-bar/

and "Look at that"(after practicing behind a window, one can progress to doing the same exercise in front of the door as dogs walk by and then on walks)

 

What to do if another dog is coming your way and is too close or caught you unprepared:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/emergency-u-turn/

 

There are also classes run by dog trainers (Reactive Rover classes) that can come handy. The advantage of these is that you can work in a more systematic way and have professionals personally coach you.

 

Since behavior modification comes with risks (some dogs may bite when they are too over threshold) it is always best to consult with a behavior professional when dealing with dogs barking and attacking so to play it safe and for correct implementation of behavior modification.

 

Hope this helps,

Best,

Adrienne

[billprispark]

I will work on lowering the threshold I know it is my behavior he senses when we go by another dog so I need to lower my threshold too! Is a muzzle appropriate to use at any time

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Yes, that's very true! Owners need to lower their thresholds too. We humans often also do things that may put our dogs on high alert such as putting tension on the leash the moment we notice another dog at a distance and our dog starts associating that with danger (even if our dog hasn't spotted yet the other dog). Dogs are masters in reading us and I am sure they sense our stress even prior we are exposed to the actual stressor.

 

The good news is that as we work with our dogs to lower their threshold by giving distance and creating positive associations with triggers, we start to relax too as we are no longer exposing our dogs to full intensity situations. We start feeling more in control (especially if the environment permits) and that by itself feels very reassuring. Using a no-pull harness (a harness that has a front ring to attach the leash) instead of a regular collar can also give us a bit more reassurance too considering that it helps more in not being dragged by a large, powerful dog who pulls at full force.

 

A basket muzzle is always appropriate when there are risks for others around the dog. While the goal is to keep a dog under threshold and we can always employ emergency u-turns for when other dogs catch us unprepared and are too close, the basket muzzle can come handy as not always we can 100 percent control the environment (e.g. an off leash dog may approach). So it's not a bad idea to have an extra level of protection to cover all basis if we think a dog has the potential to bite if exposed to certain situations (and all dogs can bite, even the really nice ones when their bite threshold is surpassed).

 

A basket muzzle may also come handy for other reasons. For example, people in general and people walking other dogs in general tend to naturally give distance when they see a dog has a muzzle. Their instincts tells them to not mess with that dog.

 

And a muzzle can also provide peace of mind. I always had my dogs muzzled at the vet's office because one can never know how a dog may react when in pain, stressed or cornered by a vet with no way out.

 

To get used to a muzzle, we want to take a slow, step-by-step approach by creating positive associations with it. Here's a brief guide on the process:

 

 

1) In a room with little distractions, hold the muzzle in your hand and click and treat behaviors that suggest your dog's interest in the muzzle. You may start clicking and rewarding your dog for simply looking at the muzzle. Toss the treat at a distance. Repeat this several times.Next, click and reward your dog for walking towards the muzzle. Toss the treat at a distance so that your dog keeps coming back for more interactions with the muzzle. Repeat this several times.

2) Next, raise the criteria. Click and reward your dog for sniffing the muzzle. Toss the treat at a distance. Your dog should freely keep coming back to interact with the muzzle. Repeat this several times. Now, open the muzzle, and with the help of a treat, guide your dog to insert his nose inside the muzzle in order to get to it. Click and feed the treat through the muzzle. Repeat this several times.

3) Put the behavior of inserting the muzzle on cue by saying "muzzle" followed by a click and treats fed through it. Repeat this several times.

4) Raise the criteria. Again, use the treat to help your dog insert his nose inside the muzzle to get it. Click and feed the treat. Then, fasten the buckle and feed several treats through the muzzle. Remove the muzzle and do not offer anymore treats. Become boring. Repeat this several times.

5) Stop showing the treat to encourage your dog to insert his nose through the muzzle. Ask him to "muzzle" and then feed several treats on the floor. Start increasing the time your dog wears the muzzle and start mixing various rewards for wearing the muzzle. Praise your dog, pet him, play with him, feed some treats. Then, when you remove the muzzle, become boring once again. Apply the same training in other places (yard, walks) to help your dog generalize the training to wearing it in different places.

 

Some words of caution: because using a muzzle may provide a sense of safety, it is wrong to use it to expose dogs to situations they aren't ready to deal with. In other words, the same rules apply when a dog wears a muzzle: keep working under threshold and on creating positive associations.

 

Also, if your dog is a boxer, pug or other breed of dogs with pushed in faces, consider that there a muzzles specially designed for these dogs who have a different facial conformation and may suffer from breathing issues.

 

Since some types of muzzles (like nylon muzzles) restrict a dog's ability to pant, you cannot leave one on your dog for a long time and/or without your supervision.

 

For safety and correct implementation of behavior modification, it's always best to consult with a dog behavior professional who uses gentle, humane techniques. Some dogs also in some cases may require medication or supplements to better manage the underlying anxiety that makes them aggressive.

Edited August 26, 2019 by Adrienne Farricelli