Need help with passive aggression and some desobedience outside the house

[BrendaGuarneros]

Hello Adrienne and evereybody,

I am Brenda and I have some troubles with my very sweet but stubborn 3 year old americanstaff, Luna. So I have 2 different kinds of problems. First the one that I call her passive-aggression which tends to have her bitten. And the second problem is her lack of obedience while we are outside on a walk. I will start whit this one, the shorter one and I will develop more the aggression matter down. 

The disobedience one

So, it has been around 6 months since we moved in a different country, that every time that I release Luna in the park, all those instructions and well learned tricks at home, seem to be forgotten outside. Like the call, she will come but 5-7 minutes later, or the soonest I take off the leash she will run far away as fast as she can, again at least she always comes back but she didn't used to do it, she would stay only 10 meters away from me. As I said, all of this started since we moved to a different country. So, what can I do to enhance what has been “well” taught and learned at home to be practiced outside? Sometimes she could be very receptive and obey but others super stubborn.

The passive-aggression issue

This issue is the harder to me. It has also started since we moved in, we used to live in Central Africa where there are no parks nor dogs playing on the streets. The thing is, even if it is not constantly (because ironically Luna is very sociable) it happens when she is on leash and she will seem to jump to attack/play (from no apparent reason) or other times will seem to respond to another dog's "hostility". This so called hostility I've noticed that it happens very often when she is on leash but not the other dog and then when I pull her there it goes both dogs attacking themselves and my problem comes if some dog is bitten, because it is always Luna. Or then the other scenario, less common, but when both dogs are off leash and apparently when the other dog don't understand she only want's to play (she is very "enthusiastic" and will jump over the dogs on a playful way, sometimes they get it and play along and sometimes some dogs doesn't like it).

To conclude with this part, I feel impelled of admitting that if I analyse every time she got bitten or almost bitten has a relation with me being afraid of having her bitten or when it is not me but the other owner that will react protective/violent when Luna jumps or arrives running.  So far it probably makes sense to you this cause-effect situation.

But my “profound” struggle started when I learned while Luna was still a puppy of around 6 months. That she doesn’t know how to bite - a trainer I saw back then, told me this, the first time she got in a fight- . That is why ever since I have been overprotective when it comes to a visible violent encounter. I always step up first avoiding the other dog to touch mine and I will defend her every time. So I don’t know if it is possible that my strong character and my overprotectiveness has affected her primary sense of self-preservation, is it possible ? Because I assure you that she has never returned the bite, she will bark, she will growl, she will push them with the paws but she never bite. What a tough americanstaff of mine right? 

I know I am a huge part of the problem, but I don't know how to deal with it. Of course I don’t wish either to have a dog that attacks or bites every other dog just in case and just because she can. I only wish to know what to do to avoid these situations to continue. Because I rather want to have Luna to watch my back and not the other way around.

Thank you for your attention!

 

[Adrienne]

Hi Brenda,

Welcome to the forums!

I will first start by addressing the first problem you are facing, the one about the recall. 

Moves can be surely stressful on dogs and dogs aren't that great in generalizing. In other words, what they learn to do in one place, doesn't easily transfer to another. This is why so many dog owners struggle when their dogs learn obedience in class and then in the outdoor world they struggle and their behavior falls apart. It also explains why dogs who are perfectly potty trained end up having a few accidents in a new home. 

In your case, you need to factor in also the fact that in Central Africa there were no parks nor dogs playing on the streets so this is a big change. One of the biggest challenges dog owners face is calling their dogs away from other dogs or other strong distractions.  There may also be a component of anxiety going on in these cases since you mention she has been exposed to certain unpleasant encounters with other dogs. So it could be she is "on edge' when you release her into the park and this works against you. 

In general, we want to avoid as much as possible the scenario of us calling our dogs and our dogs not coming at all or returning to us later once whatever was distracting them subsides. This because by calling a dog with no response, we risk "un-charging" our recall when instead want our recall to be powered up as much as possible. So to remedy this, we want to help our dog succeed taking smaller steps and introducing distractions gradually, while also making coming to us super rewarding. So here are some tips/idea you can try:

1) Troubleshoot what is keeping her from responding to you. Think about past episodes when you called her and she wasn't paying attention. Was she sniffing the ground? Was she looking at other distant dogs? Was she listening to distant sounds? Was she focusing on romping around? 

2) Once you identify what distracts her, you know that you should avoid calling her in those circumstances until you have worked on lower levels of distractions succeeding a good percentage of the time. So keep tabs on the challenging circumstances and save them to work on to later on. 

3) Also, evaluate what your dog is most interested in and when her interest is most alive and avoid calling during these circumstances-for now. So, if possible, avoid calling her after she was shortly released off leash. This is the time when the environment is at its most salient level. Dogs are super charged up, they want to stretch their legs, romp and sniff around. Also avoid calling her when she is sniffing for now. When dogs sniff, a good percentage of their brains are occupied in analyzing smells. 

4) Practice first in smaller, lower distraction areas that are fenced for safety like your backyard or a friends' backyard. If you have no fenced area to practice, you can use a lunge line (one of those long sort of leashes used for horses that can be several feet long) attached to your dog's collar. 

5) Use baby steps. Call your dog when your dog has released pent-up energy and has sniffed and explored most areas. You may notice at some point that she is less interested in the environment and maybe is getting a little bored. Call your dog when there are no sights or sounds around her or they are less intense.  Call her when she is close to you and you know there is not much that can distract midway. Reward generously to leave an impact. Feed several high-value treats in a row. If she looks thirsty, you can also call her and reward by offering her a drink from one of those portable water bowls followed by several tasty treats. 

6) Don't call too many times necessarily or just to try to see if she comes. You want to protect your recall and maintain it strong. 

7) Practice sit/stays and down/stays with a recall in your home, fenced yard to further empower your recall.  Dogs get a double-whammy here: they are released from the stay and are then are fed your tasty treats from your closed hand, treat bag or pocket. The hide and seek games may fun to play too!

8) What if you call your dog and he does not come to you at all? In this case, you should avoid repeating the command over and over again. Rather, if you can, try to run away or leave the area, hoping your dog will follow you. Feed treats when your dog catches up with you. 

9) If your dog has a history of not coming to you and you really want to polish the cue, change it. Your dog will have an easier time learning a new cue from scratch than hearing you repeat a command she has learned to ignore for a very long time. 

10) Reserve special high-value rewards specifically for training recalls. So-so treats, yield so-so results. If possible, choose a variety of treats to surprise your dog. 

11) If you take your dog to the park, it is important to learn how to call your dog when it is time to leave. If you call your dog every time to only snap the leash and leave, your dog will not be much eager to come to you next time, because she has started associating your recall with leaving the park. To protect your recall from having attaining a bad stigma at the park you can do the following: Call your dog at the park, have her sit, snap the leash on, give a treat and then unsnap the leash only to release her to go play again. When you really need to leave, snap the leash on and play with your dog using a tug toy or feed several treats as you both walk away. Make yourself much more interesting than anything. Leave a positive impact on your dog.

12) Consider that the recall is one of those things we actually never end training as there are always new challenges and opportunities. As always, it's important to ensure we put the dog up for success. 

I hope this helps. Keep me posted on how it goes. I will follow up on the other issue you are facing shortly.

[Adrienne]

OK, so let's go to the other issue you mentioned...I will be quoting some of your passages. 

"Even if it is not constantly (because ironically Luna is very sociable) it happens when she is on leash and she will seem to jump to attack/play (from no apparent reason) or other times will seem to respond to another dog's "hostility". This so called hostility I've noticed that it happens very often when she is on leash but not the other dog and then when I pull her there it goes both dogs attacking themselves and my problem comes if some dog is bitten, because it is always Luna."

When dogs are on leash and they encounter other dogs, they often engage in different behaviors compared to when both parties are off leash. Let's take a look at some dynamics. 

For starters, being on leash often forces two dogs to meet frontally, which dogs can perceive as threatening. Given the choice, many dogs with good social etiquette will meet sideways, in a curved manner, which doesn't force them to make direct eye contact. Additionally, the presence of the leash may cause dogs who are on leash to assume certain postures that other dogs may perceive as somewhat threatening such as standing with the head high. 

We must also consider the transmission of certain emotions traveling down the leash all the way to the dog. An owner holding the leash may transmit some tension to the dog if the owner is a bit nervous about the outcome of an interaction. Not to mention,  a leash may prevents dogs from properly displaying calming signals. When two dogs meet off leash, they can communicate better and it's easier to use their body language prevent conflicts. We also must consider space. A leash forces a dog to not move away and therefore is unable to negotiate space. This puts a dog into the position of choosing fight more readily than flight should an interaction go sour. 

You mention that when you pull your dog away, both dogs are attacking. This is not unusual. Our intervention may cause a startle response if there was already some level of tension. This often adds fuel to the fire. Look at this video below and notice how the snark seems to occur the moment the owner pulls on the leash. Sure, it is pretty clear that the interaction didn't start very well, and you could almost palpate the tension in the air, but the leash pull seemed to exacerbate things. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=140&v=mSRQ9o22KG8&feature=emb_logo

"Or then the other scenario, less common, but when both dogs are off leash and apparently when the other dog don't understand she only want's to play (she is very "enthusiastic" and will jump over the dogs on a playful way, sometimes they get it and play along and sometimes some dogs doesn't like it)."

 

If your dog didn't get to see many dogs back in Central Africa, it could very likely be that shes hasn't gotten to learn too much about how to interact with other dogs. Or maybe she does just fine, but uses a bit of a "Canine Tarzan,"  approach that isn't appreciated by certain types of dogs, typically dogs who aren't eager to have other dogs "all in their face."

 

"To conclude with this part, I feel impelled of admitting that if I analyse every time she got bitten or almost bitten has a relation with me being afraid of having her bitten or when it is not me but the other owner that will react protective/violent when Luna jumps or arrives running.  So far it probably makes sense to you this cause-effect situation."

 

It could very likely be that human intervention makes matters worse. It sounds like there are two dynamics going on: you intervene because you know your dog's approach may not be appreciated by certain dogs, and the other dog owners react because they know their dogs don't do well with certain types of approaches. 

 

"But my “profound” struggle started when I learned while Luna was still a puppy of around 6 months. That she doesn’t know how to bite - a trainer I saw back then, told me this, the first time she got in a fight- . That is why ever since I have been overprotective when it comes to a visible violent encounter. I always step up first avoiding the other dog to touch mine and I will defend her every time. So I don’t know if it is possible that my strong character and my overprotectiveness has affected her primary sense of self-preservation, is it possible ? Because I assure you that she has never returned the bite, she will bark, she will growl, she will push them with the paws but she never bite. What a tough americanstaff of mine right? "

 

I wouldn't worry too much about Luna not biting. Trust me, you don't want to have a dog who readily bites as that can set you for some serious liabilities. Unless Luna has some  type of malocclusion going on where the teeth don't meet as they're supposed to, it could simply be that she has learned superb bite inhibition as a puppy or that she simply prefers to use ritualized aggression as means of avoiding real conflict. 

 

Einstein my Rottie was this type. One day, a dog growls and tries to attack Einstein. Einstein quickly gets a hold of this dog by neck and pins him to the ground. I tell Eintein "off" and he readily lets go and I tell him to go find my husband who was just a few feet away. As he leaves, I go check this dog's neck area concerned about injuries, and there is nothing. Zero. Just wet saliva where I was expecting to see a huge gash. An 86 pound Rottie with a soft mouth! I was glad because I was already feeling the adrenaline rush of going to tell the dog owner that his dog got injured by mine and Rottweilers already have a bad rap so I wasn't looking forward to it!

 

 After all, I wasn't surprised, he always played well with other dogs and even grabbed birds without leaving teeth marks. He for sure did know how to bite if needed, but decided not to use that level of force. Perhaps all his playing with his litter mate sister must have taught him to be gentle mouthed and use ritualized aggression first. 

 

 However, I truly believe that any dog can bite if pushed too far. Perhaps it just a matter of feeling enough stress or pain, perhaps it's a matter of feeling for the first time truly vulnerable. Maybe you haven't witnessed real fights, but just squabbles with lots of noise and mostly inhibited bites. Real fights are ugly and I hope you never get to witness one. It often leads to both dogs needing to get stitches. 

 

" I know I am a huge part of the problem, but I don't know how to deal with it. Of course I don’t wish either to have a dog that attacks or bites every other dog just in case and just because she can. I only wish to know what to do to avoid these situations to continue. Because I rather want to have Luna to watch my back and not the other way around."

 

At this point, I would suggest to avoid as much as possible areas where there are off leash dogs when you are walking your dog on leash. These encounters don't do anyone any good, to you, your dog, the other dog owners and their own dogs. You don't know what type of dog you may stumble upon (will this dog accept my dog's play style? or will it become a potential fight?) and this will create tension. 

 

If you see a dog coming your way (if you live in an area with lots off -leash dogs) I suggest making a swift about turn and perhaps tossing some treats towards the other dog to prevent him from accessing your dog. This is to protect you, your dog and the other dogs, considering that every time there is a squabble or more serious fight between dogs, you and other dog owners risk becoming victims of redirected bites. Not to mention, we don't know anything about these other dogs (are they up to date on their rabies shots? Are they healthy?)

 

If you know there are dogs that are accepting of her play style and she has fun playing with them at the park,  it would be nice to organize play dates with these specific dogs so to prevent her from becoming potentially sensitized to dogs who correct her and can cause emotional repercussions that may linger and lead to future problems. Of course, always with supervision and keeping in a corner of the mind, that, as some dogs mature, they may become gradually less tolerant of other dog's play styles, so never letting the guard down.

 

Now, a disclaimer is warranted here: If you ever have any doubts on whether certain dogs are compatible, please play it safe and a have a dog behavior professional assess the dogs in person and monitor some interactions so to increase the chances for safe interactions. 

 

I hope this helps!

Best,

Adrienne

 

 

 

 

[BrendaGuarneros]

Hi Adrienne,

Thank you very much for your quick response and for a nice welcome to the forums! 🙂

And thank you very very much for your tips on the recall I will try them. And let you know how it goes.

Finally again a big thank you for your feedback on the aggression matter. I take good note of every tip, and just have then one last question, in case I could'nt avoid it and got again in front of a tension situation on leash.  Do you think I should wait and do my best to not intervene and probably better let go of the leash in order to give her more space?

Would they settle their differences just in a couple of barks and that's all? Or what should I do ? How can I manage my reaction, what should be the best reflex to take in those moments in order to help her react better as well?

Thank you again for your time and attention!

Have a nice weekend!

 

 

[Adrienne]

" In case I could'nt avoid it and got again in front of a tension situation on leash.  Do you think I should wait and do my best to not intervene and probably better let go of the leash in order to give her more space? Would they settle their differences just in a couple of barks and that's all? Or what should I do ? How can I manage my reaction, what should be the best reflex to take in those moments in order to help her react better as well?"

I wished there was an easy answer for this. If it were that easy we would have a standard operation procedure to apply to these cases and everybody in the world would employ them and all on--leash encounters would be safe. Here's the thing:  in dog-to-dog encounters there are many variables. 

For instance, there are dogs who are don't like other dogs no matter what we do. They'll just want to attack whether the leash is loose, the leash is tense, whether the other dog is showing appeasement gestures, whether the other dog is female, male, big, small, young, old etc. So a loose leash won't help in this case.

Then there are dogs who may seem OK, but if the encounter is a little bit longer, they will grow intolerant.  When I worked for a dog training company, they allowed very brief encounters with other dogs in their classes to prevent this. So we had dog owners training there dogs to do a quick sniff, count up to five seconds and then cue their dogs to back to heeling.  This was an advanced puppy class though, so we knew all dogs were getting along great as we had them since early puppy hood. Many dogs start disliking other dogs once they reach social maturity between 12 and 36 months. 

Sometimes you stumble on dogs who are fine with other dogs until the other dog does something they don't like such as sniff their face or shoulders, or gets too close to their face or glances into their eyes for even a split second. 

Then, you have dogs who seem fine and then the moment the other dog is about to leave, they'll growl and lunge. I call this the "cowardly approach."

And of course, then you have social dogs who just want to meet and greet, and there are not much risks, as long as your dog is OK with it  (and all the stars are aligned correctly.) 

So lot's of variables there which is why our best bet to play it safe and do as much as possible to avoid iffy encounters (and even positive encounters since such encounters risk only teaching dogs that their excited behavior is reinforced). Just like we must protect our recall from becoming poisoned as it happens when we call our dogs to do something they may dread (give a bath, trim nails, which need to be worked on to make them less dreadful),  a wrong encounter with another dog may negatively impact them, if not physically, at an emotional level which can have prolonged repercussions. 

 A tight leash for sure can play a number on the encounter because it interferes with a dog's ability to communicate through body language, it may have a startling effect, not to mention, if we always tighten the leash when we see another dog approaching, we are alerting the dog of possible danger. Our anxiety about the situation can travel down the leash. 

Because of this, dog behavior professionals discourage on-leash greetings, and if an encounter is inevitable, both owners should maintain a loose leash, but of course this can only help if both dogs are social savvy dogs who are able to communicate well and negotiate without harming the other physically or emotionally. Keeping a loose leash with an unknown dog approaching hoping that all goes well is sort of like the risky advice of "letting dogs sort it out" in households with dogs who fight, only to regret it later when dogs get into a serious fight that could have been avoided. 

As you can see because of all these variables, the optimal way to proceed is to do as much as possible to avoid encounters. This can sometimes mean driving to areas that are less frequented by off leash dogs. As much as this may seem like a hassle, it's for the sake of preventing major problems down the road.

 

[BrendaGuarneros]

Thank you Adrienne,

I totally uderstand that is not possible to have one unique formula, which is why I agree on keep on avoiding troubles on the street.

On the other hand she starts to react better to the recall, she's waiting for me a few metters distance instead of running 10 miles alone. I only use from time to time the long leash, is it ok? I mean, I don't use it every time we go out, but I do have started having her walk on leash in the park a while before I release her, and I have been working on the recall with sausage and cheese treats as well as with the hide and seek play (which is fun for both of us 🙂 ).

Finally, as I  you suggested we have been avoiding encounters potentially risky so Luna is doing fine. In the park off leash she's still very sociable and playfull  which makes me happy because I didn't want her to build a stigma against every dog around her. So, so far I think it's ok. 

Thank you for your attention and all your tips given with su much detail, it is very appreciated. You make me feel better and more comfortable with these little steps going forward. Thank you!!

 

[Adrienne]

I am glad to hear you are seeing some improvements in her recall! When a dog sticks nearby, it's a good idea to reward these voluntary "check-ins." I like to walk around a fenced yard and say "good girl!" and hand a treat to a dog who has a lot of acreage to explore, but yet decides to stick nearby me. Never take this for granted. It's a blessing and paves the path towards a dog who yo-yos between exploring and checking on us so that we can know about each others' whereabouts. 

With a long leash on sometimes yes and sometimes no, we risk the dog becoming "leash savvy." In other words, the dog starts taking off the moment the long leash is removed and plays hard to catch as she senses an exhilarating sensation of freedom. It's a good idea to make great things happen when the long leash is on so to create positive associations. For instance, you snap it on and give treats, and give treats for checking-in while on it and make it a goal of often rewarding proximity towards you. Be very generous here as the things she may stumble on when off leash at a distance from you can compete against you.

For safety, it is always best to leave off-leash adventures only to fenced-in areas where we can somewhat relax and know that the dog is safe and there are no other animals.  

Thanks for posting the update and keep us posted on your progress!

Best,

Adrienne