Did you know that dogs aren’t pack animals? Most of the world’s dogs are free roaming dogs, and although they might form temporary, loose pack-like groups, they do not hunt in coordinated packs that stay together, as wolves do.
I see people put a lot of unnecessary guilt on themselves because they believe they are not providing their dogs with adequate social opportunities, but let’s examine this.
About 10% of dogs are estimated to be super social butterflies who put up with lots of different types of dog behavior, and do well with a variety of dogs. About 10% are estimated to be dog aggressive, and they don’t want anything to do with other dogs.
The rest of the dogs fall somewhere in the middle. They may enjoyed play dates with particular dog friends or have a dog friend. But a lot of dogs consider us their social group, and are quite content with our company.
It’s important to evaluate your dog as an individual, because some dogs truly do benefit from socializing with others on a regular basis. But I also see a lot of people put their dogs in social settings in which the dog is largely avoiding other dogs.
We might think we’re helping our dogs, but we are actually causing them stress. Not to mention all the unnecessary guilt we heap on ourselves! Were you surprised to learn this about dogs?
Life in a dog-filled apartment complex can be challenging for a dog with reactivity. One thing we’ve been focusing on with Denver is strengthening skills for encounters in the hallway.
Sometimes, a dog will appear and there’s nothing to do but walk past that dog at close range. For safety and also to help Denver feel secure and confident, Denver’s guardian is working on teaching Denver to quickly position himself between him and the wall.
This positions Denver’s guardian between Denver and the other dog. It’s essential for Denver to be able to do this quickly. Here, you see Denver responding to a verbal cue and the most gentle leash pressure.
We really want Denver to be responding largely to the verbal cue, but it’s also useful that he knows the feeling of the leash pressure will be followed by a treat. This helps him to have a positive association with that feeling. No correction is used.
Look at Denver’s enthusiasm! Well done, you two!
Sometimes it can feel hard to make time for training. The easiest way for many people is to do it is at a particular time of day, starting with a very small amount, like one minute.
This is an amount that is not so scary, and can often get you started if you are feeling intimidated. In the book The Power of Habit, we are told that the best way to establish a new habit is to attach it to an existing habit.
For instance, I generally do my training every night (except Sundays) after I put my son to bed. Because putting my son to bed happens every single night, I don’t forget to do the training. Finishing one activity reminds me to do the next one.
It’s also handy because I have a habit of watching tv afterwards, which is a nice reward for staying on track with my training goals!
What’s a habit you’d like to establish? What activity could you do it after, and what could you do to reward yourself immediately after?
The “sit” cue has a number of uses, one of my favorite of which is as a way for a dog to politely ask for things she wants.
There are a couple of common problems when teaching the sit. The first is that the dog jumps into the air to get the treat as you are raising the treat above her head.
This can often be remedied by moving the treat backward over her back, in a straight line, being sure to keep it low enough that she doesn’t jump up.
The other problem one can run into is that the dog will continue backing up in order to get the treat, and won’t actually sit down.
This is the issue Amber had been experiencing before I arrived, but in less than a minute, we solved the problem! How?
We lured her into a corner before luring her (getting her to follow) the treat above her head. This meant that she couldn’t back up, and she very quickly put her rump on the ground. Yay, Amber!
People sometimes struggle to say no to others who want to interact with their dog in public. Often, this is because we fear the judgment of others, or worry that we might offend them.
Somewhere along the way, we got the idea that our dogs have to be able to say hi to dogs and people for us to be considered good dog owners.
We think perhaps people will judge us to be bad dog owners, or wonder if our dog is deficient in some way. But the truth is that it is not the right of members of the public to interact with your dog.
When we are in public, we want other people to feel safe around our dog, but our only other priorities are that we and our dogs are happy.
It’s not our responsibility to worry about peoples’ feelings if we say no when they ask to pet our dog or have their dog come and say hi to ours. It’s important to set boundaries, and also to recognize when our guilt is misplaced.
We can decline as courteously as possible, and be more assertive if the person doesn’t listen the first time. It’s ok. “We’re training right now, but your dog is really cute! Have a great day!” is a good way to politely decline an interaction.
We can explain our reasons, but we also don’t have to justify ourselves. As my three year old son would say, “No I cannot, because I cannot.” He doesn’t feel the need to explain himself! Have you ever struggled with this? What’s your favorite way of advocating for your dog?
Dudley’s transformation during our session the other day was profound. He started out amped up at a considerable distance from my dog, and ended up walking calmly by her while we stood on the other side of a narrow street! How did this happen? Skill building, of course.
But the other huge component was his guardian working on being a good leader for him. Dogs don’t need us to be the “alpha,” which is a theory that has now been rejected as an accurate explanation for dog behavior.
They just need to know that we’ve got their backs, and will respond reliably in tough situations in a way that helps them feel safe and regulated. Contrary to what is often assumed, the vast majority of dogs aren’t reactive because they are trying to protect us.
If you have a reactive dog, you’ve probably had that experience of panic when you see a trigger approaching. Your mind goes blank as you frantically try to gain control of the situation. There was a study that dogs’ stress levels synchronize with the stress levels of their owners over time. They are extremely perceptive, and they know when we are anxious.
Thus, a super important step is working on the human end of the leash. Dudley and his guardian have an extremely strong bond, so this was crucial. Here’s some of what we did- feel free to try it yourself, and change the order if you like.
Step 1: Take a power stance– square up your shoulders, plant your feet firmly apart, and protectively place yourself between your dog and the trigger.
Step 2: Take a deep breath.
Step 3: Have a mantra that you say when you see the trigger- something like, “You’ve got this.”
Step 4: Try to shorten the leash only as much as safety necessitates – not so much that the dog feels your tension through the leash.
Step 5: Use your reactivity skills while continuing to take deep breaths.
Dudley’s guardian did a fantastic job, and Dudley responded beautifully. I am so proud of these two!!! The really cool part of this is
As humans, we want stability and control. We want to know that all our little improvements will stick- that there will be this steady upward trajectory of progress. But that’s not how life works, and it’s so important to realize the value in picking ourselves back up when things inevitably fall apart.
When we cling to some perfect end goal, we often feel pretty devastated when we feel like we’ve fallen short. If you have a mental health issue like depression, and you get caught up in the idea that all the work you’ve done on yourself means it will never come back, you can feel pretty devastated when it does.
If you have a reactive dog and get stuck in comparing yourself to people whose dogs behave differently, you may cling too hard to your goal. Your dog’s bad day may then come as a huge blow to you. Focus, instead, on the little improvements.
Yesterday went well, and today went poorly- this is life. Pick yourself back up, and remind yourself to notice the improvements over time, even though the days have their ups and downs. Some other time, perhaps tomorrow, perhaps further in the future, you’ll have to pick yourself up again.
Life is always in flux. We will never reach a state of perfection. It’s ok.
Have you noticed that we often hold our dogs to higher standards than we hold ourselves to? Sometimes, my clients with reactive dogs ask me what is reasonable for a dog to react to. Well, that’s a complicated question, but it helps to consider what we ourselves might react to.
For instance, I once had a dog jump out of a car window right in front of me as I was out walking my dogs. I imagine I probably let out a small, surprised yell.
Here’s another scenario: imagine you were walking through the woods and someone suddenly ran straight at you, shouting obscenities? How would you respond?
Yet, we often act like our dogs are being unreasonable if they yell a bit when they are charged at by a barking dog. I like to think of reactivity as overreacting to situations, but it’s worth thinking about what constitutes an overreaction.
I think it’s wonderful if we can get our dogs to respond more favorably to stressors- faster recovery, smaller reactions, etc. But to expect that no response at all should always be the norm, in all situations- is that really fair to them?
Merry’s guardian is working on a structured game of tug. Contrary to popular belief, tug does not cause aggression. However, it is important to have some rules in the game, or it’s possible you will just teach your dog how much fun it is to randomly grab at things with their mouth.
Merry’s guardian is teaching her not to grab it unless he says “Take it!” He is also working on teaching “drop it” using the tug. By stabilizing the tug against his leg, he’s able to make it boring so that she wants to release it.
Just before she does, he says, “Drop it!” Once she does, she’s rewarded- it immediately comes back to life and is fun again! An important part of playing tug is having a blend of a little teasing and a lot of letting the dog “win” and run away with the tug.
You also spend a lot of time moving away from the dog once they have the tug to build up their confidence that you are not out to steal their thing. When they keep bringing it back to you, you know you’re doing something right.
Also, Merry’s guardian is moving the tug away from her, rather than shoving it into her mouth. Squirrels never jump into mouths!
Once Merry is an enthusiastic tug nut, her guardian will work on asking her to sit every now and again. It’s a great way to work on bringing a dog’s arousal up and down.
You want a dog to be able to get very excited and then do something that involves impulse control. It’s a skill that’s really needed- think about how this might translate to door greetings, for instance.
A big thanks to John Imler for having me watch a video entitled “5 Hours of Playing Tug” during my apprenticeship. At the time, I thought, “What! 5 hours?” But actually there’s a ton to know about tug!
Booster is working on skills to help her get certified as a therapy dog. She has a perfect temperament for the job- she’s calm, confident, and really enjoys the company of people.
Here, she is working on walking without pulling, which is a skill she’ll need to pass for her therapy dog test. It’s important to really listen to our dogs if we are thinking of getting involved in a particular activity.
Plenty of dogs wouldn’t thrive as therapy or service dogs- it can be tiring for dogs to give of themselves emotionally! They are also sensitive to peoples’ emotions, and can become exhausted, just like us.
But Booster- I’m excited to see her grow into her new role!
Look at Rex in his chariot, riding like a king! His guardian made the very practical decision to get him this Pet Gear Stroller for rides into and out of their building.
They recently moved into a tall, dog-friendly building, which is an environment Rex had never before experienced in his 12 years. Rex struggles to be in close proximity to other dogs in tight spaces, and they have to be able to take the elevator since he has some physical issues and can’t handle the stairs.
Now that the stroller has been implemented, the elevator rides are no longer a source of stress for either of them! Rex does well with other dogs close by as long as he can’t see them. His guardian used some pretty fabric to cover most of the stroller.
Acclimating him to his chariot was a simple matter of feeding him kongs in there, and now he loves it! An added bonus is that now he can accompany his guardian on long walks once again- something he couldn’t do before due to his reduced stamina. Now, he can enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of the world from the comfort of his safe place.
I’m so proud of Rex’s guardian for deciding to do something a little different. It takes courage to be different! But seriously- what an easy solution! She’s also doing a fantastic job of exploring her own thoughts and feelings about reactivity.
When we become aware of our own emotions when we see another dog approach, it can make a huge difference- dogs really pick up on that! Confidence building and relaxation for the human half of things is crucial.
This crate can hold up to 150 lbs, and yes- large dogs can be taught to fit into small spaces for short periods. I once taught a little dog to cram himself into a slightly too-small crate to fit on a plane for short flights. He could take breaks to stick out his head.
Do you have any unconventional things that have worked to improve your dog’s behavior? Tell us below!
