28/03/2021
It's OK, my dogs are friendly!
The old adage 'oh it's ok, my dog(s) is/are friendly' is the bane of the life of a behaviourist working with over-reactive dogs. If I have heard this once I've heard this a thousand times!
Let's look at this - you are trotting along with your over-reactive dog, on a lead, front and back clip on, harness you have checked and all good, dog is calm, you and dog are chilled as you have been working with your behaviourist to reduce the 'reactions/explosions' on seeing, passing another dog or dogs. You and your dog have been doing your homework!
Yep, you have this, you had it last week and progress with Fidorina is going so well. Those tiny wins have built up into today's success! Get in!
Then along comes a person with either a dog or group of dogs and there is either no attention to the dogs being off lead - on phone, chatting, daydreaming - or they have failed recallers as dogs. (I know someone that can help with that!).
These dogs see you and Fidorina coming along the path, you are restricted on where to go, however, there would be sufficient room keeping Fidorina's threshold low if they were on lead and walked past (as you have done this for three weeks now and know your metrics). Their ears prick up they start running over and you can feel Fidorina seeing this and starting to do her check-ins 'What do we do Mom/Dad?'. You shout to the wo/man to get their dogs back and on leads as yours can be a bit funny around dogs. Very clear communication I'd say!
Before you have had chance to change direction, the dogs are around your dog, with the wo/man shouting 'IT'S OK MY DOGS ARE FRIENDLY'.
Meanwhile, back in Dog City - Fidorina is getting stressed, you can see that she is not coping well and then one of the dogs that is supposedly friendly, obviously senses the rising anxiety in Fidorina decides to have a pop at her. DefCon 6 ensues with the other owner screaming at you to control YOUR dog. Fidorina can be this wayed' over to the side and is still on the lead. Fidorina retaliated due to the number of dogs and decided to nip back at the dog, coming out with a mouthful of fur (no blood thankfully).
The owner then proceeds to get their dogs on their leads finally, you manage to prevent yourself from balling your eyes out. However, the owner isn't done! You are subjected to a barrage about getting YOUR DOG Fidorina under control. At this point, I think all that training is now burnt! and to prevent a 'monk moment by Jason Latham' I do some deep breathing.
In the past in these situations I used to walk off, now I just give them the facts - well-rehearsed and I wonder why?
*Fact 1 - I inform them of the law - causing harassment and distress or a nuisance is now covered under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
*Fact 2. Your dogs are NOT under control Sir/Madam and therefore are liable if any damage was to occur to my dog but also to your own dogs through your failure to comply with a simple request.
*Fact 3. Your dogs being friendly of which they are not, is not my issue, the issue is MY dog who was on a lead and under control is not good around dogs that are not under control and now I have wasted 4 weeks of work for your failure to comply with a simple request
*Fact 4 - your dogs being friendly is GREAT, truly it is, but does not give you the right to impose your dogs on every dog that they meet.
So, folks, IT'S OK MY DOGS ARE FRIENDLY - is NOT OK....when they approach either a dog that is on a lead. All it takes is MANNERS and COURTESY and RESPECT! Ask the question, have a conversation, perhaps stand a distance and have a chat - help that dog, or it might be that the dog loves to run off, so is on a lead, it may have a health problem so is on a lead - again - all it takes is a chat!
As an owner of an 'over-reactive' dog - please get your dogs on leads when asked - just until I get past!
As a behaviourist when working with a dog that is reactive - please get your dogs on leads when asked - just until I get past!
As a behaviourist when working with clients that are working with their over-reactive dog - what do you need to do....yep you guessed it - please get your dogs on leads when asked until we all get past.
Please don't undo sometimes weeks and even months of training with the excuse that 'IT'S OK, MY DOGS ARE FRIENDLY' as in this situation, I become a professional that is very unfriendly due to the general lack of respect/courtesy and manners of other dog owners.
C'mon people it's hard with these over-reactive dogs - let's help them out with positive experiences, not by subjecting them to over threshold moments through your lack of attention or lack of training input into your own dogs.
The collective fur family can help each other!
©Catherine Phoenix Hallam 27.03.2021
If you need support with your over-reactive dog then please get in touch via WhatsApp on 07813621947 giving a brief outline of your dog and their behaviour and I'll schedule you in for a free 15 minute Discovery Call to make sure I'm the right person for you and you are right for me too :-) and see if my programmes can support you and your dog going forward.
Photo not mine so here's the link :-)
https://i1.wp.com/3lostdogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Canva-Photo-Of-Dog-With-Leash-1.jpg?resize=600%2C400&ssl=1
