Why is my Dog Lunging on the Leash?

Do you own a dog that does not act "normal" when he sees another dog on leash? 

Learning good emotional control takes practice

Many dogs do not have good coping skills to greet another dog when confined by a leash.    You may describe this type of dog as fearful, hyper vigilant, aggressive, reactive, out of control, barks all the time, rude, pushy, anxious or even clingy.  Dogs who exhibit these behaviors are cruelly labeled and often given up on, but the truth is that these behaviors are your dog's way of begging for some help.  If your dog is displaying these emotions he is clearly not a calm dog, and therefore not a balanced or content dog.  Unbalanced dogs are riddled with emotions they cannot control, which make them difficult to live with and own, but these are the dogs that need us the most.....

With effective behavior modification programs, these anxious reactive dogs can thrive in our homes and communities.  Having a plan to keep them safe, predictable exercise routines, desensitization tools, healthy nutrition, doggie Zen and possibly medication, these dogs will love us unconditionally.  Just look in there eyes and help them feel safe, always..

If you have taken on the task to raise a dog with fearful reactive behaviors, know you are not alone.  I personally have three dogs who each have different levels of fears and often use distance cues with humans and dogs.  I understand your stress of owning an unbalanced dog....  Even my family members have called them names, not truly understanding my dogs level of stress. I feel an enormous amount of empathy for these animals as I see in their body language how much more worried they are then other dogs.  I have spent hours counter condition their fears to various stimuli and I work very hard to have a plan each time I take them in public so I can set them up

Thinking through arousal...

for success.  I manage for safety, continually counter condition their fear emotions to positive ones so they know what to do in different situations and cherish each calm moment we have together.  My two females came to me with bite histories and have each received their Canine Good Citizen Certification from two different trainers.  One has gone on to be Therapy Dog International Certified, so do not lose hope and celebrate each small daily success!  

Using the right balance of tools, your dog will one day be able to think through his arousal so you can reward him and not be frustrated with him.

What Does Stress Look Like?

When I think of unwanted behavior, I think of stress as the two are often related.

This dog is worried

Go Away!

My goal here is to help you identify your dogs stress signals so you can get them help before this stress causes unwanted behavior. Science clearly states that stress leads to health problems, negatively affect relationships with others and can also make us grumpy, irritable, less tolerant and even aggressive.

Is it true if we humans are stressed our dogs can sense it?  Yes, when we feel worried, anxious or angry, our dogs will certainly be effected in some way.  Different dogs will react differently to mental and physical pressures in their environment.

How many of us often turn to physical exercise to relieve stress or tension felt from our environment.  Is your dog able to go for a daily jog to relieve the stress he carries around or is he confined to run the fence line and bark in frustration becoming more and more aroused.  Does he destructively chew your furniture, pace wildly and mouth your arms and hands when you enter?  You may perceive this mouthy greeting as excitement, but it is stress.

An unfamiliar dog has approached to the
right, this mix is looking away to avoid conflict. 

Signs of Stress come in many different forms:

• Does your dog ever bark rapidly, scan the environment for a threat, pace back and forth, tremble, chew in a ripping or destructive manner, pant when not tired, flatten his ears back, lower his head when approached (guilty appearance), cower or urinate when you or anyone else approaches, hide between your feet, growl, lick his lips when not eating,  yawn when not tired, turn his nose away from his favorite treat when in an unfamiliar environment.  Urinate or defecate when arriving at a new home, or training center.  
• Young adolescent pups may playfully mount dogs or humans or do this as a sign of stress as is biting the leash and excessive mouthing of human hands. Exaggerated self grooming which can cause hair loss, sudden outbreak of dander can also be stress related. 



White dog is fearful and sniffs
  to avoid greeting

• Does your dog often begin to sniff the ground when meeting new dogs, stop to scratch just as a greeting is about to occur, avoids the new dog completely?  We know stress can effect health, stress that continues over a period of time can cause a dogs immune system to become fragile due to increased cortisol in the system.  Have you ever considered that a dogs unpleasant body odor or bad breath can be the result of high stress. 

Environmental triggers are everywhere,  who is

Where is this dogs
weight shifted?

present, how many stimuli, if they are approaching slowly or quickly, how your dog feels at that moment, what smells are near, what he sees and hears are all triggers that can cause your dog stress and they are constantly effecting your dogs behavior.

Knowing the signs of stress in your dog is essential to keep him safe, happy and healthy.

For more information consider reading Stress in Dogs by Marina Scholz and Clarissa Von Reinhardt, well worth the time to read.

Changing Your Dogs Emotional Response

Simply wanting your dog to respond differently to sights and sounds is not enough.  In the last Blog, I talked about having a plan, going slow and being in a good emotional place yourself.

Please keep in mind, when your dog becomes afraid or anxious his emotional state is responding to one or more triggers in the environment, which will cause a physical response.  The better you can read your dogs body language the more success you will have in desensitizing him to his triggers.  What do I mean:  desensitization is defined as the diminished emotional responsiveness to a negative or aversive stimulus after repeated exposure to it. It also occurs when an emotional response is repeatedly evoked in situations in which the action tendency that is associated with the emotion proves irrelevant or unnecessary. Desensitization is a process primarily used to assist individuals unlearn phobias and anxieties. 
source: Wikipekia.org

For example, you may see your dog respond by barking and lunging at a trigger, however before this, look for signs of stiffness, body freeze, standing tall on toes, closed mouth with a hard stare, ear twitching, sniffing high in the air, whining, pacing or beginning to bark.  These are also, your dogs physical responses to his unsettled emotional state.  I believe with training you will get better at responding more quickly and thoughtfully to your dogs change in body language.

Now think simple, maybe even fun!

Two games you can use to desensitize your dog to a trigger:

1. Find it:  In this video you will see a slightly reactive Miniature Pincher playing a fun hunting game in the grass we call "find it", while a boy moves slowly in the distance.  To teach your dog to play find it, simply take a few pieces of your dogs kibble or treats, show him the food, say "find it" and toss the food near you on the floor.  Repeat in the quiet of your home where there are no distractions.  This Miniature Pincher knew how to play this game several weeks before we added the trigger of a child talking and moving about in the distance.

How do you measure success?  Notice the dog alerts to the child and the handler quickly continues the game.  The dog does not go over threshold with any barking or lunging. 

2. Fetch:  Many dogs love to play fetch with their owners and this game is often begun in the home or the dogs own back yard and is rewarded by lots of enthusiasm from the handler.  Taking this fun game and playing it with your dog at a distance from a trigger can be a great way to desensitize.

In this photo you see a yellow lab in the back ground playing a fun game of fetch with his owner while two other adolescent dogs are playing nearby.  While the proximity is quite close, this yellow lab has had a great deal of training and focus work.  Initially, you would begin at a distance from the trigger and be aware of your dogs body language so you can keep him engaged in the game as soon as he alerts to the trigger but before he actually reacts.

I hope this blog gives you some motivation to change your dogs behavior and not just shock it. I know there are many dog trainers who will happily take your money to stop unwanted behavior, however adding punishment to a stressed out dog is simply shattering his nervous system and breaking any relationship you thought you may have had with him.

Changing Behavior

When changing your dogs behavior or habits it is best to go slow and keep it simple.  Changing habits takes time and while the process may seem overwhelming at times, remember small successes are a big deal!

Steps to changing your dogs behavior: 

1. Make a plan, put it in writing, including specific detailed goals

2. Identify your dogs triggers and the alternative behavior you desire

3. Focus on asking your dog to do the alternative behavior or habit every single time the trigger happens at a distance, for several weeks.

4. Reward your dog generously for offering the alternative behavior

several reactive dogs changing their behavior

• Reward even if the dog attempts the behavior.
• Reward even if the dog takes one step or turns his head to consider the option of complying.
• Avoid only rewarding when the dog completes the new behavior, but do reward the dog for even the slightest attempt of any new behavior.  This is called a "choice point",  it is to your advantage to reward any attempt in making the correct choice!  
• Avoid this mistake:  if your dog is afraid of the mail carrier, then begin with all adults but avoid the mail carrier for now.  When your expectations are not real, you will be frustrated. Setting your dog up for success is best done when the triggers are very low and far away, this is a good plan for getting an alternative behavior started.
• Even if the dog does it for one second!  When you begin to reward slight offerings of new behavior, your dog will more likely want to continue to play this new game!

Take it slow, breathe,  and relax as your dog is depending on you!  Setting your dog up for success also implies training when YOU are in a calm mental state.  If it helps, think of the many things your dog does right and build one small behavior at a time!

Next, I will offer specific games to play in specific locations to help you progress.

Aggression in Dogs

Canine aggression will always be an interesting topic discussed among dog lovers.  We know conflicts are normal and it is our job as humans to teach young children how to cope or resolve conflicts with other children and adults.

A Stressful Greeting

We humans are taught to resolve conflict by using our words at a young age, often through examples by our parents, teachers and grandparents.  Yet, many teenagers and adults have difficulty coping with conflict and may find themselves in a yelling or physical situation.  Having someone who loves them and are willing to help them change their behavior in very small steps is a blessing and a must for them to be successful.

If you find yourself the owner of a dog showing aggression, take a deep breath and first realize that changing behavior is difficult and will take time.  Many animals use whatever defensive mechanisms they have  to scare threatening intruders or scary stimuli away as a mechanism to feel safe.  Cows may only be able to kick at their aggressor, chickens may claw and use their beaks to peck or bite a scary stimuli.  Cats are known for their hissing, arched back and fast clawing as a way to say "back off."

Our furry canine friends also use what works for them which is often rapid barking, growling, show of teeth, lunging or snapping to scare off anything that they are afraid of.  If your dog is getting into scuffles at a park or daycare, please do not take him there anymore.  Aggression is a defensive mechanism that dogs will use to keep themselves safe or gain resources.  If your dog learns that aggression works, then he will continue to use it and even get good at it.

Now, avoid putting your dog in situations where he is showing even the smallest amount of aggression as you want to change this behavior right?  Then eliminate the possibility of practicing an unwanted behavior.

• Make a list of the triggers that set him off, even those that put him into a heightened arousal or anxious state.  
• Make a list of the alternative behavior you prefer your dog do.
• Start slow and set your dog up for success.  For example if your dog barks at kids 20 feet away, then keep him 60 feet away for now.
• Know what motivates your dog and be GENEROUS with the reward when he offers the alternative behavior.

This is just the beginning, breathe, really take a big breath as your tension is not helpful to your dog in any way while helping him feel safer.  Make your plan and remember your entire day is a series of habits or sequences of behavior just like your dog.  So, your plan should set your dog up for success just for today as we will be taking this one day at a time.  Stay tuned for more tips on changing your dogs behavior.

Learning How to Cope without Frustration

I find myself saying this to many clients, "your dog is barking because he is frustrated."  Many young pups and adolescent dogs become spoiled and then frustrated when they are not able to get to something or someone all the time.  You might think we could be discussing children, this emotion is very similar and difficult not to reward.

This behavior is apparent in many dog training classes, when an owner is playing with her dog using a toy, another dog will bark at them as if to say "I want that toy or I want to play too".  Motivating your dog to focus on you is a good place to start while in your own home where there are no distractions.

Leash Frustration

What about when a new dog enters the room?  Many dogs will bark and pull towards the new dog as if to say "I want to say hello."  If during the first 5 months of your puppies life you always let him pull you to new dogs you encounter, then your dog will be incredibly frustrated when you decide it is not a good idea to let him drag you around.  When a behavior has been rewarded repeatedly, then the reward is removed for the same behavior, frustration will certainly follow.

Picture a puppy that jumps on his owner then sits and is reward multiple times in his first few months of life.  When the puppy is about 45 lbs and is no longer rewarded for this jumping, the puppy will often jump higher or with more force, if this intense jumping does not work, then barking usually follows.  These puppies do not understand why their behavior suddenly is not working?  "I always get my owners attention by jumping and then get a cookie for sitting!"

Frustration enters the picture when punishment is applied or when he finds himself in a no win situation.  Asking any alternative behavior and rewarding it is so much better than just saying "no" which only increases the frustration.    Dogs can learn to cope with change and avoid frustration if they are rewarded for another behavior.

Helping your dog learn to live in a human world without becoming frustrated is a process, one that should begin the day you bring him home!

Car Aggression

Have you ever walked by a car with a barking dog inside?  What did you do?  Stop and stare? Ignore it? You most likely kept walking as you were going somewhere.  You may have thought "someone should correct that yappy dog!"

This pup has no worries:0)  If he barks it is only so you
come give him affection.

The dog however is rewarded when you move away, especially if you stopped and confronted him with a look, then turned and walked away.  How many times can a dog get a reward from barking at people that walk past his car in just a short shopping trip?  Each one is reinforcing his behavior, he has no reason to stop, he made you move away!  This environment is encouraging him to practice an unwanted behavior.

 If your dog does not bark in the car, then he is most likely a happy dog that is not worried about being confined.  However if your dog barks in the car, he may also bark in a crate, the house or a fenced in yard.  This type of dog has issues with confinement which need to be addressed.  Sure you can "correct" the behavior, which only stops it when you are there, but it does nothing to change the emotional state of the dog, so his behavior will most likely become more intense over time as he seeks out the reward more often.

Helping the dog learn to associate confinement as a positive rather than something that is frustrating or scary is the key to helping the dog curb his barking behavior whether you are there or not.  Consider a dog that is aggressive in a crate when you approach, showing his teeth and barking wildly.  Try to approach, toss a treat and retreat away, do this 10 or so times until the dog is happy with your approach.

How about a dog that is growling and barking in a car?  I bet if you have a friend approach, toss a yummy treat in the window and retreat several times, the dog will stop barking and look forward to his approach. With repetition of this conditioning "people approaching my car = something yummy"  The dogs association is changed so the behavior is also changed.  Does this training take time, yes, but is well worth the effort if you want your dog to mature with less stress and frustration.  The fact that the dog stops barking is a bonus reward for you!

Leash Frustration

While many dogs enjoy playing with other dogs off leash, they may act frustrated, excited or even aggressive at the site of a dog when on leash.  It's unfortunate that the leash is a safety tool for us, yet can create what appears to be a Jekyll and Hyde reaction in our dogs. For obvious reasons, we must use a leash to protect our dogs and I am happy many of you do use them as they are the law in many places.

Why is this the case with some dogs? 

Dogs weren't born knowing how to be walked on a leash, and we humans weren't born knowing how to use them. Some of you may remember growing up with dogs in the neighborhood running around and greeting with no altercations.  That is because it is normal behavior for dogs to meet, greet, and/or sniff every other dog, person, or tree. It's nice to be that excited about everything, isn't it? 

This is where the term "barrier frustration" is often discussed in dog training. It's when something, in this case the leash, prevents a dog from getting to what he wants, over time this often results (inadvertently) into this frustrating or aggressive reaction. This lack of emotional control "I want it, I want it now! I must meet that other dog!" response inadvertently gets punished.  In many cases, dogs contained by invisible fences where there is a great deal of foot traffic will experience this heightened frustration.

Over time, with each on-leash walking episode, this frustration builds and builds and builds, and gets to the point where the mere sight of another dog triggers this frustrated reaction. Many dogs begin to associates other dogs with frustration. And we're all familiar with feelings of frustration - similar to going to the vending machine every day for months to get your favorite afternoon snack, only to have the machine eat your money and the snack get stuck as it is deposited.  Have you ever seen anyone hit, kick or even shake the machine?  Maybe you have felt this frustration.  Imagine if it happened every week!

Regardless of the "why", the solution is the same:  Teach Your Dog a Rewarding Incompatible Behavior.  Something that's fun, rewarding, and what will soon become the better, more desirable choice when out walking.

Two easy behaviors I find that work well are 1) "Auto Watch or Watch Me"—Your dog makes eye contact with you and he gets a treat.   2) "Find it"— where you toss a treat on the ground right in front of him, thus keeping his head focused somewhere else while having him "hunt", an activity many dogs enjoy. 

I suggest you take his meals on the road, but along with his regular kibble, add something he's more likely to be crazy for. This way your dog is more likely to pay attention to you, and not bark and lunge at the end of the leash.  Begin with these games in your home or yard where you have no distractions.  Then gradually expose your dog to a dog at a great distance and continue to play "find it" or say "watch me" when your dog simply looks at a dog.  Over time, your dog will look at a dog, then automatically look at you, hence the "auto watch" and be rewarded!  

With consistency, your dog will start to look at you as soon as he sees a new dog in anticipation of a fun game!  Be excited and generous with your rewards.

Barking at Strangers

Classical Conditioning is the process of making a new association.   Triggers can be something the dog sees, hears, smells, feels or even tastes, they are something that our dogs have associations with which may be scary or negative.

Reactive Beagle doing a sit stay in
the presence of new dogs.  I am using
hotdogs as a high value reward.

When we use classical conditioning we change an association or emotional response our dog has to a trigger.  For example, if our dog is currently afraid of strangers then Strangers = Yummy Food all the time!

The goal is to start having your dog make a positive association when he sees a stranger or a hand coming at him.  Even if he is growling, yes, you are changing his emotional state. Remember strangers or hands predict punishment or fear now, so let’s change it (classical conditioning). 

When he barks at a guest, ask the guest to toss him a treat or several treats.  If your dog approaches the guest, just let him sniff and ask your guest to not pet him as he is in training.  Try having a guest toss a treat behind your dog, I bet your dog comes closer to the guest each time for a new treat.  Then possibly progress to hand feeding from behind the stranger with no eye contact, then sideways, then touch and treat under the chin only.  Touching may take weeks, but eventually your dog will associate a hand coming at him as something good not scary!  

You will need to do this CC training in your home, front yard, side yard, driveway, street and any other place in your neighbor hood that your dog becomes worried.  You will need to continue this training in all new environments so your dog learns to generalize his new associations.

When we desensitize our dogs to their triggers we are lowering their reaction.  For example, if the knock at the door sets your dog in a high arousal mode say level 10, then knock as often as you think about it so her reaction is only a 3 when a real guest comes.  Lowering her arousal will help her control her emotions but you must be CALM for this to work.  When children are running around, or bikes are flying bye, take your dog far enough away that she sees or hears the trigger but can control her emotions, reward for an easy behavior like watch me, here cue or sit and stay.  Gradually move closer to the stimuli and reward for good emotional control. This is a progression and may take several weeks, but will work and is wonderful to see the dog gain confidence to the trigger.

Using the above methods will help your dog be calmer when scary stimuli are near. Practice many repetitions of having her hear or see the trigger and reward for calm behavior!  Remember if your dog is too aroused to think, move farther away!

Rescue Dogs

Rescue dogs are often put up for adoption simply because humans do not know how to get them to STOP doing something.  Turn this correction thought process into rewarding the dog for what he is doing right!

These dogs learn appropriate social skills each day.

Punishing or correcting an animal for making a mistake often makes the situation more frustrating for the animal.  We all have experiences when something that once worked fine now is not working at all.  Your car does not start, the printer is out of ink, your phone battery is dead.  Both people and animals get the same feeling when faced with this situation known as extinction in behavior terms. We all get angry, yell, maybe even curse, "this is infuriating!" 


I often see this intense behavior when working with rescue dogs, such as barking, guarding, lunging, jumping, spinning and many others.  For example, I recently worked with a handsome black lab mix whose foster mom complained that he continually jumped up on her.  After taking the pups leash and a handful of treats, just as she said, he began to jump on me.  I quickly turned and walked away from him saying nothing.  He was clearly confused and jumped up on me higher and in quicker repetition, and with more force, using his muzzle to bump/pop my chin and chest.  This went on for nearly a minute or two when I explained to the foster parent that he is incredibly frustrated as this behavior has worked for him in the past.  Rather than waiting until he sat without jumping first, I used a treat to lure him a few steps then over his head, when he sat down, I simply said "yes" and tossed him a treat.  The second time, I only lured him one step and raised it over his head, again he sat and received his treat.  At this moment his lightbulb went off and he approached me and sat, again I marked his behavior with a "yes" and rewarded him. 

Over time, dogs learn how to avoid punishment to the best of their ability.  No species seeks out punishment unless they feel as if they have no alternative behavior to offer.  If you think your dog is being pushy, maybe it is because it has worked in the past.  All dogs choose a behavior that works.


Rewarding your dog for good behavior will certainly encourage your dog to do that behavior more often!  See how many times you can tell your dog "good boy/girl" the rest of today!  Bet you get more of this behavior while the rude behavior will fade.

Barking

I frequently get asked about barking problems or why do dogs bark?  Our dogs bark for a variety of reasons: 

• Dogs will bark if they feel threatened. 
• They may bark when they play and get excited.
• Some dogs will bark for attention from us or another dog. 
• Some will bark if they are in pain and they’ll even bark when they’re lonely, bored or stressed. 
• Certain breeds or breed types are also genetically inclined to bark more than others.

Desensitizing these shelties to moving stimuli

How you’ll prevent or resolve your issue with barking will partially depend on what is triggering your dog to bark. For example if your dog is barking or vocalizing because he’s in pain, treating the source of his pain would be the obvious solution. If your dog is barking through the front window as dogs pass by your house, blocking off access to that window is a simple way to help prevent his barking.

Keep in mind that the more your dog practices barking the better he’ll get at it. So identifying what is triggering your dog to bark and if possible, removing the trigger or changing the emotions that cause your dog to bark are best.  For Example, if your dog barks each day he hears the mail truck, take your dog out side and reward you dog with a yummy treat for looking at the truck, after a few days of this classical conditioning, take your dog out and reward him for looking at you or any other behavior they offer before they bark.  Eventually, your dog will learn to simply look at the mail truck and watch it go by with no worries at all.

In my opinion, antibark collars which use shock are inhumane and are inappropriate for all kinds of barking problems (and often make the problem worse). Many dogs that have been shocked for barking at a mail man or garbage truck have ended up trying to bite this stimuli which causes them pain each time it is near.  With the right kind of behavior modification and a strong desire to stop the problem, most pet parents can successfully resolve barking issues using classical conditioning methods.

The Alert Barker does so to alert you to someone or something outside, the answer is quite simple. Remove the source of what triggers his barking. For instance if your dog barks at people as they walk past your home, prevent his access to the window using furniture, closing blinds, blocking off the area with a baby gate.  Remember, if your dog barks and the person or dog moves away, this is very rewarding for the dog and will certainly be repeated.

The Lonely Barker is often more simple to modify, try changing your dog’s environment a bit.

Remember that your dog probably wants to be with people. Dogs who are left outside for long periods of time are often the worst offenders of barking. Your dog needs to play with you and feel like he is a part of the family. Dogs typically don’t do well when left alone for long periods of time. Make sure you set aside time for regular walks, playtime – even some training sessions. You’ll want to be sure that you give him the social contact that he needs to keep his body and mind occupied. Barking when left alone may also indicate separation anxiety. If you think that anxiety is the source of your dog’s barking, contact a certified dog trainer.

Attention Barking  may be a dog that barked and you tossed him a toy, you have just taught your dog, “When I bark you play!” Even if you look at him or verbally scold your dog when he barks, you will still be teaching him that his barking is a successful way to get your attention. What can you do?  You need to ignore his demands. His barking may initially

increase and so don’t give in or he will learn that persistence pays off. However, if he barks and you really ignore him or even better if you ignore him and walk away until he is quiet, he will eventually learn that barking doesn’t work and it will decrease.  


Our dogs are not trying to dominate us, they simply do a behavior and if something follows that they like then they will repeat the behavior.  Dogs are smarter than we think, so be carful and watch what you are rewarding!