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.

Five Things You Should Never do to a Puppy!

Reward based training, with clear rules is scientifically
 the most effective and humane way to train.

When you first bring your puppy home, you will notice they use their mouths to interact with everything around them, including you!  After being separated from their litter mates, puppy's must learn learn to live in a human home where the rules are quite different.  Please do not expect them to acquire this knowledge in one day or even one week, as changing habits simply does not occur that quickly.  Setting rules in a gentle way will raise a gentle pup.

Each month I consult with stressed clients whose now 1 year old pup is biting family members, some even attacking.  Every case has one common history fact: "I was told to do this when he growls at me."

FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER DO TO A PUPPY: (harsh handling a pup can create aggression in your pup later in life)
1. Never hold his mouth closed when he bites you.
2. Never stick your fingers down his throat.

Flat gentle hands always, never scruff or
biting may get worse as your puppy will need to defend himself.

3. Never grab him by the scruff and hold him down until he submits.
4. Never stare him in the eye until he submits.
5. NEVER use your hands to cause physical pain in any way.

STOP!!!!!  Aggression teaches the learner to be aggressive to others. Social learning is real and present in every home.  Weather you are observing dogs, rats, birds or children, you will see that the environment influences behavior.



WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
1. Give your puppy appropriate feedback when he uses his mouth on you.  Give a loud "OUCH" and move away from the puppy for a few seconds.  If he however, is simply mouthing with no pressure, you can ignore him as he is using a soft mouth and many breeds are bred to use their mouths to assist owners in many ways.

Puppies and children learn together!

2. Enroll your puppy  in an AKC STAR Puppy Socialization class taught by a Certified Pet Dog Trainer, playing with other puppies teaches bite inhibition.
3. Hand feed your puppy as many meals as you can.  Place the food in the palm of your hand under your thumb, if you feel teeth, wait until he licks, then remove your thumb and reward (a task for mom and dad, not children). Try feeding your pup some peanut butter on a metal spoon (this may be necessary for pups with a particular hard mouth.  They will learn to lick as it is more rewarding.

Teaching tug is essential and fun!

4. Play tug with your puppy (great for teaching "take it" and leave it").  Grab a few treats in your hand and begin moving the toy back and forth on the ground say "take it", when your puppy mouths the toy use a happy pitch, "yes, good dog" after a few seconds of tug, relax the pressure on the tug toy but do not let go, say, "leave it" quickly offer your pup a treat right at his nose.  He will let go and take the treat.  Yea!  you just completed a positive pattern of behaviors you and your dog both agree on!  Repeat the pattern many times and if your puppy ever bites your skin, DO NOT LET GO OF THE TOY,  just give a loud "leave it" and your puppy will let go.  IMPORTANT!!  Do not reward your puppy with food after he just bit your hand:(  This will only tell him that biting you gets a treat.

hand feeding is a good thing to do!

5. As your puppy grows, he will fall into old habits of using his mouth to grab things that move like pants, skirts, things swinging in children's hands.  So, be prepared and set your puppy up for success by: using each meal as a training time to help your pup learn good behaviors, use your pitch to help the pup know when he is doing something right, use good timing and always reward your pup with a happy "good dog" when he mouths his toys.  Reinforce the "leave it" cue several times per day as repetition is a good thing.  Be patient, your hands should always be rewarding when they touch another being -- always!

Don't Shoot the Dog - Jackpots Revised

Many of you have read Karen Pryer's book, Don't Shoot the Dog  It is an educational book for parents as well as dog owners.  After 20 years, Karen explains how the use of jackpots can work when used effectively.  The below insert is straight from Karen's Blog and is worth reading:

Remember, though, that no one is always right. We all keep learning things all the time, revising and adding to what we knew before. That's one of the joys of science and a valuable phenomenon in the clicker training world.

Looking back at the jackpot section in Don't Shoot the Dog, now, twenty years after it was written and six years after the revision supervised by Murray Newman, I think that I failed to differentiate between jackpots as I see them, and another tool altogether: the non-contingent reward.

A non-contingent reward "just because"

A non-contingent reward is also something you get by surprise, but it is not associated with any particular behavior. One example in the book was the two free fish we gave to a discouraged dolphin, which perked her up and set her to trying to earn reinforcement again. Another example in the book was the ticket for ten free riding lessons that my parents bought me when, at sixteen, I was behaving poorly for weeks on end. It instantly corrected my bad mood. I included these as jackpots, but they were not; they were both examples of a non-contingent reward. The most powerful use of a non-contingent reward is to counteract the effects of an extinction curve; I know the dolphin in question was undergoing extinction of a bunch of operant behaviors; probably this sulky teenager was, too. Getting the news that good things are still available revived the efforts to seek reinforcement again.

Like the jackpot, a non-contingent reward is a tool to use rarely. And, like a jackpot, if it is going to work, you only need to do it once.

Dog Aggression and Communication Signals

Why is my dog so aggressive to other dogs?  This can usually be diagnosed with a detailed history: no play ever, hereditary, mother was sick or a guarder, or over socialized with aggressive or rough playing dogs.

Cycle of On-Leash Aggression (created problem from humans), as described in the Culture Clash, by Jean Donaldson, "The Bully dog" is often kept away from other dogs for long periods of time, he is usually rude with crude behavior brought on by a super motivated greeting as a result of deprivation when meeting other dogs, and has poor social skills.  The owner is alarmed by intensity and tightens the leash and get’s too excited or nervous when interactions occur.  High arousal, lack of social skills, scuffles with defensive dogs can occur.  Barrier frustration such as windows, fences and leashes can increase the dogs frustration which makes you want to "correct" the behavior,  which = punishment  which = more Aggression = total isolation.

I believe dogs need time to express their intentions before they greet unknown dogs.  Personalities among dogs differ as much as a classroom full of kindergarteners, therefore, expecting your dog to like every dog they meet is not that simple. Some dogs are very soft and have appropriate greetings, these are the dogs who are able to visit the beach and off leash parks without incident. 

Helping your dog greet new dogs much slower will give your dog important and necessary information about the other dogs intentions.  To the left, you see the brown dog in the middle of this pack at a local park.  He is standing quite still with head lowered, visible tension in his jaw, mouth closed, low tail, ears back and a his hair beginning to stand up on his back.  He is very uncomfortable about being so close to a strange dog and was called away quickly to avoid any conflict.  This particular dog's behavior tells us humans that he needs a much slower greeting with new dogs.

In this photo to the left , this beautiful girl has just seen a new dog and is reading the other dogs intentions and clearly expressing hers as well.  Note the open mouth and soft eyes, lowered tail which is in motion and she is beginning to offer a play bow.  While she is expressing intentions that she does want to greet the new dog, she is very excited and the other dog is a bit alarmed by her intense need to visit.  After about 30 minutes of walking near each other, this girl and the other dog became play mates as you will see in the video below. 

If you have a new puppy, please keep him/her safe and find nice friendly dogs to socialize with.  Your dogs friends will influence his/her behavior! Just like you were influenced by those you visited with as an adolescent.  So, know who your dogs friends are and watch for signs of fair play between the two and you let's try to prevent aggression from spreading.  

No Classes for Saturday July 5th!

Enjoy the July 4th Holiday with family and friends!