{"id":3881,"date":"2020-01-06T23:51:08","date_gmt":"2020-01-06T23:51:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.net\/blog\/?p=3881"},"modified":"2020-01-06T23:51:08","modified_gmt":"2020-01-06T23:51:08","slug":"reforming-a-reactionary-dog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.animalhealthfoundation.org\/blog\/2020\/01\/reforming-a-reactionary-dog\/","title":{"rendered":"Reforming a Reactionary Dog"},"content":{"rendered":"
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from The Whole Dog Journal<\/h3>\n

Resources and training tactics for reforming a reactive dog.<\/p>\n

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By\u00a0 C.J. Puotinen<\/a> – Published:<\/span>
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Does your dog suddenly \u201close it\u201d when she sees another dog coming down the sidewalk toward you, or behind a fence you are walking by? Start pulling and vocalizing like mad? Does she take a long time to calm down afterward? Then you, like the author, have some work to do! Don\u2019t worry, though; with proper guidance and practice, your dog can learn less-stressed (and less stressful!) behavior.<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

We\u2019ve all seen them \u2013 those nightmare dogs who lunge, leap, growl, snarl, snap, bark, threaten, bare their teeth, act like bullies, and charge at other dogs. They ruin visits to dog parks and even walks around the block. They\u2019re out of control. They shouldn\u2019t be allowed!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s only natural to feel angry or annoyed when you encounter a problem dog. That\u2019s scary enough \u2013 but it\u2019s worse when the out-of-control dog is\u00a0yours.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Years ago, almost no one used \u201creactive\u201d to describe these difficult dogs. They were called \u201caggressive,\u201d and most trainers applied physical corrections. Today \u201creactive\u201d describes several related problem behaviors, and the emphasis has shifted from physical punishment to positive-reinforcement training.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Like many who have reactive dogs, I was not prepared. My first two Labradors, Samantha and Chloe, were calm, friendly, relaxed, and easy going. Neither ever chased a deer or a car. From time to time I heard about the rehabilitation of problem dogs but didn\u2019t pay much attention.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now I\u2019m making up for lost time. My crash course in reactive dog training began two years ago, when my Labrador Blue Sapphire was six months old. Blue would love to race after not only tennis balls but animals, skateboards, kids on bikes, motorcycles, joggers, and anything that moves. For months she erupted with ferocious barking as soon as she saw motion \u2013 a hiker, dog, deer, or bike \u2013 50 or 100 yards away. No one meeting us would assume that this growling, barking, lunging terror was otherwise intelligent, affectionate, and a joy to live with.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since then, in addition to working with talented local trainers, I\u2019ve been studying books, DVDs, articles, and online classes devoted to reactive dogs. Blue is mastering impulse control and I\u2019m learning a lot about training. Perhaps some of what has helped us will help you as well.<\/p>\n

FIND SOME BOOKS\u2026AND MAYBE A VIDEO<\/strong><\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to purchase the library\u2019s worth of books I\u2019ve invested in, but multiple descriptions can help you understand and implement effective training programs. Trainers presenting the same basic information do so with different examples and approaches, at least one of which may be a perfect fit for you, your dog, and your schedule. If you prefer video demonstrations, try some DVDs, webinars, or online classes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It would be wonderful if these resources came with magic wands that transformed our dogs overnight, but alas, they don\u2019t. They offer tools that we have to master and practice in order to help our dogs develop patience, confidence, and good manners.<\/p>\n

Some of you may be most interested in how and why dogs become reactive and what their body language means; you may find technical descriptions and the language of behavior modification fascinating. Others may be impatient to skip the technicalities and start training, or want to focus on the emotional and energetic bonds connecting dogs and humans. No matter what your approach, you will find resources that will help advance your understanding and ability to deal with your reactive dog.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For a topic that barely existed two decades ago, reactivity has spawned a training industry. So far I\u2019ve studied 40 books and more than a dozen DVDs from force-free trainers, some of whom live with reactive dogs and all of whom have helped inexperienced handlers change their reactive dogs\u2019 behavior.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

DEFINING REACTIVITY<\/strong><\/p>\n

What exactly is a reactive dog? Reactivity describes a dog\u2019s over-the-top or excessive response to specific situations, such as seeing a person, animal, other dog, or unexpected object. Dogs are called leash-reactive when the frustration caused by a restrictive leash overwhelms them (see\u00a0Feisty Fido<\/a><\/em>\u00a0by Patricia McConnell). Blue is a good example, for once she\u2019s off-leash on a trail or in a dog park, she plays well with other dogs.<\/p>\n

In the training book\u00a0The Midnight Dog Walkers,<\/em>\u00a0Annie Phenix says, \u201cA reactive dog responds to normal events in his environment with a higher-than-normal level of intensity. Some of those overreactions include barking, whining, lunging, hypervigilance, panting, pacing, restlessness, and difficulty responding to his owner, even for well-known cues such as \u2018sit.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The training and rehabilitation of reactive dogs has generated dozens of books, DVDs, and other resources that help \u201cover-the-top\u201d dogs and their owners relax, stay calm, and enjoy life together using effective strategies, detailed instructions, and positive, force-free training methods.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Aggression is usually defined as threats to harm an individual, whether human or animal, with attacks, attempted attacks, or threats of attack. Underlying causes of aggression include guarding or protecting territory or family members, guarding resources, prey drive, physical pain, and frustration. According to Pamela Dennison in How to Right a Dog Gone Wrong,<\/em>\u00a0aggression is a normal canine behavior, so it\u2019s important to channel a dog\u2019s natural aggressive instinct into socially acceptable activities. This can be done by identifying the dog\u2019s unique issues and redirecting her actions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The first time Blue leaped in the air, snarled, and lunged at another dog, I was too startled to think straight. When she did it again, I was upset and confused. To me \u2013 and I\u2019m sure to the people who saw her in action \u2013 she looked aggressive and dangerous. In and out of the house she began reacting in the same noisy, alarming way toward anything unexpected.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We did well in the American Kennel Club\u2019s STAR puppy class, but when we took the Canine Good Citizen test, the neutral dog did us in. Here was a new dog! And a new person! It was all too much!<\/p>\n

In addition to the training classes we took with Adele Delp at Canine Fitness (caninefit.com<\/a>) here in Helena, Montana, I hired Jeff Lepley (happytrailsdogservices.com<\/a>), who had recently completed Jean Donaldson\u2019s Academy for Dog Trainers certification.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It was Jeff who helped me understand that when Blue barked at distractions, she was frightened. At first I found that hard to believe because she looked so fierce, but the logic made sense. Yikes, there\u2019s a strange person\/thing\/animal\/whatever! I\u2019ll scare it away! See? It worked!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

THRESHOLDS AND TRIGGERS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thresholds are borders at the edge of a dog\u2019s peaceful, comfortable state \u2013 the place or time when some stimulus causes the dog to experience stress, anxiety, or fear. A trigger is any stressor that occurs within the dog\u2019s threshold, resulting in reactive behavior.<\/p>\n

When a dog is \u201cover threshold,\u201d as Sunny Weber explains in\u00a0Beyond Flight or Fight,<\/em>\u00a0\u201cit means that the animal has lost control of logic and his brain is engulfed with stress hormones, making reasoned thought or learning impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n

What is your dog\u2019s threshold? Blue\u2019s extended as far as she could see in any direction, but once a scary visitor was inside the house, she relaxed. For some dogs it\u2019s all about proximity \u2013 the closer the threat, the more intense the reaction. For others it\u2019s the unexpected. Inanimate objects like parked cars and plastic bags startled Blue if they appeared where she wasn\u2019t used to seeing them. Studying your dog\u2019s threshold is important because with every repetition, a dog\u2019s reactive behavior becomes stronger and more established.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Canine body language offers plenty of clues if we train ourselves to notice them. Handlers whose attention wanders won\u2019t observe changes in posture, ear or tail positions, hackles, eyes, or facial expressions, all of which give important signals. When Blue was leaping in the air and barking her head off, subtle cues had already come and gone, but with practice I learned to recognize them and redirect her\u00a0before<\/em>\u00a0she progressed into full reactive mode. One simple test is whether she\u2019ll take a treat. If not, I know we\u2019re already over threshold. If she takes it in a distracted way, I know we\u2019re close. Either response gives me options like changing direction, moving to a new location, getting her attention back, and practicing familiar commands.<\/p>\n

Knowing how to interrupt a reactive response is worthwhile, but avoiding it is even better. As Sue Brown explains in\u00a0Juvenile Delinquent Dogs,\u00a0<\/em>\u201cThe first step to changing your dog\u2019s behavior is to prevent it from happening in the first place\u2026. Preventing a behavior is called \u2018management\u2019 and it is done by managing your dog\u2019s environment. You will save a lot of frustration, stress, anger, and energy if you focus on managing your dog\u2019s environment rather than reacting to your dog\u2019s unwanted behaviors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Annie Phenix agrees. \u201cIf I could enforce a signed pledge that owners won\u2019t expose their dogs to the outside while they\u2019re enrolled in the Growly Dog class, I would surely do it,\u201d she says. \u201cI ask for no walks during this time because it is critical to keep the dog under threshold (don\u2019t put him in a position where he barks, lunges, growls, etc.) while we are reframing what an oncoming dog or person means to your dog. We are rebuilding trust and communication between owner and dog as well. It\u2019s like a bank account built of trust. We spend four weeks building up that all-important account, and one scary incident can wipe out your savings, particularly in these beginning stages.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pat Miller<\/a>, whose training articles are familiar to WDJ readers, says in her book\u00a0Beware of the Dog<\/a>,<\/em>\u00a0\u201cIf something you\u2019re doing is triggering your dog\u2019s aggression, stop doing it. If something or someone else is triggering the aggression, prevent your dog\u2019s access to that person or thing, and prevent that person or thing from having access to your dog.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To this end, Miller and other trainers recommend blocking a reactive dog\u2019s access to windows, fences, and similar triggers. When left unsupervised, Blue monitored upstairs windows, watching open fields and hiking trails. If something moved, she\u2019d go ballistic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In\u00a0Help for Your Fearful Dog,<\/em>\u00a0Nicole Wilde warns readers to keep reactive dogs away from \u201clookout posts.\u201d Because the barking that results is self-rewarding, she writes, it is likely to continue. \u201cThe problem is that with each incident, adrenaline and other stress hormones are flooding your dog\u2019s system so that her anxiety level spikes. The cumulative effect can be a dog who is perpetually stressed and on guard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through her favorite window lookout post, Blue spots a jogger and immediately whines, growls, barks, and leaps in the air. Blocking her access to lookout windows prevents her from practicing this unwanted behavior<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019m embarrassed that it took me so long to appreciate the damage caused by Blue\u2019s lookout posts, but setting ground rules and maintaining them made an immediate difference. As Wilde recommends, I closed doors leading to upstairs windows and interrupted barking by calling her to me, praising her for coming, asking for different basic behaviors (sit, down, touch my hand, watch me, let\u2019s go), and rewarding her with favorite toys or treats. Whenever I leave the house without her, Blue stays in her crate or in a quiet room with closed curtains. Without the constant reinforcement of outdoor distractions, the indoors stays peaceful.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

ACT LIKE A TRAINER<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 1993, Jean Donaldson videotaped dog trainers and dog owners to see what they did differently. As one would expect, all of the dogs performed better with professional trainers, but there was an even more important difference that Donaldson didn\u2019t notice until she rewound and fast-forwarded the tape while collecting data. In\u00a0Train Your Dog Like a Pro<\/em>\u00a0she writes, \u201cI was amazed to find that I could identify whether the person on the screen was a trainer or not with just a one-second sample or even a freeze-frame, based strictly on whether the person was attempting to train the dog at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Donaldson calls this difference \u201cthe perseverance gap.\u201d Typically, non-trainers tried something a few times, such as getting the dog to lie down, and then, whether successful or not, they stopped training and waited for the next activity. Once again they tried two or three repetitions and then quit. In between, they chatted with anyone nearby, checked their watches (today they would check their cell phones), or petted their dogs. Most of their training time consisted of this \u201cbetween-training\u201d dead air.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In contrast, the trainers constantly watched their dogs while doing one repetition after another. Donaldson says this pattern was evident whether the dogs caught on quickly, were difficult to train, were already highly trained, or were unruly novices. \u201cThe trainers trained like bats out of hell,\u201d she says, \u201cand the non-trainers were mostly on break time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Count that as a breakthrough realization. No one had videotaped Blue and me in our classes, but if they did, we\u2019d see a lot of between-training dead air. Following the advice to \u201cfake it till you make it,\u201d I imagined Jean Donaldson observing us as we walked up and down stairs, practiced heeling in the living room, went outside, paused at gates, came inside, paused at doors, went to the dog park, practiced retrieves, practiced recalls, practiced basic obedience, and practiced tricks while Blue received undivided attention, rapid rewards, and enthusiastic praise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My second turning-point trainer was the late Sophia Yin, DVM, whose DVD exercises revealed just how slow my timing was, how my posture was incorrect (bending over the dog, not standing straight), and how my reward delivery was vague and inconsistent. Practicing along with her workshop participants made my movements faster, more direct, more decisive, and easier for Blue to understand.<\/p>\n

In her video workshops and in\u00a0How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves,<\/em>\u00a0Dr. Yin focused on \u201csit\u201d as an automatic behavior equivalent to \u201cplease,\u201d because insisting that a dog \u201csit for everything\u201d helps one become a clearly communicating leader while changing the dog\u2019s perspective.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition, Dr. Yin recommended tethering, attaching dog to handler with a hands-free leash, and wearing a bait pouch containing not just a fraction of the dog\u2019s daily food allowance but all of it. In other words, during the early phases of training, all of every meal arrives one piece at a time from the handler in response to correct behaviors.<\/p>\n

Because Blue\u2019s raw diet doesn\u2019t work well in a bait pouch, I loaded up on hand-feedable treats that could replace parts of her dinner. Tethering and keeping the bait pouch full improved my observation skills, helped me notice and reward every behavior I wanted to encourage, kept Blue motivated, kept her away from threshold-threatening windows, and reminded me to act like a trainer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A third breakthrough author, Amy Sutherland, helped me appreciate force-free training from a completely different perspective. While writing a book on modern training methods, Sutherland spent a year with the Exotic Animal Training and Management program at Moorpark College in California. Her follow-up book,\u00a0What Shamu Taught Me About Life, Love, and Marriage,<\/em>\u00a0focuses not on killer whales and other creatures but on humans struggling to master training fundamentals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By applying modern training methods to every aspect of her own life, Sutherland changed herself, her husband, and all of her relationships. Several of the books listed here discuss challenges like unsympathetic observers, anger, and vocal criticism faced by those with reactive dogs, but Sutherland demonstrates how the versatile laws of behavioral training can transform handlers as much as the animals we work with.<\/p>\n

FOUNDATION AND DEFAULT BEHAVIORS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Foundation behaviors are responses so thoroughly practiced and automatic (think muscle memory) that the dog does them without thinking. These are often basic obedience commands, and they provide alternatives to whatever a dog is doing (or about to do) that is other than what you want. Most of the resources listed describe how to teach, practice, and improve foundation behaviors.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0When Pigs Fly: Training Success with Impossible Dogs<\/a>,<\/em>\u00a0Jane Killion calls automatic attention the mother of all behaviors and one of the first things we should teach our dogs. \u201cThere is no point in teaching your dog how to do things if he is going to ignore you when you ask him to do them,\u201d she says. \u201cAttention is the foundation for any training program.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Patricia McConnell explains in\u00a0Feisty Fido<\/a><\/em>\u00a0and her DVD \u201cTreating Dog-Dog Reactivity,\u201d the attention or \u201cwatch\u201d cue has many advantages. \u201cTeaching an incompatible behavior is a time-honored and elegant solution to a lot of behavior problems,\u201d she says, \u201cand it works wonderfully with fidos who are a bit too feisty on leash walks. Additionally, by teaching your dog to look at your face when she sees another dog, you\u2019re teaching her what you want her to do, rather than hoping she\u2019ll figure it out for herself.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to making eye contact, Pamela Dennison\u2019s essential behaviors include name recognition, heeling on a loose leash, accepting touching, accepting secondary reinforcers (rewards other than food), staying in place, coming when called, doorway control (when going in or out of cars or buildings), and remaining relaxed around objects, people, or places instead of guarding them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In\u00a0Control Unleashed,<\/em>\u00a0Leslie McDevitt adds the whiplash turn, which is a fast turn of the head away from something and toward the handler. \u201cIf the dog isn\u2019t looking at me,\u201d says McDevitt, \u201cthe first thing he needs to do is disengage from what he is looking at and orient toward me instead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her instructions include mat training, which involves independently going to a mat, lying down or sitting on the mat automatically, and staying on the mat without fidgeting until released. Blue responded right away to mats, which can be anything from a square of plywood on the ground to a towel, area rug, or bathmat on the floor. That\u2019s where she stays while meals are prepared and consumed, plus whenever the doorbell rings. Outdoors she runs to her plywood mat when we practice retrieves.<\/p>\n

Emma Parsons\u2019 foundation behaviors in\u00a0Click to Calm\u00a0<\/em>include watch (make eye contact), sit, down, heel on a loose leash, target (touch an object such as a hand or target stick on cue), stay, come when called, four-on-the-floor (no jumping allowed), kennel up (go into your crate), leave it, and hold an object.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In\u00a0Out and About with Your Dog,<\/em>\u00a0Sue Sternberg recommends three essential skills for moving past dogs and other distractions: watch the handler\u2019s face without interruption, heel on the left side, and heel on the right. \u201cThe more treats you use and the more frequently you give them during the initial foundation training, the stronger your dog\u2019s behavior will be in the end,\u201d she says. \u201cDon\u2019t skimp. Have many tiny treats ready in one hand and shovel them into your dog, one at a time, until he is looking at you and there is a constant stream of treats going into his mouth.\u201d Before you run out of treats, put the food away, walk away from your dog, and ignore him for a few minutes. \u201cLeave him wanting more,\u201d she says, \u201cwhile there\u2019s still more to be had.\u201d<\/p>\n

Default behaviors are whatever responses come easily to the dog and which are stabilizing, relaxing, and comfortable. Leslie McDevitt defines a default behavior as one the dog commits to and maintains for the duration of a specific context. \u201cThe context is the cue to begin the behavior,\u201d she says, \u201cand the behavior will continue until the context changes or you give your release cue.\u201d The default behavior is automatic and it gives the dog something to do (lie down and chill out, for example) when she isn\u2019t receiving instructions. McDevitt recommends letting the dog choose her defaults. Whatever the dog offers, such as a sit, down, or anything else, can be encouraged, strengthened, and lengthened with attention and rewards.<\/p>\n

Studying your dog\u2019s inclinations can help you discover a canine sport for which he has a special aptitude or interest, such as dock diving, hunting\/retrieving, scent tracking, herding, agility, rally obedience, nosework, flyball, disc sports, parkour, or trick training. As your dog becomes more confident and responsive to your management skills, any of these might become a perfect match. For inspiration, see\u00a0Hyper Dog 101<\/em>\u00a0by Kim Mayes;\u00a0Play Your Way to Good Manners<\/em>\u00a0by Kate Naito and Sarah Westcott; and\u00a0Dog Parkour<\/em>\u00a0by Anna Louise Kjaer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

REWARD THE BEST, IGNORE THE REST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Behavioral trainers reward what they want to see more of. This simple strategy is the key to modern training, and it\u2019s based on research. In\u00a0You Can Train Your Dog,<\/em>\u00a0Pamela Dennison describes three basic laws of learning:<\/p>\n