It takes time and commitment to condition a dog, let alone counter condition a damaged dog. I found with my two rescues that there were many contributors to their issues. I had to tackle each problem separately, yet all together because many of their triggers and habits re-enforced the others. Although, some of it was basic diet, training and exercise related; I found that most of their problems were related to anxiety. I needed a trainer to help me re-frame things and to assist me in finding the motivations and methods that worked on each individual dog and help me get them on the road to recovery.
Finding your dogs triggers is easy and obvious, but finding how to redirect their energy into something positive is a challenge. A professional dog trainer can help you set up an outline and schedule to follow. The right trainer can set you up with a program that will help you and your dog attain success. Dogs generalize, they dont treat experiences separately like we humans do. They have defaults that they fall into, some good, some bad. For my two dogs, Holly and Miko, anxiety, especially fear anxiety, sent them into a frenzy of lunging, barking and display behaviors that seemed aggressive and dangerous. I had to tell myself "these are only behaviors". These outbursts have to be taken seriously, in order to avoid a bite situation, but behaviors can be modified. Dont give up!
To understand behavior modification use the analogy of dieting:
Lets say you start a diet and you weigh yourself everyday. The first week, you are also exercising and dishearteningly, you actually gain weight...muscle weighs more than fat. (You are progressing, but arent seeing the results.) The experienced personal trainer knows that to obtain positive lasting weightloss, you need to change a number of things in your lifestyle. Some of these things are going to take a while to manifest. Unfortunately, many people want fast results and give up. They give up on their diet and exercise plan, returning to their old ways, only to suffer the same old plight. Much the same, people give up on their dog and go back to the methods that were not working because they didnt get the results they were looking for fast enough. This leads us back to the same problems, which often get even worse. So dont measure your success daily, gage it by how quickly your dog recovers from situations and how much less they react. One big success is learning to read your dog and prevent situations from repeating themselves. Keep a journal and weigh in weekly, even monthly.
I had to slowly expose my dogs, bit by bit, to their triggers, in a safe and controlled way, not avoid them, to raise their threshold for the things that scared them. This meant setting up a program of desensitization. Ironically, I found that when I started out on my program with Holly and Miko their issues actually got worse! I wanted to give up! Then I read something about response perseverance. Often behaviors get worse before they get better (like the weight gain when you start building muscle from working out). The dog will often get frustrated by being redirected constantly and cling even stronger to old behaviors. Through much reading and studying I learned that the aggression will decrease eventually if you stay consistent. I kept up clicking and treating and redirecting their anxiety in hopes that it would eventually lead to results.
The approach that I had initially (and mistakenly) taken with Holly was correction and punishment (which has been proven to actually increase anxiety and lead to increased reactivity!) The problem was that punishment for growling and lunging made Holly, my dog aggressive dog, believe that I was upset at her BECAUSE the other dog was approaching. She became louder and more aggressive in her displays of grandeur. She became even more anxiety ridden when she spotted an approaching dog, now reacting from greater distances. Perhaps because she thought I was going to get mad if the dog got close. On the other hand it may have just been because I was setting a bad example and losing my cool. More importantly, punishment is dangerous because it feels good for the punisher!
(Read the entry below on leash aggression)
Eventually, I became better at handling their outbursts. As I became calmer, the dogs became easier to control. It wasnt so much that they werent reacting, but they were recovering faster. Eventually, I was able to get them to do other things in place of aggressing. It sounds simple, but even getting Holly and Miko to take a treat rather than bark and lunge was not possible in the beginning. Think of it this way, when you are scared, the last thing you want to do is have a snack! After five months of counter conditioning, which in this case was linking a marker (a click or phrase) to good behavior (calmly enjoying a treat or receiving a lot of praise) I can now get them to focus on me...not always without growling and barking, but at least without lunging. I can now get them to preform simple default behaviors, like sit or turn around and heel or touch my hand. This is the beginning of recovery. This is the beginning of success!!!!
(If you arent familiar with clicker training visit: http://www.clickertrain.com/whatis.html )
The key to success is to be a good handler. Dont set your dog up to fail by forcing them to face their fears too quickly or at too close a proximity. Work your dog below its threshold, that is the distance from its trigger that it requires before it gets too worked up. Eventually, you can get closer to the scary thing by creating positive associations with the trigger. Keep calm and remember to forgive! Dogs are so forgiving of us, we owe them the same. Be a generous and positive leader, rewarding all good behavior. Lead by example! For instance, my friend says hello to everyone who passes her when she is walking her dog. It makes the approaching person relax and tells the dog that you are happy to see this person or approaching animal. I try to warn people (in a cheery voice) that my dog isnt friendly, or doesnt like other dogs. This allows the other person an opportunity to keep their distance. I also move off the sidewalk and allow people the space that makes them comfortable. Being a good handler is about respect, for the dog, for others and for yourself.
Finally, I cant stress the importance of reading books and gathering information from trainers. Not everyone can afford a personal trainer, but in the long run, you can save time and money by finding someone that has experience with the issues you face. Aggression is a symptom of underlying problems. You need to treat the real problem in order to see a decline in aggression. (I have discovered that my dogs dont sleep enough. That is something I never would have considered had my trainer, Sarah from Rocket Dog, not pointed it out. They only sleep eight to ten hours because they are anxious all the time. Most dogs need 16-18 hours of sleep.) It could be your dog has a lot of energy and needs more things to do and more exercise to tire it out. It could be that there are things you havent considered that will aid in your dogs recovery and make your training go much smoother and faster. Reading about basic dog behavior and fear aggression, I realized my dogs are not beyond repair. I started this blog in hopes to share my experiences with others, as so many people have shared with me.
Growly Dog Reading List:
(from Rocket Dog trainer and founder, Sarah Giammarino)
Brenda Aloff. "Aggression in Dogs: Practical Management, Prevention and Behaviour Modification". Aloff describes theory and practical information. She details both how to avoid aggression and how to deal with it when it occurs. This book is rated highly by many trainers.
Brenda Aloff. "Canine Body Language".
A picture book on dog body language. You must own this book if you want to rehabilitate your dog aggressive dog!
Emma Parsons. Click to Calm: "Healing the Aggressive Dog".
Parson’s describes the rehabilitation of her dog reactive Golden Retriever. Full of how-tos and practical instructions.
Pamela Dennison. "How to Right a Dog Gone Wrong".
Great idea book on controlling your dog. It really is a roadmap for re-training aggressive dogs in a pet-dog environment.
Jean Donaldson. "The Culture Clash".
Although not very well organized as a reference book and seems presumptuous about the state of knowledge that most dog owners actually have, it is a good starting point to the study of behaviourism. Many people read this book again and again.
Patricia B. McConnell, Karen B. London. "Feisty Fido". Help for the Leash Aggressive Dog.
(Booklet 56 pgs) A starter package for dealing with on leash aggression using positive-based training techniques. No resocializing socializing discussed, but great for new students!
Karen Pryor. "Don’t Shoot the Dog!"
The grand-mother of dog training. Pryor’s book details theory into practice (human, dog, exotic animal behaviour). Recommended by veterinary behaviorists and trainers alike. This is not a “how-to” book, but a “why-to” book.
Stanley Coren. "How Dog’s Think".
Discover how your dog is viewing the world! Great book on the five senses and types of learning dog’s experience.
Leslie McDevitt. "Control Unleashed: Creating a Focused and Confident Dog". Great for people who have a reactive dog yet want to compete in dog sports. This book is changing the landscape of rehabilitating dog reactive dogs and dogs with general anxiety.
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