good at dogs, new to reactive dogs
August 5, 2024 5:04 PM Subscribe
I've been blessed to own, up until now, dogs that spoke fluent Dog and were well behaved, had good boundaries, and were non-confrontational. In January, I adopted a little shy gal. We worked hard on making her strong and brave and good! And then a random dog came through the yard and attacked her. Since then shes been very dog-reactive. Please help me with advice. More under the fold.
Her first reaction to other dogs is snarl fight demon, on or off leash.
She is BFFs with her very chill big brother.
She isn't resource guarding me, her human-- this behavior happens even if she isn't close to me.
I imagine its her innate anxiety manifesting as aggression.
If we go for a walk with the new dog, she is almost immediately chill and playful, and that behavior carries over into both her territory and the other dog's territory.
She knows dog boundaries and respects them (as much as a pup can) once she chills out-- she politely respects her dog brother's toys and other dog's food and beds.
This behavior happens whether we're at our house house or another dog's house, or in a neutral space, until they have a chance to relax and romp.
There are no food or treats or toys in the equation.
I have a consult with a great dog trainer next month (!!) but in the mean time I would like a better understanding of my gal! It's like I'm asking about my boyfriend who has a mental illness I don't understand!
I speak Dog quite well, but have never had a nervous dog. Please share your advice!
Her first reaction to other dogs is snarl fight demon, on or off leash.
She is BFFs with her very chill big brother.
She isn't resource guarding me, her human-- this behavior happens even if she isn't close to me.
I imagine its her innate anxiety manifesting as aggression.
If we go for a walk with the new dog, she is almost immediately chill and playful, and that behavior carries over into both her territory and the other dog's territory.
She knows dog boundaries and respects them (as much as a pup can) once she chills out-- she politely respects her dog brother's toys and other dog's food and beds.
This behavior happens whether we're at our house house or another dog's house, or in a neutral space, until they have a chance to relax and romp.
There are no food or treats or toys in the equation.
I have a consult with a great dog trainer next month (!!) but in the mean time I would like a better understanding of my gal! It's like I'm asking about my boyfriend who has a mental illness I don't understand!
I speak Dog quite well, but have never had a nervous dog. Please share your advice!
Response by poster: If it's relevant: she was about 5 months when adopted, 8 months when the random dog attacked her, and is now about a year old.
posted by Grandysaur at 5:48 PM on August 5
posted by Grandysaur at 5:48 PM on August 5
I like The Collared Scholar on instagram and her blog
She talks a lot about decompression walks and getting a dog comfortable and confident.
I think I would really focus on having my dog have good interactions that I can control as much as possible- maybe take a break from meeting new dogs/testing dogs in non neutral ground, and more focus on dogs she knows on walks for a couple months. She needs to re build up her associations of other dog = ok/safe
posted by zara at 5:53 PM on August 5 [2 favorites]
She talks a lot about decompression walks and getting a dog comfortable and confident.
I think I would really focus on having my dog have good interactions that I can control as much as possible- maybe take a break from meeting new dogs/testing dogs in non neutral ground, and more focus on dogs she knows on walks for a couple months. She needs to re build up her associations of other dog = ok/safe
posted by zara at 5:53 PM on August 5 [2 favorites]
My dog instantly calms down when I throw him up on my shoulder. So that’s how I start our walks, for about a block. He goes back up when he sees a dog or if he starts getting worked up. I can feel him relax, instantly. (He’s about 13lbs.)
posted by vitabellosi at 6:55 PM on August 5
posted by vitabellosi at 6:55 PM on August 5
Best answer: I'm sorry that happened, how awful. It's good that she's so young, you have an excellent chance of helping her. A very thin book to read if you want to understand her better is "Feisty Fido" by Patricia McConnell. Perhaps also get "Cautious Canine". Or go crazy and also buy "For the Love of a Dog", a wonderful book about canine emotions.
I used to be a trainer, so I've gone through this with a few dogs. If you want to achieve some improvement quickly (and hugely impress your trainer), you could start on counterconditioning. It's extremely simple. You just make sure that immediately after your girl sees a dog outside your home, irresistible treats rain down (No matter what she's doing! Always! Guaranteed!) Her older brother can partake, as well. Just scatter the treats a bit farther in that case, so both dogs can sniff around in a happy treasure hunt. You want the treat shower to continue until the other dog is out of sight. Pretty soon, your puppy will learn that she got it wrong all along...it's not snarling that reliably makes other dogs go away. It's actually searching for treats that causes the threat to disappear! This is doubly good because she's also learning to look forward to dog sightings with delicious anticipation. And both your dogs can learn the handy skill of always being very attentive to you when they see another dog.
I recommend simple chicken or ground beef, fried. Use plastic bags in an open fanny pack. It's a bit gross, but you really do need something irresistible and not too unhealthy (because she'll be eating a lot of it). You could use freeze-dried liver, too. Replace some of their dinner with these treats.
Don't worry, the idea is not to do this forever. Fear is hard to train away, but your dog is young. You should see real progress within a few weeks, at least when the other dog is not reactive.
A good tip for this time is to stick to places that are either deserted, or only populated by leashed dogs. Every dog approaching in an uncontrolled manner can set you back in your training. When I trained my first dog with this technique, I found that pet shop parking lots work well. Lots of dogs, but all on a mission, leashed, and perfect for me and my dog to notice and then "disappear".
A helpful trick for difficult situations is to have a good "Let's Go" cue. Here's a video establishing that. And lastly, it's extremely effective to teach your dog a game called "Look At That" (LAT). I would not focus on that for the first few weeks, go all-in on the counterconditioning instead. But for later, it helps fearful dogs a lot when they can choose to look at something scary, and then be treated. It's like the scary thing becomes part of the came, which defuses it and makes it feel less real. The book "Control Unleashed" by Leslie McDevitt is written for trainers and large parts are about sports, but it explains the LAT game and is very interesting to read. Here's a video about it, too.
Lastly, yes, don't hesitate to pick her up if that helps. Rescue her at all costs. She needs a super-strong bond to you so she can learn to feel better about the world again. All that stuff about "reinforcing fear" is made up anyway. Also make sure that when playing with other dogs, she can always come to you for a break and you'll "protect" her from her playmate.
Best of luck.
posted by toucan at 7:18 PM on August 5 [19 favorites]
I used to be a trainer, so I've gone through this with a few dogs. If you want to achieve some improvement quickly (and hugely impress your trainer), you could start on counterconditioning. It's extremely simple. You just make sure that immediately after your girl sees a dog outside your home, irresistible treats rain down (No matter what she's doing! Always! Guaranteed!) Her older brother can partake, as well. Just scatter the treats a bit farther in that case, so both dogs can sniff around in a happy treasure hunt. You want the treat shower to continue until the other dog is out of sight. Pretty soon, your puppy will learn that she got it wrong all along...it's not snarling that reliably makes other dogs go away. It's actually searching for treats that causes the threat to disappear! This is doubly good because she's also learning to look forward to dog sightings with delicious anticipation. And both your dogs can learn the handy skill of always being very attentive to you when they see another dog.
I recommend simple chicken or ground beef, fried. Use plastic bags in an open fanny pack. It's a bit gross, but you really do need something irresistible and not too unhealthy (because she'll be eating a lot of it). You could use freeze-dried liver, too. Replace some of their dinner with these treats.
Don't worry, the idea is not to do this forever. Fear is hard to train away, but your dog is young. You should see real progress within a few weeks, at least when the other dog is not reactive.
A good tip for this time is to stick to places that are either deserted, or only populated by leashed dogs. Every dog approaching in an uncontrolled manner can set you back in your training. When I trained my first dog with this technique, I found that pet shop parking lots work well. Lots of dogs, but all on a mission, leashed, and perfect for me and my dog to notice and then "disappear".
A helpful trick for difficult situations is to have a good "Let's Go" cue. Here's a video establishing that. And lastly, it's extremely effective to teach your dog a game called "Look At That" (LAT). I would not focus on that for the first few weeks, go all-in on the counterconditioning instead. But for later, it helps fearful dogs a lot when they can choose to look at something scary, and then be treated. It's like the scary thing becomes part of the came, which defuses it and makes it feel less real. The book "Control Unleashed" by Leslie McDevitt is written for trainers and large parts are about sports, but it explains the LAT game and is very interesting to read. Here's a video about it, too.
Lastly, yes, don't hesitate to pick her up if that helps. Rescue her at all costs. She needs a super-strong bond to you so she can learn to feel better about the world again. All that stuff about "reinforcing fear" is made up anyway. Also make sure that when playing with other dogs, she can always come to you for a break and you'll "protect" her from her playmate.
Best of luck.
posted by toucan at 7:18 PM on August 5 [19 favorites]
toucan wrote a much better comment that I could that included everything I wanted to say. Patricia McConnell is so knowledgable and very good at providing information in a helpful science-based way that is accessible for any layperson. I think I've literally read every book she's published (not a trainer, but very into dog training/my dog).
posted by litera scripta manet at 7:23 PM on August 5
posted by litera scripta manet at 7:23 PM on August 5
You might appreciate Amy Cook’s reactive classes— my reactive dog trainer highly recommended them! via Fenzi
posted by actionpact at 9:18 PM on August 5 [1 favorite]
posted by actionpact at 9:18 PM on August 5 [1 favorite]
Best answer: The CARE Protocol for reactive dogs was recommended to us by our positive forcefree trainer and has been a real help for our boy, who was very badly attacked by another dog and developed reactivity / fear-aggressiveness as a result. He is doing much better these days, but always with careful, vigilant management around potential dog encounters.
I like TrickWoofs on Instagram, whose gorgeous illustrations are a balm to the soul of reactive dog parents. Also seconding Amy Cook, mentioned above- I didn’t complete her classes online, but what I did see was really excellent.
Your gal is lucky to have a caring parent like you and a chill big brother too. There are lots of great resources out there. It does get better!
posted by Weng at 1:18 AM on August 6 [2 favorites]
I like TrickWoofs on Instagram, whose gorgeous illustrations are a balm to the soul of reactive dog parents. Also seconding Amy Cook, mentioned above- I didn’t complete her classes online, but what I did see was really excellent.
Your gal is lucky to have a caring parent like you and a chill big brother too. There are lots of great resources out there. It does get better!
posted by Weng at 1:18 AM on August 6 [2 favorites]
A modified version of the BAT 2.0 protocol worked well for our reactive dog, whose reactivity is almost completely in "remission".
posted by mosst at 6:31 AM on August 6
posted by mosst at 6:31 AM on August 6
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Prioritize not triggering her between now and the training session. Don't panic if it happens, but try to walk her in less populated areas or at strategic times of day so she can sniff and walk without encountering strange dogs. If that means fewer walks, or more of the same areas, that's better than her getting over threshold before you have a plan in place.
posted by theotherdurassister at 5:21 PM on August 5 [7 favorites]