Calming Techniques?

[JoJo207]

I'm looking for some advise on possible calming techniques. Ever since the dogs and I were attacked by a loose GSD last month Rex has become aggressive towards other dogs while we're on our walk. He's always had issues with dogs that bark wildly and pace at the end of a tie-out or along a fence line. Only now it is almost every dog we encounter. Rex will growl, bark, and lunge at another dog regardless of size and activity level. It is as if every dog is out to get him, but he's going to get them first. Before on those rare occasions we'd run into someone else walking their dogs, I'd let the dogs meet. Rex has always been a friendly easy going dog, but now I'd be to nervous. Does anyone have some calming techniques I can use? Or have any suggestions. Walking used to be enjoyable, but now it's a chore. There are a lot of dogs in my neighborhood, and having Rex (Cujo) snarling and lunging at every other house just isn't working for me.

[kudzu]

Try Click to Calm by Emma Parsons. I have not read it but have heard over & over again from many sources that it is excellent. If you look in this GT forum you can find the recent clicker training topic by Duke where this book is mentioned. It's a nice testimonial.

[JohnF]

Have a go with Turid Rugass's 'Calming Signals' My link

 

Also, you need to convince the worried dog that you are aware of any situation and have it under control before the dog thinks you've fouled up by being to slow. Put Dog behind you and redirect them to be calm when there is a potential threat. In such circumastances Ceasar Milan's 'Calm Assertive Energy' can wrok wonders, but it's hard not to show concern to something as clever as a dog, though a good body posture helps.

See if you can walk in a curve around 'threats'. Talk to the owners of dogs who press the bad buttons on yours when you get an opportunity.

[JJNg]

It is as if every dog is out to get him, but he's going to get them first.

This is probably exactly how he feels. Especially after a traumatic event like being attacked by a loose dog, the behavior he's showing really isn't unusual or unexpected. It will take some time, patience, and gentle guidance to help him recover from this.

 

One question...how have you recovered from the attack yourself? Are you nervous or anxious at all on walks? Even if you are not too worried about another attack, if you are frustrated and tensing up in anticipation of Rex's outbursts, that may be a contributing factor. Dogs are very sensitive to our moods, and if we are anxious, they will pick up on that and their behavior will reflect it.

 

Walking used to be enjoyable, but now it's a chore. There are a lot of dogs in my neighborhood, and having Rex (Cujo) snarling and lunging at every other house just isn't working for me.

Not only is this frustrating for you, but if he's reacting like this multiple times on every walk, it is extremely stressful for him. Stress causes physiologic changes in hormones and body chemistry, and it takes time for those levels to return to normal. Continued exposure to stressful events becomes cumulative and leads to chronic stress, which can cause health as well as behavioral problems (including increased reactivity, so it becomes a vicious cycle). Here's a good article with more info about stress:

http://www.downeastdognews.com/stories/2008/07/identifying_and_coping_with_ca.php

 

If at all possible, I would recommend trying to give Rex a period of downtime, of at least a couple weeks, during which he can recover and "de-stress". Ideally, he should not be exposed to any triggers that cause reactive outbursts during this time. To avoid triggers, you may need to consider walking him at different times of day, and in different places. It sounds like he's reacting to dogs in their own yards, so if your neighborhood does not allow you to avoid triggers on walks, it may help to drive him to a quieter area with no dogs so that you can enjoy some peaceful walks.

 

After he's had time to recover from the ongoing stress, you may find it easier to work with him and make progress. But you still have to start slowly and introduce other dogs from a distance that he can tolerate and gradually use desensitization and counter-conditioning to help him feel comfortable around other dogs again. I would second JohnF's recommendation of Turid Rugaas's calming signals. Any and all of Rugaas's works are excellent resources for working with stressed, reactive dogs. Her books on barking and pulling address reactive behavior as well. Here are a couple more websites with info about her work:

http://www.coherentdog.org/vek/stressdown.php

http://forum.americanbrittanyrescue.org/viewtopic.php?t=3312

 

Best of luck with Rex. I used to have an IG who was very fear aggressive who acted the same way on walks, and I know this type of behavior is no fun for either human or dog.

[JoJo207]

Thank you everyone. Looks like I have some reading to do. Not to mention I'll be walking a lot more, since it appears I may have to walk the dogs one at a time for a spell. It's to hard to to walk both pups and work on Rex when he's having a spell. I have talked with my dog daycare provider and they've noticed no changes in him, so it is a leash thing.

 

One question...how have you recovered from the attack yourself? Are you nervous or anxious at all on walks? Even if you are not too worried about another attack, if you are frustrated and tensing up in anticipation of Rex's outbursts, that may be a contributing factor. Dogs are very sensitive to our moods, and if we are anxious, they will pick up on that and their behavior will reflect it.

Oh I'm quite sure my response plays its part. The only dogs that make me nervous are loose ones. They make my heart skip a beat or two. Though with Rex's new behavior, every dog on a leash I find I'm more nervous about how Rex may react than anything. I do try to stay calm, but I always find myself tightening up on his leash. Walking with just Rex will help, since I will be able to focus on just him.

 

If at all possible, I would recommend trying to give Rex a period of downtime, of at least a couple weeks, during which he can recover and "de-stress". Ideally, he should not be exposed to any triggers that cause reactive outbursts during this time. To avoid triggers, you may need to consider walking him at different times of day, and in different places. It sounds like he's reacting to dogs in their own yards, so if your neighborhood does not allow you to avoid triggers on walks, it may help to drive him to a quieter area with no dogs so that you can enjoy some peaceful walks.

This would be SO much easier without all the snow we've received this winter. We are stuck walking the roads 'till snow melts and mud season dries up. A nice quiet walk through the woods would be wonderful though... if there wasn't any snow.

[Guest Giselle]

From my experience, here's my advice:

A foundation for turning a reactive dog into a calm dog relies heavily on impulse-control, handler focus, and creating an "operant" personality via shaping/+Reinforcement. In my experience, you cannot successfully create a dog who SELF-INHIBITS his fear without firm control over 1) impulse control 2) handler focus and 3) solid shaping background. Think about it: Your goal is to create a dog who doesn't need you to constantly "check" him and correct his bad behavior, right? If you rely on corrections and if you rely on you being "one-step-ahead" of an attack, you become anxious and your dog becomes completely dependent on you. How great would it be to have faith in your dog's ability to self-inhibit and refocus back on you WITHOUT your prompting?? That, my fellow GTers, is the magic of free shaping. And this is why I push it so darn much! =)

 

Some good foundation behaviors that you can work on now at home are:

- Free-shape eye contact: Hold out a fistful of treats by your dog's nose. Feed him a couple of treats. Stop feeding and let him sniff your enclosed fist. As soon as he stops sniffing or backs up JUST a little, click/treat (it may help to sit on the floor or kneel while you're doing this). Repeat. Eventually, he'll immediately back up from your fist and look at your eyes. Click/treat/repeat! Put a verbal cue to it ("Focus!"), and you've got eye contact!

- Recall/instant reorientation back to handler: Whenever you are out with your dog and you stop moving, your dog should IMMEDIATELY reorient back to you. I teach this via Come-and-Go training. With your dog on a 6 ft leash, walk forward a few steps and then stop. Let your dog hit the end of the leash/sniff/whatever. As soon as he flips an ear back towards you or turns his body to you, click/treat/reward lavishly! Then, release him back to do whatever he wants. As soon as he flips towards you, click/treat/repeat. Basically, you're rewarding the "coming" with the "going", and he'll actually choose to come/stay by you VS sniff around and be distracted. It basically looks like this:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v474/LSophie/Videos/?action=view&current=Premacks1.mp4

- Automatic sit's/down's: Does your grey sit? If not, try to teach it. I know I demonstrate this mostly with my non-grey, but my greyhound sits perfectly well and she does so automatically, too. If your dog already knows the physical behavior of sitting, just use the same procedure as eye contact: Feed a bunch of treats above his nose. Stop and withhold. Wait for any movement towards sitting (i.e. putting his weight back), click/treat/repeat. It should look like this:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v474/LSophie/Videos/?action=view&current=OCvsDominance.mp4

 

In the end, your reactive dog understands that his job is to focus on you and offer you behaviors. All you have to do on a walk is walk backwards, your dog reorients back to you, happily offers a sit/eye contact, and let the other dog walk by. That's it! One thing I've learned: If your dog is busy performing a job, he is calm, happy, and he doesn't have time to be stressed/reactive Now, if you rely on corrections and physical coercion, you'll probably end up like the other guy in the last video. Good luck!

 

ETA: The book that has had the most influence on me and that I recommend the most is Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevitt.

Edited February 27, 2011 by Giselle