Define Leash Aggressive.....

[Guest FrankieWylie]

Jjng you make great points. She does respond to the clicking sound I make with my mouth sometimes....but just sometimes. I am in agreement with walking at non peak times. We are going to have to go back to basics. It's a wee bit difficult as she is the least food motivated dog we have, but hopefully pulling out the hotdog tomorrow will work! With the neighborhood we live in there are always others waking their dogs, no matter the time of day :/

 

Should we start and stick to the back yard for the next little bit? If I'm being honest, the walks are purely for our satisfaction as they get plenty of exercise in the back yard. So, if we need to be step by step by step with starting on leash in the back yard, it won't effect her exercise as when we are through she can run around off leash.

 

While I like to think of myself as calm cool and collected, no doubt the first few times she acted a fool at the ball park I was embarrassed and tensed up in response to her. And Greg did the same thing (though he usually had all three at the ball field so it was more of a sense of urgency to calm her down).

 

I appreciate all the help and responses. We try the walk in a circle thing, but I honestly feel like I'm jerking the crap out of her to get her in the same direction :/

 

We need to find her motivator and what will distract her most. Clearly we aren't that interesting to her

 

[JJNg]

She does respond to the clicking sound I make with my mouth sometimes....but just sometimes.

 

Are you always following with a really special treat every time she responds? Most dogs naturally respond to sounds like that. The training described above takes advantage of that fact and takes it to the next level by consistently rewarding that response so that it becomes a trained cue and not just a natural response (which will wear off with time if overused and not rewarded).

 

Should we start and stick to the back yard for the next little bit? If I'm being honest, the walks are purely for our satisfaction as they get plenty of exercise in the back yard. So, if we need to be step by step by step with starting on leash in the back yard, it won't effect her exercise as when we are through she can run around off leash.

 

If its not possible to avoid dogs on walks, then yes, it would be best to stick to the yard for now. Basically, if you know you're going to run into dogs too close for her to maintain self control, you're wasting your time trying to distract her with hot dogs. Even if you're occasionally successful at doing so, she's not going to be learning what she needs to. You need to start at a level that does not trigger a reaction so that you can reward a calm response.

 

An additional factor to consider is that over-excitement and reactive responses are stressful on a physiologic level, and if incidents happen on a regular basis, the dog remains hyped up. Even after a single stressful event, it can take several days for stress hormones in the bloodstream to return to normal. When stressors are encountered on a regular basis, the body doesn't have a chance to recover. And we all know that stress makes us more jumpy and agitated and more likely to have an outburst. So taking a break from walks will also give her a chance to calm down.

 

While I like to think of myself as calm cool and collected, no doubt the first few times she acted a fool at the ball park I was embarrassed and tensed up in response to her.

 

Which is a natural response, but it helps when we stop worrying about what other people think and just do what we know is best for our dog.

 

We try the walk in a circle thing, but I honestly feel like I'm jerking the crap out of her to get her in the same direction :/

 

If you're walking her on a harness, just hold her leash close to the harness, or get a hold of the harness itself and pull her with you using gentle, steady pressure - no jerking. Or if the dog she's reacting to is going to pass pretty quickly and not get any closer, just stand your ground, hold on, and ignore her behavior. But remember, you're trying to avoid these situations as much as possible, and these suggestions are just for emergency situations that come up unexpectedly.

[Guest FrankieWylie]

This all makes perfect sense! Thank you :-)

 

And yes, clicks always followed by treat. It's basically clicker training with my mouth because that's easier for me than a clicker

[philospher77]

Canned cheese is your friend. Katie has required some serious counter-conditioning to "life" (just about everything was spooky for her), and the canned cheese is portable, easy to use, and apparently very tasty. Name brand is better, in my opinion, to generic.

 

If you are going to be working in your yard, you might try wrapping the leash around your waist. That frees up your hands for rewarding with, and it limits the amount of your tension, etc., that passes down the leash, so it can take that part out of the equation while you are laying the groundwork. As she gets better, it will help reinforce your positive reactions as well, so you will be able to go back to holding the leash at some point without subconsciously tensing up. Or not... I am finding my dogs actually seem to behave better on walks when they are on hands-free leashes, so that's how they get walked.

 

And finally... my Pixie-pup is mildly leash-reactive towards other dogs, and I have been working on "look at that" with her. Which is basically what other people have described. The main difference between that and having the dog focus on you is that you reward the dog for looking at "item that sets them off" and back to you for guidance on how to react. I have found with Pixie that, when she sees/hears a dog that she's going to snark at, there is the briefest glance back at me first. That's when you say "Yes!" reward, continue on Pixie looks at dog back at me "Yes" reward continue. She's learned real fast that looking at dogs quietly is a good way of getting lots of treats for that stretch of the walk. Since yours sounds like a frustrated greeter more than a fearful or aggressive dog, either version (look at that or look at me) will probably work. Look at THAT tends to work better than Look at ME for scared dogs, because if you are scared of something, you want to know where it is so that it can't creep up on you, and thus Look at ME can be stressful for them.

 

Hope that helps!

[Guest reneern120]

I ALSO HAVE A LEASH REACTIVE DOG. i find all the suggestions here helpful. Tristan has learned watch me and is very treat motivated. The only other suggestion i have is a gentle leader. This allows you to have more control over the situation. I HAVE TWO GENTLE LEADERS FOR 3 of my dogs and that is the only way i can walk all 3 together. Banana is a sweet girl and has no problems. Lilly has been off the track for a year and still has a high prey drive and Tristen has issues with dogs that are not greys!! BETWEEN THIS AND GETTING THEIR COATS ON WALKIES ARE A MAJOR EVENT at the vanhoeven house!! they are also a lot of fun!!

[a_daerr]

Doesn't sound like leash aggression, more like hyper-stimulation. I would say she needs to learn some self control. I definitely recommend obedience class. It will teach her acceptable ways to greet other dogs and people in a controlled environment. For the time being, I would be careful walking both dogs together by yourself. If she's that difficult to handle, it would be very easy for one of the dogs to get loose.

[Guest Giselle]

And finally... my Pixie-pup is mildly leash-reactive towards other dogs, and I have been working on "look at that" with her. Which is basically what other people have described. The main difference between that and having the dog focus on you is that you reward the dog for looking at "item that sets them off" and back to you for guidance on how to react. I have found with Pixie that, when she sees/hears a dog that she's going to snark at, there is the briefest glance back at me first. That's when you say "Yes!" reward, continue on Pixie looks at dog back at me "Yes" reward continue. She's learned real fast that looking at dogs quietly is a good way of getting lots of treats for that stretch of the walk. Since yours sounds like a frustrated greeter more than a fearful or aggressive dog, either version (look at that or look at me) will probably work. Look at THAT tends to work better than Look at ME for scared dogs, because if you are scared of something, you want to know where it is so that it can't creep up on you, and thus Look at ME can be stressful for them.

 

Hope that helps!

Quick note on LAT (Look at That! - game coined by Leslie McDevitt of Control Unleashed). The reason why LAT has become such a popular tool is because it allows people to turn a stimulus (i.e. strange dog) that would normally elicit an aggressive response into a fun, relaxed game. It's not supposed to be used instead of "Watch Me". It's simply a tool to use when "Watch Me" is too difficult for the dog to perform at 90-100% success rate. Most beginner, and even intermediate, dogs can't sustain a 90-100% "Watch Me", and this is when LAT becomes a really incredibly useful tool. It alters the dog's underlying emotion, allowing you to permanently change their reaction from "OMG-THERE'S-A-DOG-BARK-BARK-BARK!" to "Oh, look a dog! (Begin the LAT game)". Once you reach this level of relaxed attention, you should shift into "Watch Me" and easily heel your way past the strange dog.

 

However, as mentioned before, these are very difficult behaviors to train. You need a solid obedience foundation, and virtually every behaviorist or trainer I know requires that ALL dogs complete a basic focus/obedience course before they can proceed to these challenging situations. For starters, make sure your dog already has a very solid "Watch Me" and "Heel" at home. Then, you can begin to practice them in the front yard, in public, etc.

 

If necessary, I can film a quick video of what the progression of "Watch Me" and LAT should look like. Just holler!

[Guest FrankieWylie]

I would love to see the progression

[Jackandgrey]

Holler!!

[Guest Giselle]

I'll try to get something up in a few days. I get home from the university after dark most days, so it's going to be a bit difficult. To give you an idea, though, the progression is simple. It's definitely not easy, but it is simple in theory.

1) Make sure the dog has a very solid "Watch Me" + "Heel" (doesn't have to be a beautiful, competition-level Heel!) behavior at home, first. You must do this. If there is one behavior you absolutely desperately need with a reactive dog, it is a 100% "Watch Me" + "Heel" in comfortable environments.

2) Teach "Look!" as part of the LAT game at home. Leslie outlines how to teach it in her book. I'm sure there are blogs on it, as well.

3) Practice #1 and #2 in increasingly distracting environments.

4) When you see a dog on your walk, call the dog's name, play LAT, shift into a "Watch Me", and "Heel" past the dog.

 

If "Heel" is too difficult, you can do Repeat Sits or something similar: http://drsophiayin.c...e_to_other_dogs

The point is to turn the other dog into a non-important stimulus. What is important and fun is YOU. This is the central point of most positive-reinforcement/negative-punishment based behavior modification programs.

 

Edit: I should also add that I actually haven't played LAT with Ivy in a few months... years, maybe. I may have to quickly re-teach her the behavior for the video. It's a great tool, but it is a tool that I have not had to use for a long time. :

Edited November 20, 2012 by Giselle

[Guest Giselle]

Alrighty, hope this is what you wanted or needed. If you have any questions, just holler!

[brianamac]

We got three steps up the road and two dogs were coming around the corner (a T intersection and thankfully they turned the other way.. Before I could get her attention she already started in. Greg and I both tried to stand in front of her and distract her while attempting to shove treats in her mouth. It wasn't high value treats though.

 

As Brandiandwe noted, once she's started reacting, she's too aroused and beyond learning. Don't try to train at that point, and just try to get her farther away from the trigger. Rather than better treats and going when she's hungry, find some locations where you can work with her at a distance from passing dogs - far enough away that she can remain fairly calm and you can get her attention back on you fairly easily. As you make progress, you can gradually decrease the distance.

 

It was rare she would look at me when I called her name. So, we would just stop entirely until she would look. Is that what you should do?

 

Actually, it sounds like you may need to back up a step and not work on desensitizing to triggers at all yet. First, build a foundation by working with her in a quiet, non-distracting environment (like inside your home) to teach her to respond to you when you give her a specific cue. The cue should be a distinct, neutral sound that you can make quickly even in a stressful situation. Something like the clucking sound you make with your tongue to get a dog's attention, or to get a horse to move.

 

Start by pairing the sound with a special treat reward by making the sound and immediately giving her the treat. Repeat this several times while standing right next to her. Then from a few steps away so that she has to come to you. Keep the sessions short and always give her a treat after the sound. After a few sessions, her response when she hears the sound should be to immediately and almost automatically look at and come to you.

 

After you've established this response, you can start to use it in other situations, but it is important to build the level of difficulty very gradually. Take her to places that she might find a little more interesting but not be totally distracted (like outside your house, around your yard and neighboring yards). Then move on to more distracting areas, like parks and other public places, but still without her strongest triggers (other dogs).

 

If you build up gradually enough, this cued attention response can become so ingrained that it can eventually be used to refocus her attention away from other dogs (but still best done before she starts to react). Until you get to this point, it's best to try to avoid triggers by walking at non-peak times, taking routes that are less likely to have other dogs, and go the opposite way if you see a dog approaching. Each time she practices the reactive behavior, the more that response becomes ingrained.

 

The above technique is something I've learned from Norwegian trainer Turid Rugaas. She's been able to successfully call her dog off of a deer that jumped across the trail in front of them, but that was after years of practice. I would highly recommend Rugaas' books My Dog Pulls, What Do I Do? and Barking: The Sound of a Language. Both are very relevant to on-leash reactive behavior and can be found through Amazon.com or Dogwise.com.

 

One final note, if this is a new behavior and her response on leash had gradually got worse with time, I suspect your reaction may have contributed. It is very natural for us to tense up and pull back on the leash when anticipating a response, but this can actually make the dog worse because they sense our stress and anxiety. I've made this mistake with a dog myself. Try to stay calm and relaxed when you walk her, and pay attention to your body language and what you're transmitting to her through the leash. Keep the leash loose if at all possible, and rely more on your voice rather than the leash to get her attention.

You seriously always give great advice. We are still working with Boo to get him to go for walks again (he REFUSES), and you put this into a really nice, clear, and concise guide. Thanks! I always try and read your responses to topics.

[Brandiandwe]

Ditto to all the above, and thanks for the video Giselle! This forum is SUCH a great resource!

[Guest FrankieWylie]

We start a basic obedience class next Monday! I'm so excited first day is people only, no dogs...I like that idea

 

We've been working a lot with her on the leash and just today I put her martingale on her (first time in a while) and she did beautifully. Walked all three to go get the kids from and school and there were no incidents. It's the best time to walk because there are never any other dogs out.

We've worked on her sit and down commands as well and she is doing a nice job with those.

The "watch me" is still a little tough and not consistent as she is still so distracted. But, she didn't have any work last week since we were out of town. That kind of worked to our advantage lol as now she's pretty interested in me again hehehehe.

Thanks again for all the tips everyone!