Fearful Dog

Know Your Dog, Respect Others

Harvey Socialization

I received a disturbing email from a client about her dog being attacked by another dog. I am always heartbroken when clients share this kind of news. What makes the story even sadder and shocking was that her dog was attacked twice by the same dog. Yes, twice by the same dog. Even worse, the offending dog’s guardian, who was present for both attacks, showed no remorse over their dog’s actions. When I read her words, “he blew me off”, I could not help but feel obligated to share her story.

Like me, you are probably appalled by her news because you likely share similar views with my client. If you are reading a dog training article, assumably you spend time teaching your dog expected behaviors and truly want to understand your dog better. To you, I say….SPEAK UP. First and foremost, always ask if a dog is friendly when considering approaching with your dog. Anyone who has worked with me knows I preach on that subject. If the person says “sometimes” or “I don’t know”, move on. Just because they are both canines does not mean they are meant to be best friends.

If you are at a park or frequently pass a dog on the street who is bullying others, talk to the owner. Do not do attempt a heat of the moment discussion. People are passionate about their dogs and their choices. Knock on their door or catch him or her when neither of you have your dogs so you are each other’s sole focus. Be polite and simply explain that their dog is going to hurt another if bullying continues. Print this article and show the individual this video because understanding warning signs can prevent future incidents.

If you have witnessed or been a victim of a dog attack (human or dog); pass on a reputable trainer’s information. Follow up and if he or she has not attempted to teach their dog better choices, report it. Often, we fear something horrible will happen to the offending dog. However, if a dog has bitten, he or she will bite again and bites often get worse. Your dog (or you) could also be attacked a second time by the same dog and it is not fair.

If this message happens to wander across the screen of someone who might not understand why their biting, growling, bullying dog should not be allowed to continue this behavior, let me give you a few reasons:

By allowing your dog to continue this behavior, it will only grow more intense with time. As behavior progresses, so do damages and dogs have the capability to kill. That is not something I would want on my conscience, would you?
Your dog’s actions, which are your responsibility, have traumatized and possibly altered another being’s perception of dogs for their entire life. Imagine being riddled with anxiety every time you pass a dog. Please understand that is your doing and take accountability.
If your dog hurts or growls at another dog (or human) when approached or gets into fights at the dog park, he is not having fun. It is that simple, find a new outlet for your dog’s energy. Work with a trainer to teach more appropriate social behaviors.

For those of you who have attempted to “socialize” your growling, humping, lunging dog by continuing to take him or her to the dog park or continue to pull and growl on leash walks; please thoroughly review the above video and articles to better understand your dog. Spend time some training your dog to walk better on leash. And know that “socialization” is not throwing a dog into something or at someone that he or she has shown clear signs of flee or fight. Socialization is teaching dogs that awful things are not awful in thoughtful steps, always watching for stress signs while working through the process.

We chose to domesticate them and we dote, love, play and spend loads of money on them. Why shouldn’t we spend that time trying to understand them? If your watch what your dog is trying to communicate and remember we all have to share parks and sidewalks, perhaps it will be a little more peaceful for all of us. My hope is that unknowing owners can recognize warning signs, get the help they need and keep everyone safe.

Barking

In many homes, a common response to a dog’s bark is screaming, “no, stop, quiet, no, no“. Indulge me for a moment and say those words out loud.

It sounds like barking, doesn’t it? It sure sounds that way to your dog as well; which can make the behavior worse. Even negative attention can reinforce an unwanted yapping episode at the door. If your dog’s is caused by stress, you can inadvertently express concern by tone of your voice. No one wants their dog to think they are worried about family ringing the door bell.

So, what to do? If your dog has specific triggers that cause barking such as the doorbell or knocking; train a new behavior. With technology, it is super easy to record neighbors walking up and down the stairs or a barking dog outside the window and play it over and over again at a low volume. The key when you do this is to keep the volume so low you can barely hear it. Play the sound and guide your dog to go to bed or ”down/stay” and reward for that behavior, as long as your dog remains quiet. Do this a few times a day when you are not expecting guests. When your dog understands the expectation, turn the volume up a little louder. Then, play the volume and walk in and out of your home. It really does not take much time daily to practice this new behavior but will pay off in frustration and embarrassment for years to come.

Let’s say your dog likes to bark to tell you he or she wants to play, go out or while you are preparing food. You must cease reinforcing the behavior immediately if it is not acceptable in your home at other times of day. Dogs need consistency, if you toss a toy for your barking dog then get angry when your dog barks while you are on the phone, it creates confusion. Ignoring is a great option but you have to be 100% consistent, which can be troublesome in urban environments when neighbors are apt to complain. One easy way to re-train this is to take away what your dog wants for barking. If your dog barks for attention; turn your head, walk out of the room or hold a magazine up in front of your face so your dog learns he or she loses you for barking. The instant he or she is quiet, you give verbal praise. Toys and food go away in a closet for an instant when your dog barks and when your dog is quiet, they come back out. Never yell while doing this or say bad dog as it can muddy the message. You have to be quick, the instant your dog quiets, give praise. You can also avoid demand barking by giving your dog fun activities to wear him or her out, just do so for quiet behavior.

If your dog likes to bark at the window and has access to it all day, you must take that away until he or she learns to be quiet. I know it is a nice luxury to look out the window while you are at work. However, if he or she barks and people walk away, the behavior is reinforced as she thinks she did her job in scaring them away. There can be an element of protection here so be sure to work on leadership exercises daily with your dog so she understands you will protect her and she does not have to worry about protecting herself.

Additionally, five times a day (when you do not need it) train your dog to run away from the window and lay down. Simply cue “away” and cheerily guide your dog away with your hand or a treat and prompt him or her down. The only word you should use is ”away”. If you commit to doing this five times a day and your dog gets good at it, have a friend walk past the window and cue ”away”. It is important to practice this in set-up training sessions so your dog understands the meaning so he or she can succeed in a few weeks when you actually need it!

If your dog’s barking is while he or she is alone, you could be dealing with some Separation Anxiety and I recommend recording it to confirm. Once you do so, consider working with a trainer and/or your veterinarian to help ease your dog’s home alone stress.

Dogs like to bark and many love to hear themselves bark. Do not play the barking game with your dog, train your dog to be quiet in the environments you expect him or her to be quiet. It does not take a lot of time and it is much less frustrating than screaming quiet and continually reinforcing the exact opposite behavior you want.

Photo courtesy of Rhonda Holcomb

Aggressive Dogs Are Not Bad

Finn has been attacked but trained to be dog neutral

There are many dogs out there who like dogs but their friends need to be chosen wisely or new dogs in homes who are still aroused in unfamiliar environments and may be barking as a way to cope. The random street greeting should not be an assumed and many folks who say “my dog is aggressive” quite frankly don’t have the time to say, “he’s afraid of big dogs and you look like you are not paying attention so it’s easier for me to say my dog is aggressive”. So, just because someone tells you that, does not mean you should run away screaming but you should respect that they do not want their dog to say hi, they should be allowed to do so and are probably doing you a lovely favor by walking on their merry way.

A guardian and their dog avoiding the random street greeting is not something to be afraid of or to label your neighbor’s dog as “bad”. What scares me more than a guardian who has come to terms with their dog’s uncertainty around other dogs is when I see tension building with one or both dogs as two guardians laugh and smile at the end of very tight leashes. Leash and body tension can very quickly turn sniffs, wags and pounces into snarls, growls, lunges and even bites. It can happen to your dog, here are some ways to keep your dog friendly and safe.

1. Make it a rule to ask every single dog guardian if their dog is friendly. If they hesitate or say “sometimes”, politely move on. It’s tough for people to come to terms that their maturing dog is growing more choosy over his canine pals or that a one-time attack has caused a huge impact on how their pooch views others. Bottom line, your job is to keep your dog safe and if it means not sniffing another dog’s butt, he can get plenty of social time with dogs you know love other dogs.

2. Watch body language, people and dogs. If you see someone silently getting further away from you or trying really hard to get their dog’s attention because they spotted you and Fifi, it might be a sign they don’t want their dog to say hello to yours. It is so hard to say out loud “my dog is not friendly”, respect their space and you will keep your dog safe. It’s also important to learn some canine body language so you know when your sweet puppy’s greeting is appropriate or when one or both dogs are close to getting into trouble.

3. Teach your dog some leash manners and pay attention to him. Not only does your dog get rewarded for naughty behavior if you allow him to pull you to every Fido you approach, but his body language as he strains at the end of the leash may not be sending good vibes to the other dog. This rule also assumes that you are paying attention to your dog when you walk him, a 90-lb. dog in one hand and a cell phone in the other is not a good idea. Your dog only gets your undivided attention a small portion of the day, do the right thing and train him to be relaxed on leash and keep your eye on him when in all public places. Just because you are in a vet clinic, doggie daycare or dog-friendly shop does not give you freedom to drop your leash.

4. If your dog is “sometimes” friendly, don’t chance it. Educate yourself, get help and train him to focus on you rather than “sometimes” getting snarky with neighborhood pups. Your dog does not have to say hello to every dog you pass. You could hug every single person you pass on the street, but you don’t. Please give your neighbor a big thumbs up when they tell you their dog is not friendly, the social stipulation in the human world makes that so difficult to say out loud. And, you keep your dog-friendly dog safe.

Know Your Dog, Respect Others

Barking

Aggressive Dogs Are Not Bad

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