Dealing with Leash Aggression
Hi,
Tucker and I are finishing up our first obedience class. He has always been a little ugly to dogs who approach him (showing teeth or growling), but he started really acting out a few weeks ago (lunging, teeth bared). I have always corrected him for rude behavior, but obviously it has escalated. I talked with my trainer and she said that happens a lot as dogs learn to heel and suddenly don't have 8 feet of leash to wander around on. She said he feels trapped and acts out to make the other dog leave "his space". She recommended using the command "leave it" and a spray bottle if he does not leave the other dog alone.
He was not socialized as a pup and this has been something we have worked hard to overcome. He used to have literal panic attacks, especially around people. He can now calmly be in the presence of people, but he does not usually let strangers touch him. He will try to get away if he can-- he is not aggressive towards people.
He only does this when approached by larger dogs who get in his face. He is only aggressive on the leash; he plays pretty well at the dog park.. he can be a little bossy, but does not get into fights. He will walk fine past another dog or through a crowd of dogs. He usually goes after those overly-friendly dogs that don't respect personal space. Obviously, being proactive is helpful here and I try to be very aware of dogs that might set him off.
I am starting agility class with him and I really don't want to be that person with the nasty dog. He usually walks in a pinch collar which he does well with. His obedience commands are very good. We have been working with the spray bottle for about a week and I have seen some improvement.
Does anyone else have any advice? It is very frustrating and embarrasing.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Jenny, let me put it this way: Your dog is clearly showing he is uncomfortable with the other dogs approaching him in this manner.
Instead of showing you ways to make him actually BE comfortable, your trainer has you correcting the behavior without touching the underlying feelings that are causing him to lash out. Your Corgi may learn to suppress his actions in order to avoid the squirt, but he still has the same underlying feelings (might be fear, anger, etc) that cause the behavior.
What do you think will happen over time if he suppresses the urge to act out but still feels fearful or angry when another dog approaches? Do YOU think this is a permanent solution? Do you think the dog might notice if you forget to carry the squirt bottle?
Dogs use the sort of posturing you describe (lashing, lunging, growling, air-snapping) as a warning. When warnings aren't heeded, the dog may eventually escalate to an actual attack. You are teaching your dog not to give a warning, but the underlying discomfort is still there. That can often teach a dog to skip giving the warnings and launch straight to an attack.
Now, what if there were a method that instead of correcting your dog's actions actually focused on changing how your dog feels when another dog approaches, so instead of feeling uncomfortable he actually feels happy about it?
Check out Patricia McConnel's books on dealing with dog-reactivity. She offers a much different approach than your trainer. She has a graduate degree in animal behavior as opposed to just a title "dog trainer" which anyone can have.
Here is her blog: http://www.theotherendoftheleash.com/http://www.theotherendofthelea...
You can search the archives and she links to her books and stuff.
As far as working for food vs praise: Would YOU work just for praise? I mean, really think about that. What job would you do and how long would you do it if you never got a tangible reward?My thoughts on the subject changed completely when I saw a dolphin show. Those trainers give the dolphins food for just about anything they do.
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Permalink Reply by Jenny, Tucker, & Zoey on
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Beth, thank you!! I already had her book the Cautious Canine and it helped me a lot when Tucker was really scared. I am so glad that she has a book about dog reactivity. In fact, I think the Cautious Canine may have a few chapters as well.. but I glossed over them, because that wasn't an issue at the time. I will have to get it out and look this weekend.
I do understand what you're saying. I know we need to get to the bottom of why Tucker feels the way he does. I think he used to be so fearful that he started acting "tough" to get better results. I will grab some books and see if I can find something relevant to him.
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I believe "Feisty Fido" is the dog-reactivity book. :-)
And my link is a bit off. Should be http://www.theotherendoftheleash.com/
Good luck. I'm so glad you've brought Tucker so far, and you'll have a BLAST in agility!
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Permalink Reply by Yuki & Ellie on
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I just wanted to say thank you for the link! I clicked on it just to see what she was about, and now I'm ordering 2 of her books. I expect they will be very informative, and hopefully help with a couple of Yuki's quirks. :)
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I wanted to add something about only working for the treat as well. The way to avoid that is to fade the treats. Think of yourself as a slot machine rather than a vending machine. When a dog is first learning the behavior, they should get a reward every time. Once they master it, you switch to random rewards: sometimes they get nothing, somethings they get one treat, and sometimes they get 5 or 10 treats in quick succession with lavish praise.
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Permalink Reply by Jane on
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I wasn't trying to sound like I was bashing your trainer (sorry if it came off like that), but in this case I really do think positive reinforcement methods would be much more beneficial than a negative correction. Patricia McConnell is a great resource (I feel lucky that I live in Wisconsin and have a trainer that used to work with her, AND who has corgis, double awesome!) and Leslie McDevitt's Control Unleashed might be another good book to take a look at if you haven't.
I don't know if you like to read blogs, but this person in particular I think is a great resource for information. She's not a professional trainer, but rather an everyday person really going above and beyond to work with her reactive dog. The link is specifically to her counter-conditioning posts but her whole blog is pretty interesting I think. She uses almost completely positive training.
http://reactivechampion.blogspot.com/search/label/counter%20conditi...
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Permalink Reply by Ellen Andersen on
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Ok...nothing to do with this thread, really, but from reading it all it just reiterates to me how wonderful this site is. So much good information, support, and caring! Just wanted to say that....ok...back to your regularly scheduled programming! ;-)
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