On a few occasions when I’ve mentioned that Reactive Dog Class is NOT about socializing, I get a blank stare. The next question is: How do we ‘fix’ the reaction problem if we don’t socialize?
That’s a fair question. At first it make sense that we should be getting the dog out there and expose them to what scares them and expect that, in time, all will be well.
Well not necessarily. Let’s look at reactivity in dogs a little closer.
Dogs react for several reasons:
- The dog is not comfortable and sends out a warning in an attempt to create space between himself and another dog or person.
- The dog is feeling excited from not being able to get to what they want; to greet another dog.
- Feeling fearful from a previous negative experience.
- Under-socialized during the valuable 10-16 week period in puppyhood.
- The inability to take flight when they are faced with something fearful hence they lash out.
The reasons are varied and sometimes unknown or understood. However, regardless of the reason, a snarling, gnashing, lunging and barking dog is unpleasant.
Imagine how it is for the dog.
Dogs that behave like this are feeling something negative. They choose to act in a way that is helping them cope with their emotions. Its an expression of their emotions intended to keep dogs at a distance.
What these dogs need is empathy, not punishment.
Imagine, if you will, having a panic attack or an anxiety attack or think back to a time when fear completely took over your mindset. And during that fear period, nothing anyone said helped you; no physical or verbal comforting could take away that fear. That overwhelming fear completely took over. That fear, that feeling, is what it might be like for a dog.
To help a dog with fear, we need to teach him how to cope with the fear. That she/he learns a better way to cope with his fear than the reactive one he is choosing.
How do we teach this?
We help dogs cope by exposing them to a dog in small increments, at a distance they are comfortable with. The dog looks relaxed, typically with loose body language. We allow them to retreat or to look at the guardian if they prefer. The job of the handler is to keep the dog feeling safe. If they growl, hyper focus, whine or perform other behaviours indicative of a dog feeling uncomfortable (each dog will display its own behaviour unique to them) or worse, lung at the site of the trigger, you are too close to the trigger. We’ve failed at keeping the dog emotionally safe.
The method by which we help our dogs is desensitization and counterconditioning. We also teach the dog other behaviours and that allows them more choice in how they respond. You could say, the training we give them is empowering them with more choices. And the same goes for the guardians of these dogs; they gain more knowledge so they have more choices to help themselves and their dog.
In class, we go slow. Going slow gives guardians time to:
- Ascertain great leash handling skills thus building confidence.
- Ascertain more knowledge and options to empower them.
- The ability to recognize signals their dog is sending them, thus allowing them to act accordingly.
- The confidence to advocate for their dog when situations require verbal suggestions to the public.
And the dog? Well, she/he learns to:
- Rely on his guardian for direction.
- Find other methods to cope with her/his fear.
- Approach something he wants in a more respectful manner.
And sooo much more for both dog and guardian.
How long does it take for the dog to ‘get fixed’? That’s up to the dog. Dogs are thinking and feeling beings who learn at different paces. And for some, there is no guarantee they will ever be comfortable with other dogs or dogs while on leash.
Reactive behavior is an emotion based behavior.
A reasonable expectation would be that your dog starts to defer to the guardian because the guardian is taking more control of the situations that cause the dog grief. The guardian is ‘asking’ more from the dog and taking more control in all aspects of the dog life including advocacy and keeping scary things at distance where the dog is able to cope, thus creating a tighter bond built on trust and benevolence.
No punishment necessary. Kindness and compassion a must.