Victoria Stilwell Positively

Dog aggression on lead is something that is all too commonly seen these days but also very much misunderstood.  That is why I've chosen to share a case of mine (names changed for privacy reasons) where a family  had experienced emotional disruption when it came to walking their dog.  Here is there story that I hope many could relate to...

Archie is a beautiful Border Collie who's distaste in life is other dogs, and consequently would display signs of aggression toward them when either on or off the lead.  His owners fell in love with Archie at first sight where he retired to the back of the kennel looking at them with appealing eyes and a gentle wag of his tail.  There was no information about Archie's history apart from he was picked up as a stray in Wales, but this did not deter his new family to committing to give Archie a new start with them.

Archie had been with his new family for two years before my help was required.  The family had no great expectations of Archie, but they simply felt he did not enjoy his walks and they certainly felt on edge each time they took him out.  On every occasion when a dog came into sight, Archie would become anxious and lunge forward followed by erratic barking and spinning.  Many attempts to alleviate Archie's problem had been unsuccessful; the techniques that had been suggested were lead yanking, using a citronella spray collar, and forcing him to walk with other dogs in close proximity to get him to suppress his aggression (method known as flooding).   Of course, this had an overwhelming effect on Archie and his behaviour became worse.

When I first met Archie in his home, I received a warm reception.  First impressions were of an animal that appeared pretty relaxed and well balanced.   I was keen to learn more about him and so we set out to the park; suddenly, things began to change.  In the distance another dog came into sight and Archie's demure changed from being relaxed, to demonstrating text book signs of a stressed dog.  Archie was communicating clearly to us that he felt uncomfortable. I knew that if we went any closer, it would trigger the aggression that he has learnt to demonstrate around other dogs.   At this stage it was clear to me that his owner was unaware of the body language that Archie was displaying; this is something every dog owner should attempt to understand.  He was wearing his heart on his sleeve as he exhibited stiffening of the body, whining, panting and demonstrating avoidance to the other dog.  It is no wonder that he felt he had no choice but to resort to aggression.

I was content that I had seen enough to assess the behaviour, and certainly didn't want to force him into a confrontation to see the aggressive outburst itself.  This dog did not want to be around other dogs, and forcing him into that scenario was not going to cure his problem.  Clearly it was time to head for the security of his own home, and begin training on a more positive start.

For whatever reason a dog does not like being in the company other dogs, we have to acknowledge one point; why should they like being around other dogs?  As humans, we have the freedom of choice to make our own decisions on who we like or dislike, so why do we assume that all dogs must like each other.  This can only result in some of our dogs being placed in uncomfortable situations.  Unlike our dogs, we know that it is morally wrong to verbally abuse or strike out at people we don't like, yet we need to work with our pets so they know it is not acceptable to act in an aggressive manner towards other dogs.  Some animals may never be reconditioned to accept the company of other dogs around them, however, with the correct use of a desensitisation program and some positive training it can be possible for a dog to learn to cope with being in proximity to other dogs and so learn to enjoy their walks without the need to exhibit stress.

Archie began his training back home, where there were no distractions.  Fortunately, Archie was not shy when it came to food, which does make a trainer's job a lot easier!  A medley of treats were prepared consisting of hotdog sausages, cheese, and my homemade tuna cake.  I always say don't be stingy with the treats, and use a high value reward to help keep your dog's concentration.  To make Archie feel more comfortable when near other dogs, we had to focus his attention away from them and onto us.  I did this by introducing a 'Watch Me' command; I used a treat to get Archie's eye contact and with the all important timing that is required when training, put the command to the action and reward him. When built up over a period of time, this exercise will help improve the relationship between the dog and his owner, and also take his focus away from other dogs in a positive and rewarding way.   It did not take Archie long to realise that humans were actually easily pleased; "If I just look into her eyes she feeds me!"  It was time to raise the game and take Archie outside to continue this training.  At this point I must make it clear that all this training was not achieved in one simple hour, but required dedication and consistency from his owner using baby steps to reach that ultimate goal.  Archie was extremely motivated by this new concept of training and his owner was determined to help Archie overcome his lack of confidence when it came to other dogs, so with a gradual learning curve he soon became untroubled with the presence of other dogs as long as they didn't get too close. Archie is still a dog who likes his own space!

Archie was a fortunate dog.  He has an owner who, firstly, recognised their dog's anxiety towards other dogs, and then put in a lot of time and effort time to help him overcome his problem.  Since writing this article, I have been informed that Archie continues to improve; he has learnt to accept dogs passing him by and now appears to be more relaxed on his walks.  He continues to be unsettled when another dog approaches him directly, but that is now a manageable issue, as his owner is alert to the fact and prevents any altercation. Archie's state of mind now appears calm and stress free and that was the end goal we wanted to achieve.

So next time your dog expresses his dislike toward other dogs that invade his space, just imagine how you would feel if a stranger came up to you in the street and proceeded to hug, kiss and force his company upon you - I bet you wouldn't like it, I know I wouldn’t!