Teach your dog to TAKE-A-BOW!

Many of my clients dogs have a hard time playing with and interacting with other dogs.  These dogs often play well with well-known, "buddy-dogs" and demonstrates good play-skills in comfortable situations, but do poorly with new dogs or in new places.  

With work the dog can learn to meet and greet the novel dogs without being inappropriate, but there is often no play.  In these cases the dog-in-training often starts getting jumped by the other dogs (in a not so friendly way).  This happens after the Meet-&-Greet, because the dog-in-training sniffs a hello and then just stands there stiffly.  This is awkward and invites aggressiion -a sort of preemptive strike against the dog who is standing stiffly and giving everyone the willies.

In these cases teaching a PLAY-BOW can bridge the gap between meeting and becoming friends.  It gives the dog-in-training something to do (besides standing awkwardly).  Furthermore, despite its trained-awkwardness it gives the other dogs something to do too -they can respond with more playfulness.

How To Teach A Play-Bow

Dog is standing...

1. Take a small treat and place it on your dogs nose.

2. Let your dog smell and lick at the treat, but don't let them eat it.

3. Slowly, very SLOWLY move the treat from your dog's nose in a straight-line down to the floor (right between your dogs front paws).

4. If your dog bends her elbows (even a little) while her tail-end is still in the air (not a down), praise and treat your dog.

If your dog's bottom flops to the ground, pull the treat away, stand-up and move away form your dog.  Wait until your dog is standing to begin again.

5. Keep doing this for 5 or 10 minutes everyday until your dog easily goes into the position shown above.

NOW ADD THE COMMAND

a. Call it something cute!  I like:  "Go play" or "New Friend"

b. Say this new phrase or the word, BOW

c. Then pause.... wait 10-15 seconds.

d. Now give your dog a HINT:  lure the trick.

If your dog does it, praise and treat your dog.

e. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

f. When your dog finally does this after the command and BEFORE the hint, JACKPOT your dog with 7 or 8 treats all at once!

g. Repeat some more.

h. Take it on the road; try it outside with no dogs around.  

Don't be surprised if your dog needs a review in new places or once dogs are around.

Include a picture of YOUR DOG'S PLAY-BOW.

Comment below & send the pic to:  kelley@dogEvolve.com

Nicole's dog CLOVER

How serious is it when a dog fights?

Most dog fights are minor spats -I consider them playground scuffles.  There's a lot of noise and a lot of commotion, but when the fight is interrupted, the dogs go their separate ways, shake-off the fight and resume playing as normal.  However if your dog is consistently getting in fights you should contact a certified trainer or behaviorist so that the problem can be diagnosed and a behavior modification plan can be implemented.  

The usual Cause-Of-Fight Suspects are:

1.  The dog is uninterested/uncomfortable with other dogs.  Dogs like this can appear to do fine at a park, but rarely seek out other dogs for play.  they tend to go about doing their own things (sniffing, playing with a toy, or walking by themselves or with their people).  Fights erupt when other dogs try to engage the loner-dog in play, try to sniff the unsocial dog, or inadvertently invade the sensitive dog's personal space.

2. The dog loves playing with other dogs, but gets carried away and the play tips into a fight.  This is common with rough-players like young Labradors, Boxers, Bulldogs, Staffordshire Terriers, Jack Russell Terriers and Ridgebacks (individual dogs of any breed can enjoy rough play, this list is not complete by any means).  Dogs that like rough play often don't take play-breaks to sniff or change roles (chaser vs. chasee) they simply keep mouth-wrestling until one or both dogs are unsure about the status of the game:  Real or play?

3. The dog gets along fine with known dogs and often plays well within that social group, but guards resources from unknown dogs.  Resources are anything the dog feels are valuable.  Some dogs guard toys, some dogs guard their playmates and some dogs guard people, food and locations (the park bench).

More on Playful Body Language >>>click here.

More on Guarding >>>click here.

Whether your dog fights a lot, or has only been in one fight...

The seriousness boils down to ONE KEY QUESTION:

How much damage did your dog do to the other dog?

Dogs have what trainers, behaviorists and veterinarians call Bite Inhibition.  This refers to the amount of tooth/jaw force used by a dog when they fight or defend.  Bite Inhibition is learned when the dog is a puppy.  At about 3-4 months of age, a dog's socialization window closes and the dog will have established their Bite Inhibition.  Puppy classes include puppy-to-puppy playtime to increase the practice time puppies have and improve their Bite Inhibition skills.

Dogs with Poor Bite Inhibition (sometimes called a Hard Mouth/Bad Mouth) use greater force than is needed and cause damage:  punctures & tears.

Dogs with Good Bite Inhibition (Soft Mouth/Good Mouth) limit the force that they could use and do little to no damage when they bite:  yelp, brusie, scrape.

More on Bite Inhibition (appropriate corrections in play) >>>click here.

What it means...

Bite Inhibition cannot be re-learned, trained, or punished out.  A dog that fights vary rarely, but who causes serious damage (veterinary care and sutures required) is far more dangerous than a dog that fights all the time, but never leaves a mark.

If your dog has seriously injured another dog, the prognosis for rehabilitating the dog's Bite Inhibition is poor.  Dogs that cause damage, even if they fight rarely, should be muzzled at the dog park.  Exceptions are rare and I limit them to ear-tears.  Ears are thin, tear easily and bleed profusely.  But exceptions are rare and this decision is left best to training professionals.

So if you have a dog that has injured another dog in a fight, the dog should always wear a MUZZLE. There are many, perfectly happy, muzzled dogs.  It beats never getting out to play, paying large vet bills, or going to dog court!

NOTE:  A Muzzle is NOT a replacement for TRAINING.  

Dogs that fight need help from a certified trainer! 

A well adjusted puppy is enthusiastic about playing.  

They are young, rambunctious and sometimes over-eager to engage other dogs in play.  While it is not wrong to ask another dog to play, trouble can arise when they don't notice that the other dog is not interested in playing.  

Young, playful pups are often too young to have learned how to read the intention-signals of other dogs, they sometimes get corrected.

Corrections from an older dog can be a learning experience, but owners need to protect their pups from getting harsh corrections.  To minimize the risk to your pup make sure that they have LOTS and lots of playtime with puppies their own age.  

Puppy classes are a great place to have your pup play with other puppies.  

A good puppy class will be filled with ONLY other puppies of a similar age.  Puppy play-time will cushion your pup's bank of experiences.  Puppy-to-puppy play will likely be appropriate and fun and pad your pup from associating play with bad things (older, un-playful dogs).  Lots of puppy-play will help your puppy associate an eventual correction with their actions or the other dog's body language.

When playing with older dogs, a correction is likely.  

The older dog should have EXCELLENT play-skills and give LOTS of warnings to the puppy.  When the older dog has finally had it and corrects the pup it should be a fast and timely correction.  The puppy will likely yelp and it will be over.  The older dog should not pin the puppy or keep fighting.  There should be NO harm and the pup should shake it off quickly and be back to his/her bouncy self.

A PUPPIES ERROR IN JUDGEMENT

Meet the dogs...

The FOCUSED, OLDER DOG is played by K-9 ANGUS, FEMA Certified Search & Rescue Dog, CA Task Force 3

see videos of Angus @ work -CLICK HERE

The PLAYFUL & OVERENTHUSIASTIC PUPPY is played by JUPITER, 4 month old, male beagle

Opening Act:  A polite invitation to play.

Act -II:  Stop ignoring me.  Don't you want to play?

Act -III:  You can't resist me; I'm right here!

Act -IV:  Knock it off pup!

Act V:  Pleeeese, play with me.

Final Act:  Too-bad, puppy; I warned you.

Second Show:  Hey, who are you?

Unless you plan on competing with your dog in obedience training, you do NOT need a formal HEEL.

HEEL -A position in obedience training where the dog holds his/her position at the left leg on the handler with the dogs nose roughly at the same plane as the handlers outside pant seam.  This position is maintained by the dog regardless of if or how the handler moves (forward, backward, turning, stopping).

I am amazed by the number of clients who seem to feel that they MUST forcefully hold their dog on a tight, short leash while walking.  This is NOT needed.

If fact, it tends to cause problems for the handler and the dog.  A tight leash can actually cause a dog to behave aggressively.  

It is always better to walk a dog on a loose leash.  Training the dog to keep the leash loose is the first and most important step towards enjoying a walk with your dog.

TEACHING LOOSE-LEASH WALKING  -kindergarden level

1.  Choose a collar or harness that does not pull on a dog's neck or back.  

Most flat-collars are good for keeping tags on your dog, but they are not good for walking dogs on leash.  

Pinch and Prong-collars are designed to hurt the dog for making mistakes (pulling), but hurting the dog can have serious side-effects such as increased aggression.  There are many reasons that these collars should never be used, but the best reason is that you can accomplish the same goal faster and more effectively without them.  

Back-clipping harnesses are a great way to reduce pressure on a dogs neck and throat, but they help a dog pull and are useless for teaching a dog to walk nicely on leash.  

****There are two great options for helping your dog walk nicely (no pulling on leash).  Front-clipping harnesses are becoming very popular and dogs tend to adjust to them quickly.  These are fantastic walking harnesses and they do not hurt the dog.  Another option is to use a head-collar.  

For more on these devices, CLICK HERE.

2.  Set time aside for training.  

Hold your dog's leash in your right hand.  If your dog is on your left this will mean that the leash crosses in front of your body -this is OK.

Hold some tasty treats in your left hand near your dogs nose.

Keep your dog interested in the treats, but do not let your dog eat them.

If your dog jumps for the treats or tries to nibble your hand.  Pull your hand away and put it behind your back.  

If your dog has all 4 paws on the ground and is walking nicely next to you, PRAISE your dog THEN give them one of the treats from your hand.

Is leash aggression the owners fault?  

When dogs fight with other dogs on leash is the owners lack of confidence the problem?

Hardly!  Owners can and should NOT be blamed for being nervous when handling their leash-reactive dogs.  

It goes without saying that if you have seen your dog bark, lunge, or snap at another dog when on leash that you will anticipate more bad behavior.  The anticipated unpleasantness makes most people nervous.

Still, my clients are often astonished that the dogs behave better when I am handling the leash.  

When I am called to consult with a client whose dog routinely behaves badly on leash towards other dogs, a common question is:  Have they (the owners) been transmitting their fears down the leash to their dogs?  From this my clients often surmise that it must be my calm, confident demeanor that gives me the edge when handling feisty dogs.  I would argue otherwise for several reasons.

Reason #1   When meeting new clients and handling a new dog for the first time I am absolutely NOT CALM.  

I am always nervous when meeting new clients and handling new dogs.  I might hide my fears and doubts well from my clients, but I am sure that if you were to put me to the test you would find that my heart rate is elevated, my mouth is dry and I my hands are sweaty.  

Reason #2   It is more scientific to rule out other, simpler explanations first.  

The answer to how well a dog can detect and to what degree they react to fear has not been sufficiently studied.  however, the mechanism responsible for self-preservation called Fight or Flight is very well understood and is the key to helping many of my clients navigate on-leash encounters between their dogs and other dogs.

Reason #3   I have a very good success rate with teaching my clients new skills that improve the situation despite their nervousness at trying something new and their fears that they won't do well and/or that their dog is beyond help.

Imagine if you were taking tennis lessons and your instructor simply coached you by saying, "You need to swing with more power and accuracy."    While this may be true, it won't help you KNOW HOW TO DO THESE THINGS!  

A good instructor/coach/teacher is always able to break things down into specific tasks that a student can practice in order to obtain better results in overall performance.  Telling someone that they are doing poorly or that they need to be, or do things better is NOT an educational technique.  

My personal results with the aforementioned bad-coaching technique was a frustration-induced, "more powerful" but drastically, LESS accurate swing.

So what is the CONNECTION between the LEASH & AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR?

All animals have an innate protective response.  When you are afraid (really, really afraid) your  The is commonly referred to as the Fight or Flight Response.  

Reactions include:

FREEZE -victims that we would describe as shocked, stunned, catatonic (this may precede other actions).

FLIGHT -a way of creating distance between you and a real or perceived threat.

FIGHT -another way of creating distance (turn the tables and get the scary thing to back off or run away).

The trick is to KEEP THE LEASH REALLY LOOSE & to KEEP MOVING FORWARD at a quickened pace so that your dog does not feel stuck or trapped.  This is hard to do when you own body is anticipating a bad encounter, so my clients with badly behaved dogs all tend to slow down and hold their dogs back.  This is a recipe for disaster.  The slow pace and tension causes the dog to lunge forward aggressively.  

Keeping the leash loose is easier said then done when there is a history of things going badly, so here are some hints.  Carry your dogs favorite toy or better yet, walk your dog when she is hungry and hold some cheese or some yummy meat in front of her nose as you pass by dogs.  Using your best goofy voice and moving quickly helps too.  Also, be sure not to punish or correct (jerk the leash) your dog for relapses.  

Remember you can't punish away fear!  

So fix the fear, and the barking and lunging will disappear.