How to Train a Dog that Barks and Lunges at Dogs
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- čas přidán 31. 07. 2024
- About decoys: When first working with a dog that has a known history of reactive behavior (i.e. barking, lunging) we use a decoy dog (a stuffed dog) to do initial training exercises. Once foundation training is well established we begin using real dogs. This system has proven very effective, and prevents unnecessary exposure of a "neutral dog" to a stressful scenario. If you have a highly reactive dog it is in everyone's best interest to create a predictable set up, before moving on to real life challenges.
A successful training program works dogs below threshold. It is not necessary to make a dog react in order to modify behavior. That being said, if a dog is highly reactive to people and/or dogs and lives in a suburban or urban environment, it is in most cases inevitable for a dog to be pushed past their threshold in their day to day routine, and even at times, in a well structured training set up. The best thing to do in this case is to move the dog away from the trigger: 10, 50 or 200 feet -- whatever is necessary to help the dog de-escalate. If space is limited and you have no "escape route" you can use an object like a car, or even your body to create a visual barricade in order to help minimize the associated stress or arousal. Remember that you and your dog are a team, I cannot over-emphasize the importance of setting your dog up for success at every step of your training plan.
About the video: Diablo’s training focused on helping him to better regulate stress and arousal around distractions, specifically in the presence of other dogs. The fact that he exhibited a suppressed appetite in high stress or high arousal scenarios required us to create a training plan that allowed Diablo to revisit basic exercises in a low distraction environment. This helped to establish a higher level of engagement and motivation. We also worked on arousal control exercises using his favorite game: tug. When Diablo reached a certain level of proficiency with these basic exercises we then began to focus on his targeted training goal: calm behavior in the presence of other dogs. We did this in a training set up customized to Diablo’s individual needs. We provided short duration of exposure and increased or decreased distance as necessary. On walks at home, Diablo will still react, but the frequency, intensity and necessary time for recovery has decreased significantly. Stay tuned for more updates regarding Diablo’s training!
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Believe in the training process, be consistent and you will see positive change.
Alyssa Rose - Zábava
Alyssa, I find your videos so helpful in mentally preparing for and processing training! Thank you!
Thank you for watching and taking the time to send a kind word. It is appreciated! - Alyssa Rose (Lapinel), CPDT-KA
Great video! Need more trainers like you!
@KC Silverwing, thanks for watching and for commenting. I appreciate it! - Alyssa Rose, CPDT-KA
So if my dog spends large parts of her day barking at the front window then running to the back yard and back to the front window she's in a state that is doing her and me more harm than good. Lots of work to do!
I love your comment, shows good understanding and compassion for your dog's well-being. Let me know if you need more support/ guidance. My website is www.legendsdogtraining.com I offer online classes for behavioral training and one-on-one consultations. Best, Alyssa Rose
Hi Alyssa, I’m wondering if you have don’t a video on introducing a new dog into the family? We have a new dog next door (rescue mastiff) and want him to be able to play happily with our dog (Irish Wolfhound)
Our Wolfhound is relaxed and wants to play, the mastiff is scared and showing signs of fear aggression around our dog only. He has no fear of people.
What is the intention of the dog? Is it to fight, bight or play with the other dog ?
In the future, if you are going to include behavior such as reactivity, it'd be beneficial to explain that that behavior is not needed to be seen & it's an indication of moving too fast. Nothing more. Not sure if you put him in that situation on purpose to get on camera or if it was an honest moving too fast mistake but either way, informing the ignorant public that believes seeing it is necessary would be beneficial.
Hey Gage! Thanks for watching my video!. The video footage of Diablo barking was taken during a group class a year ago. During one of the last classes I brought out a stuffed dog. Each dog in the class is exposed individually for a short duration of time. The primary reason for this exercise is to discuss how to engage your dog around novel stimulus. I video each time I do this exercise because I find it helpful for owners to look back at their response and see how effectively and efficiently they're able to engage their dog or if there's any room for improvement. If the dog exhibits any obvious stress signals, this can also become a helpful educational tool and talking point, usually looking for lip licking, avoidance behavior, difficulty focusing. This was Diablo's response and his owners said that its the same reaction they see from him on walks each day. I started training with Diablo again in November, but this time in private lessons were we have been able to better customize his training. Thanks again for watching. - Alyssa Rose (Lapinel), CPDT-KA
Hey Gage, It is an important point, so I referenced it in the description to better reinforce the fact that it is not necessary to see the behavior in order to modify it, here's the edit: "It is also worth noting that a successful training program works dogs below threshold. It is not necessary to make a dog react in order to modify behavior. That being said, if a dog is highly reactive to people and/or dogs and lives in a suburban or urban environment, it is in some cases inevitable for a dog to be pushed past their threshold in their day to day routine, and even at times, in a well structured training set up. The best thing to do in this case is to move the dog away from the trigger: 10, 50 or 200 feet -- whatever is necessary to help your dog de-escalate. If space is limited and you have no "escape route" you can use an object like a car, or even your body to create a visual barricade in order to help minimize the associated stress or arousal. Remember that you and your dog are a team, I cannot over-emphasize the importance of setting your dog up for success at every step of your training plan." - Alyssa
Incidentally, I know you don't put dogs in stressful situations. You work with dogs like mine who are easily stressed under the best of circumstances. Also, if you never captured the behavior you are working on, I would not have understood it and your methods, and that it's really possible for improvement! I actually wish it were easier to study the variety of ways dogs show stress so that I could pick up on the more subtle cues more effectively.
How'd you deal with a dog that is reactive to other dogs in a group class ?
Squeezer Those dogs shouldn't be in group classes with other dogs. At least not in beginning stages as, sadly, explained above.