—WILL ROGERS
You’ve been such good sports by taking on all this responsibility and learning technical jargon, it’s time to offer a “gimme.” The following is a list of common canine problems and solutions. It is impossible to address every permutation of a problem and its potential causes, so being observant is always part of the fix. You will need to have a handle on the following:
Desensitization
As you recall from socialization, a dog’s inability to control its reactions to people, animals, objects, places, and sounds is a fairly common problem that can result in:
■ Aggressive behaviors—barking and lunging to attack.
■ Fearful behaviors—trembling, urinating, fleeing, hiding, or shutting down.
■ Other behaviors may include panting, whining, howling, and spinning.
To treat these, we incrementally expose the dog to the triggering stimulus in a nonthreatening way. With time and practice, a neutral to positive response can be formed.
Redirection
Always have something at the ready to grab the dog’s attention as it begins to react. That may be a reward or in acute conditions even a negative reinforcer, such as a spray from a water bottle. The idea is to “snap” the dog out of the dangerous mode it is threatening to go into.
Compassionate Corrections
Always guide the dog to a reward or a more relaxed state. Even the aforementioned spray from a water bottle, while not pleasant, can serve to distract a dog from going into flight or fight.
Leash Pressure
The leash is a way we communicate with dogs. A well-trained dog and skilled handler “talk” to each other through the leash. Developing leash skills takes nothing but attentive practice. Any pull should be subtle and short, but never yank or snap the leash. To cue the dog, it is most effective to pull upward and less is always more. Think of it as a tap on the shoulder. A subtle tap will get someone’s attention just as well as a smack. Should yanking feel necessary to restrain a dog in dealing with common occurrences and situations, desensitization and handling work is required.
A tension gate (similar to a baby gate) or a crate in the home is helpful for desensitizing a dog, because either one separates the dog from the triggering stimulus. Other tools should include treats, shorter leads (four-foot nylon leashes), chew toys, tug toys, and in some cases, longer training leashes (fifteen to thirty feet), as well as head halter collars.
Home reactivity refers to dogs triggered by children, other animals, or even objects like vacuum cleaners inside the home. By “reactivity,” I do not necessarily mean aggression but barking, skittish behavior, and hyper concern all constitute reactivity. To properly limit the risk and reactivity, a tension gate is very helpful to allow a dog to be safely exposed to its perceived nemesis.
Put the dog behind a gate to sequester it from the trigger, but keep the trigger close enough so the dog is aware of the upsetting presence. Offer a toy or chew stick to play with and reward calm behavior. Once there is an established level of calm from the dog, remove the gate and use the down/stay command with the dog on a leash. Be careful of any flare-ups, and closely monitor the interaction between the dog and the stimulus—i.e., the other dog, child, or object. Once the dog is nonreactive, welcome him to sit or lie closer to the stimulus but first make sure he is not fixating on the trigger. Slowly (on leash) allow the dog to investigate by politely sniffing the object, person, or animal while being closely watched.