Aggressive Or Reactive Behavior? by Glen Hatchell, CPDT-KSA
Life can be stressful for a pet owner whose dog is aggressive towards other dogs. The good news is that the prob- lem might not be as bad as many owners fear. If your dog has aggressive tendencies towards other dogs, the first thing you want to do is schedule an appointment with your veterinar- ian to eliminate a medical or physical problem that could be the cause of the aggressive behavior. Aggression towards other dogs
can be the result of genetics, a previ- ous experience the dog has had, or even experiences it has not had. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior says that “incom- plete or improper socialization dur- ing a puppy’s first three months can increase the risk of behavior problems later in life, including aggression.” “She goes crazy and starts bark-
ing and pulling towards any dog she sees” is something I hear often. If this describes your dog then you are not alone. Your dog is thinking about whatever she is looking at so we want to redirect her attention to something else. There are two skills that are important for dogs to know—look at me and let’s turn. With look at me, your dog learns to turn her head and look at you instead of the other dog. Let’s turn means to turn and walk away from the other dog. You do not want to let your dog continue to look at the other dog since this can increase her frustration and make the situation worse. The ASPCA says that a dog who shows aggression usually
exhibits a sequence of increasingly intense behaviors that often begin with becoming very still and rigid, a guttural bark, lunging forward or charging, and showing teeth and snapping. When a dog becomes very still and rigid, warning bells go off
in my head. Since there is no movement, we can’t predict what might happen next. Often, still and rigid are precursors to a dog launching into another dog. When you keep your dog moving, she has to pay more attention to what you are doing and that results in her giving less attention to the other dog. Aggression among two dogs living together in a home can be
even more stressful. Sienna, a 50-pound working dog mix, played very rough, and would bite the neck and ear area of her house sib- ling Brixton when playing. After five minutes, Sienna would start
62 THE NEW BARKER
biting too hard and the owners would stop their play. My approach was to use a Baskerville muzzle that protected Brixton from being bit- ten, but allowed Sienna full move- ment of her mouth. As of this writ- ing, their play is more balanced and they are more relaxed in the home. The next step will be to allow Sienna to have play time without the muzzle with the goal that it can be eliminated. Have you seen a dog behind a
fence that is jumping, barking, and showing signs of aggression? In many cases, the term ‘reactive’ would be more appropriate. A fence can be frustrating for a dog because she can’t get to whatever she sees. In my experience with sheltered dogs at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, many of these dogs are reactive— not aggressive—because the dog they are barking at is the same dog they will be playing with ten min- utes later. A dog that is able to see what she wants but is not able to get to it can get frustrated and that can result in reactive behaviors. Aggressive. Reactive. Whatever
Illustration by Shari Blaukopf
term one uses, it is a complex prob- lem that is easy for an owner to mis- read. Seek the help of a professional experienced in dealing with dog on dog aggression. The problem might not be as bad as you fear.
U
Glen provides dog training through his busi- ness My Dog Trainer, LLC. He has been train- ing dogs in Tampa since 2010, earning a Certified Professional Dog Trainer- Knowledge Assessed certification (CPDT- KA) in 2014. He implemented the Shelter Dog Playgroup program at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay in 2012. To date, he has had more than 24,000 playgroup dogs
with more than 3500 hours of experience managing playgroups. He also now provides pet sitting services. This is a photo of Glen with Lucy, one of the dogs at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. The photograph is by Mark Norman. For training and/or pet sitting services, call or email Glen at
813.935.PETS (7387).
Glen@MyDogTrainer.com
www.TheNewBarker.com
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