The Role of Rewards for Classical and Operant Counter Conditioning
To change an underlying emotional state, the owner must offer the pet something enticing that evokes a (hopefully) happier response. These “rewards” include:
If a dog does not respond to either of these, then the stimulus is too intense. All dogs have to eat but are not likely to eat or play if they are anxious or frightened.
Training is more successful if there is a gradient of treats, beginning with those that are extremely desirable and progressing to less desirable ones. The owner should identify 3 levels of treats: 1. “A” treats: Very delectable; table food works best for most dogs 2. “B” treats: An example is liver treats 3. “C” treats: Biscuits
Extremely desirable rewards (“A” treats) are saved only for training and conditioning sessions and are withheld at other times.
All situations that cause the behavior to occur must be avoided, especially in the early stages of treatment. When the dog engages in the behavior repeatedly, not only does it learn how to improve the behavior, but also the repetition may bias the synapses, allowing the response to occur faster and earlier each time.
If the only way for the dog to eliminate is during a walk, these walks must be arranged at times and places when and where encountering people and/or other dogs is less likely.
However, if other people and/or dogs are seen, the owner should increase the distance between the dog and the stimulus. Crossing the street, turning around and walking the other way, or even stepping behind parked cars to block the view of the oncoming stimulus can be utilized. At no time should the owner try to approach other people or dogs, or force any encounters.
These steps are not only prudent but can actually diminish anxiety and fear as the dog learns that it will not be exposed to a frightening or anxiety- producing situation.
Treatment focuses on 3 areas:2 1. Classical counter conditioning when approached by people and/or dogs 2. Systematic desensitization to people and/or dogs 3. Increasing control and ability to leave potentially aggressive situations.
Changing the underlying emotional state can help change outward behavior. The goal of classical counter conditioning is to teach the dog to associate the stimulus with something pleasant. This conditioning helps change the meaning of the stimulus from one that predicts something unpleasant to one that predicts something desirable.4
Learning is unlikely to occur when an animal is highly emotionally aroused; therefore, controlling the intensity of the stimulus is absolutely essential.
This information is gathered while taking the pet’s history (see History Gathering), and should be established before the behavior modification process begins.With regard to aggression during leash walking, the dog is classically counter conditioned to associate something pleasant with the sight and approach of people and/or dogs.4
Operant counter conditioning is teaching the dog a new response, such as focus or relaxation, that the owner can cue on command.
See The Role of Rewards for Classical and Operant Counter Conditioning for further discussion on how to change underlying emotional states during classical counter conditioning. Foundation Exercises Before Training on Walks outlines the baseline training that must be in place prior to conditioning.
Buy the Right Gear
If your dog is outfitted with a traditional collar and leash during his walks, the constant pulling and lunging can drastically lower your sense of comfort and control. While shock and pronged collars seem tempting to buy, they may result in adverse repercussions down the line, such as injuries like cardiac fibrillation, burns, or pain.
“A front-clip harness is the preferred choice for modern dog trainers because it reduces pulling without the dangerous side effects of a prong collar or choke chain,” says Torie Silletto, certified dog trainer and owner of Diamond Dog Behavior and Training in Portland, Ore. She adds that prong and shock collars can have unintended consequences. “If a dog feels spikes squeezing their neck [or a shock] whenever they see another dog, they will develop an aggressive response because other dogs now predict pain. The appearance of another dog flips on their fight or flight switch. The aggression is now worse.”
She adds, “Hurting and scaring dogs to train them exacerbates fear and aggression. Period. Don’t make this mistake.”
If you’re afraid your pet might bite, taking the proper precautions is paramount. Consider conditioning your dog to wear a basket muzzle. This type of muzzle allows your dog to easily breathe and be fed treats.
You can also invest in a vest, bandana or patch for your dog’s harness that reads “Anxious Dog” “Do Not Pet,” or “Unfriendly Dog” to let people know it is not okay for their dog to approach yours
Here Are Some Things to Avoid
Expectation can become reality, so if you head out the door worried that something bad might happen on the walk, you’ve already set the scene for bad things to happen. Before you go out that door, visualize a pleasant stroll with your dog at your side.
How to Stop Leash Aggression (Dog Nation)
It’s the stuff of nightmares: You and your dog are enjoying a walk through the neighborhood when all of a sudden, you spot an unaccompanied canine rounding the corner and heading your way. It can turn into a bad scene even if you and your dog are both young, healthy, and your dog is confident and well socialized. But what if your or your dog is frail or fearful? What if you’ve spent months trying to rehabilitate a dog whose is extremely reactive to other dogs?
Being approached by loose dogs, especially when my dogs are on leash, is my least-favorite experience as a dog owner. When we’re walking in a public place, such as a beach or park, I can usually identify the owner and ask that he please wrangle his dog. Of course, this request may be met with varying responses, ranging from appropriately apologetic for their dog having invaded our space, to accusatory, suggesting I am the problem for not allowing my dogs to roam free and socialize. But as uncomfortable as it may be to deal with unpleasant dog owners, it can be even worse to deal with a loose dog whose owner is nowhere in sight!
While every situation is different, conducting an on-the-spot risk assessment and having a mental list of possible tactics can boost your confidence and help you make clear-headed decisions when every second counts.
Following are five non-assertive strategies that you can use to deal with loose dogs (or avoid them!) while on walks. As we all know, some situations call for more urgent actions. If a dog rushes at you or your dog, here are some alternative ways you can keep yourselves safe.
As a dog trainer, I work to avoid avoidance in my canine students (since it’s a stress response), but I will happily work to avoid loose dog encounters. If I know there’s a certain house where the dogs are likely to be uncontained and free to rush toward, follow, or otherwise harass my dogs and myself, I pick another route for our walk.
Yes, it stinks that I have to change my behavior as a result of someone else’s inconsiderate habits, but my priority is the emotional and physical well-being of my dog and myself. At best, it’s unfair to ask my leashed dog to tolerate interaction with a loose dog – even a friendly one. At it’s worst, being ambushed by a loose dog can quickly spell disaster for dogs who are sensitive or reactive to dogs invading their personal space. And, of course, somewhere in the middle are the “we love everybody” dogs who would enthusiastically greet any dog, and whose enthusiasm quickly creates an excited frenzy that’s difficult for an owner to control. From a training perspective, the last thing we want to offer the overly social dog is the chance to go nose-to-nose with the loose dog – even when it’s a friendly dog – since that would be rewarding the over-excited behavior.
In general, leashes interfere with natural dog body language, especially when owners get nervous about the situation and without thinking or being aware of it, shorten (tighten) the leash. In this situation, the leashed dog is unable to use his natural language to effectively communicate with the approaching dog.
Dog body language is like a ballet of subtle and not-so-subtle behaviors that facilitate an exchange of valuable information. When held close to the owner on a shortened leash, a dog is unable to defuse an uncomfortable situation by changing positions relative to the intruding dog, or simply walking (or running) away.
Also, the sudden tightening of the leash easily becomes a red flag to your dog that you are uncomfortable, which can further stress both dogs. It is for this reason that trainers generally discourage on-leash greetings between dogs (even when both are willing participants in the interaction), or at least remind owners to maintain a loose leash during greetings where both parties have given consent.
If your immediate neighborhood offers limited options for re-routing a walk to avoid problematic areas, consider hopping in the car and driving to another neighborhood, or even to a local shopping center where it’s far less likely you’ll encounter other dogs. It may seem horribly inconvenient at first, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure – especially with dogs for whom encounters with loose dogs are especially challenging. It’s much easier to prevent significant behavior problems than to modify them later.
Depending on the situation, you can always visit the house where the loose dog is often seen (without your dog), and kindly ask the owners to contain their dog. If the dog is frequently running loose and you know where he lives, consider timing your visit for when you will likely encounter the dog, leash him up if possible, and knock on the owner’s front door. With this approach, it’s wise to point out how the loose dog is at risk for getting hit by a car or lost when he’s not properly contained, and you’d hate to see anything happen to him.
Although you’re likely to be annoyed, and the dog owners are in the wrong, as the saying goes, “kill them with kindness.” Find something to compliment about the dog, even if you’ve generally only see his less-than-desirable side. Something as simple as, “His coat is such a nice color,” or “I love his eyes” can often go a long way toward defusing the potential for confrontation and help maintain peaceful relations with neighbors.
Consider explaining that your dog is afraid of other dogs and it’s scary for her to have dogs run into her space, or that he’s “old and cranky” and you don’t want their (loose) dog to get snarked at by your dog. Yes, this approach can be a test of your emotional self-control since, if you’re like me, you’re likely to be supremely annoyed by the loose dog owners’ mind-blowing sense of entitlement. But remember the end goal is to encourage owners to contain their dogs, not to prove you are “right.”
If this fails, or past experience tells you it’s not a safe approach, there’s always the option of reporting a loose dog to animal control, or, if the dog can be safely handled, collecting the dog when he’s loose and unsupervised, and taking him to the local shelter. Some owners must experience some positive punishment before they are willing to change their behavior. (Note: In this case, “positive” is an operant conditioning term denoting the addition of something. In the case of “positive punishment,” what is added is unpleasant – having to visit the shelter to retrieve the dog, possibly pay a fine, etc.)