Are You Leading or Being Led?

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Hello Dog Owners!

Well, I think Summer is having some issues arriving. No sooner does the rain stop and the sun come out, the temperature drops 10 degrees and the wind gets icy.

It’s been like this for an entire year now – unpredictable, wet, cold.

Maybe in another month, eh?

In the meantime there are interesting things going on in DOT Academy and we are getting things ready to bring an absolute blinder to the community (this information is only available to newsletter subscribers.)

So many people have reactive dogs these days, the entire world seems awash with them. This was never so much of an issue 2 or 3 decades ago, but now it seems to be common-place.

A lot of the time these reactivity issues have been owner-created. This means that the owner may have inadvertently created the reactivity issue by the way they have treated the dog.

Everybody seems to have a story about how their dog was “attacked” at some point in the distant past and although this may have been a contributing factor at the time, historically it is usually the reactivity, uneasiness and anxiety that the owner is carrying around as a result of that incident, that helps to create and sustain reactivity in the dog.

The reason for this is that dogs are masters in non-verbal communication, so they sense stress and anxiety in their owners not only by smell, but also but the verbal tone and their body language.

So maybe it’s not always that the dog that’s reactive, but the owner being reactive which then in-turn creates reactivity in the dog.

Just a thought.

A lot of the time it can be because adequate rules and boundaries have never been set from the outset.

Just in case these things are a contributing factor, we will continue our Reactive Series by taking a look at how we can become the leader that our dog wants us to be.

The content of this newsletter is taken directly from a document that I pass on to my reactive dog clients, to give them a little insight into what’s going on and how they can become a good leader for their dog.

You may even find that once you have these things in place, reactivity just fades away.

Let’s get to it!

TODAY IN 15 MINUTES OR LESS YOU’LL LEARN

✔️ What Dogs Need

✔️ Changing Roles – Becoming a Leader

✔️ All About the Walk

WHAT DOGS NEED

It’s a sad fact that people these days, treat their dogs more like children.

They are not.

They are wild animals that although have evolved and been bred to be domesticated enough to live alongside humans for hundreds of years, they still have inherent instincts and behaviours that if not addressed as the dog develops, can lead to issues later down the road.

A dog needs a leader and if one isn’t available, it will take that role.

Let’s look a little closer.

The Leader of the Pack

Dogs are pack animals. As pack animals they expect a confident leader to lead the pack.

In the wild the leader of the pack will perform many tasks, including keeping all the other dogs in line and watch out for and deal with, any potential dangers that threaten the pack.

The pack leader will control access to food and access to their attention, take their pick of the pack for a mate and be the first to eat, taking what they need and leaving the remainder for the rest of the pack members to squabble over.

Being the leader of the pack is a very stressful position and it is likely that the pack leader is significantly stressed and anxious, as they are always on the lookout for threats.

From time to time one of the pack members will challenge the pack leader for that position, so it is important for the pack leader to be strong and forceful (some would say Dominant) in keeping the rest of the pack inline, in order to keep these types of challenges to a minimum.

The Domesticated Dog

The pet dog will see the family unit to be the pack that they are in and if there doesn’t seem to be a suitable leader, they will determine that they need to take that position.

Taking this position will be a very stressful position for them to fill as they have determined that they will need to keep a lookout for potential threats that could harm the other pack members and keep them safe.

Being the self-appointed leader of their Family Pack, they will expect certain things, including:

  • to eat before the rest of the pack
  • to demand attention when they want it
  • insist on the most comfortable place to claim as theirs
  • lead the walk when they go out
  • Become pushy and demanding

The above aren’t the only things that the leader of the pack will insist upon, but for the purpose of this guide these are the ones we will cover.

Demanding these things and being leader of the pack, can usually cause the following issues:

  • Resource-guarding of food
  • Resource-guarding/Protection of pack (family) members
  • Resource-guarding places – chair, bed, sofa, etc.
  • Pulling on the leash
  • Being reactive on-leash
  • Not being very responsive to recall requests
  • Not being very responsive to obedience drills

This is because…

The Leader of the Pack demands that they eat first, has the best place to sleep and relax and ensure that the pack (family) is kept safe.

They will be the ones to dictate what the rest of the pack does and will be at the head of the pack when out on the prowl.

And why would they bow to any other pack members demands? After all, they are the pack leader and it is them who calls the shots. All other members of the pack will need to tow-the-line otherwise all hell will break loose and they will literally be shown, by the pack leader, where they stand in the pack as a stark reminder.

So now you may be able to start seeing why your dog may be protective around food, pull like a train when out on a walk, bark and lunge towards other dogs when they come too close and totally ignore us when we ask them to do something – no matter how much we “train” them.

CHANGING ROLES – BECOMING A LEADER

So what can we do then to swing things around?

Well, it’s fairly simple really, but it does require the owner to step up to the plate and become a leader (in the dogs’ eyes) and for the dog to learn that they don’t have to play the role of pack leader any more.

Basically we need to undergo a Role Reversal of sorts – The owner and the dog need to swap places.

So how do we accomplish this feat?

Well, it all begins in the home with some simple but highly effective behaviours that need to be practised by all of the handlers of the dog.

1 – Control of the Food Supply

To become a pack leader you will need to control the food supply.

  1. You decide when your dog will eat.
  2. You will always eat before your dog does.
  3. The food is removed when the dog walks away from it.
  4. Treats are not left around the house for the dog to eat when they feel like it.

You Decide when Your Dog Eats

It is good to have a routine for your dog so that they get used to being fed in a certain way around a certain time.

If your dog is reactive and/or you need to build trust and relationship with each other, then it is recommended that all meals are fed by hand.

Feeding by hand takes the dogs usual food ration which is fed while undertaking some form of training throughout the course of the day and isn’t fed all at once, necessarily, but used as rewards instead of using treats.

This builds trust and can be useful for dogs that are fearful, anxious or have been rescued.

Because of the interaction between handler/owner and the dogs, it can enhance the dog-human relationship.

Because it is the only way that the dog will get access to food, it will become more attentive to training.

You Eat First

If you are feeding from a bowl, then it is important that you eat before your dogs does.

Have your meal first, then feed your dog afterwards.

Don’t allow your dog to sit and wait at the table. Send them to their bed or shut them in another room, or crate, if they are being pushy, annoying and hounding you for food.

If you are not due to eat, then you need to give your dog the impression that you have eaten before them.

To do this, put their food in their bowl and pretend to take some food out of their bowl and eat it, prior to putting the bowl on the floor. It is a great idea to use a biscuit that you hold in your hand and pretend to take it from the bowl, eat it, then place their bowl on the floor.

Controlling access to when your dog can eat, ensures that they sit and wait for a short while before you let them eat. If they get pushy and lunge for the food, pick the bowl up for a few seconds, then repeat the procedure until they can sit for a couple of seconds before being given permission to eat.

Remove the Food

If the dog completely eats their food, remove the bowl.

If the dog eats some food, then moves away from the bowl, remove the bowl.

If the dog doesn’t eat the food within a 3-4 minutes period, remove the bowl.

Do not put the bowl back down until the next allocated mealtime.

This way the dog learns that not only do you control the access to food, you also control when they eat and in what time-frame.

Some stubborn dogs may go a couple of days without eating. Bare with it, it is unlikely to go much more than this.

Treats Only When You Say

Controlling access to food also means treats.

It is important not to let your dog graze on food or leave pigs-ears or any other treat hanging around for later.

Give them something and as soon as they leave it, pick it up put it away and save it for later.

Important: Ensure that you do not take away treats from your dog when they are eating them, as this could quickly lead to resource-guarding behaviours. Wait until they walk away.

2 – Being In-Charge of Perceived Danger

As part of your new role as Pack Leader you will need to keep an eye out for signs of danger.

If your dog, as a member of the pack, alerts you to a potential source of danger while at home by barking, then remaining calm, relaxed and with low-energy levels (to keep arousal down to a minimum):

  • Without moving from your position, say “Thank you”.

If they bark again:

  1. Go and look at what they are barking at.
  2. Stand in-front of them.
  3. Say “Thank you”
  4. Walk Away and back to what you were doing

If they continue to bark:

  1. Don’t look at them.
  2. Don’t speak to them.
  3. Take them to their crate or another room and isolate them.
  4. Wait until the dog has calmed down and quietened (even if it’s an hour or two).
  5. Wait an additional 5 minutes or so, then release them.

3 – Practice Separation

It is important as a Pack Leader to demand time to yourself.

If your dog follows you around or suffers from separation anxiety then practising separation while you are at home, is a great way to train your dog to be comfortable being on its own for a while.

Every now and then while at home and at a time when you don’t plan to go out, practise separation as follows:

  1. Isolate your dog in their crate or in another room. It can be helpful to ensure they have something to do such as chewing a bone or a frozen chew toy containing a portion of their food.
  2. If they make a fuss, ignore them.
  3. If they don’t make a fuss, ignore them.
  4. When they are calm and relaxed, wait for a further 5 minutes or so, then release them and call them to you.
  5. If they don’t come to you the first time they are called, withhold any affection, only giving affection when they come to you when you call them the first time.

4 – Your Terms 100% of the Time

Everything is always on your terms.

Watch out for space-invading behaviour and demands for affection, as this is them being pushy and trying to play the leadership role.

Ignore this type of behaviour.

Common points:

  1. Only give your dog affection when you decide that you want to give it by calling them to you. If they don’t come to you the first time they are called, withhold the affection.
  2. All of the toys are yours. At times you bring one out and play with your dog, returning the toy to the cupboard when you decide that the game ends.
  3. Have a routine where you take them to the garden and request that they go to the toilet.
  4. You decide when you are going out for a walk.

This brings us nicely on to the next topic…

ALL ABOUT THE WALK

Leaving the house and going out on a walk is one of the entire attractions of having a dog – to get you out and about!

But the walk doesn’t start when you leave the house, it begins waayy before that point and for the reactive dog, it is vital that arousal is managed prior to leaving the house.

The process of preparing to go for a walk begins at home and is dictated by the Pack Leader.

In your new role, you must ensure that things are calm and controlled before stepping out into the world.

This is because:

An anxious and overly excited dog will:

  1. More likely pull on the leash.
  2. Be more aroused and reactive to things.

In order to help with this, we can do a few things to start the walk off nicely.

It may take a few days to get a result and you may not go anywhere, but be patient and don’t rush these steps.

The Pretend Walk

If your dog gets excited when you reach for your coat, or their leash, then it is important to desensitise these items and calm that excitement down.

  1. At intervals during the day when you are not planning to go out for a walk and without saying a world, grab your coat and put it on.
  2. As soon as your dog gets excited, remain silent, take off your coat and sit back down.
  3. Repeat Steps 1 & 2 at random intervals a few times a day.
  4. Repeat this process with their leash, on its own and after you put on your coat.
  5. When they can remain calm when you have your coat on and their leash, put their leash on. After a few seconds, remove the leash, put it back where it lives, take off your coat and sit back down.

Once you have got to the stage where you can go through this process without them getting overly excited, then we can move on to the Walk.

The Walk

Only when your dog remains calm can you progress to the walk.

It is important that you keep to your back garden, front garden and/or driveway initially, before progressing out onto the street.

  1. Put on your coat, grab the leash and put it on.
  2. If your dog gets excited, remove the leash and your coat and sit back down.
  3. Wait until your dog calms down and start again from Step 1.
  4. The opening of a door has 3 distinct triggers:
    1. Hand touching the door handle.
    2. The sound of the door handle.
    3. The opening of the door.
    As soon as your dog gets excited at any one of these, close the door, wait until they are calm and try again.
  5. When you have got to the stage where the door is open, have your dog sitting there for a short while before progressing to go outside.
  6. You are the Pack Leader therefore you go out the door first, then invite your dog to join you.
  7. If they go to run out of the door, pull them back, sit them down inside, close the door, wait until they are calm and start again.
  8. If your dog cannot calm down enough at any stage, then:
    1.  
    2. Wait until they are calm.
    3. Postpone the walk, or
    4. Cancel the walk completely.

On the Walk

Once you have got outside and are out on your walk (remember, start in the garden first and progress to more distracting areas), there are 2 rules to follow:

  1. No Sniffing (unless on a break)
  2. No Pulling

It is only fair that you allow your dog to go to the toilet before continuing the walk.

So how are we going to accomplish this?

Managing Sniffing

Each time your dog lowers it’s head to sniff, firmly say “No” and lift their head with the leash.

You can if you wish omit this step, as a dog that sniffs will generally pull, so we can just use the next step on its’ own.

However, if your dog sniffs and doesn’t pull, use this step also.

Pulling

With your dog off-leash (in the garden) and using food as a lure:

  1. Encourage your dog to walk with you, rewarding frequently.
  2. Stop now and then.
  3. Change direction often.
  4. Speed Up.
  5. Slow Down.

With your dog on-leash (in the garden, then on the street):

  1. If your dog walks too far ahead, quickly turn 180 degrees and walk the other way.
  2. If they start to pull, don’t keep walking, either:
    1.  
    2. Stop, then continue if they stop pulling and return to you.
    3. Stop and pull them back to you, wait until they are calm and start walking again.
    4. Just before the leash is about to go tight, turn 180 degrees and quickly walk the other way.

With all these basics under your belt and with everyone in the Pack on the same page, it shouldn’t be too long at all until you start noticing significant changes in the calmness, responsiveness and obedience-levels of your canine companion.

And now that you have your homework….

Until next time…

Happy Training!

A Leader is One Who Knows the Way, Goes the Way and Shows the Way – (John C. Maxwell)

– Stuart