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Date Posted: 05:49:10 02/20/08 Wed
Author: Karen
Subject: Things from my manual
In reply to: Meagan Pierce 's message, "Fence fighting? Can anyone help?" on 14:13:04 02/18/08 Mon

I have to get kids off to school now - I hate early morning clubs but they are good for the boy. I am doing a cut and past or two sections from my manual. Hope they help. Note they are written for the average dog owner who does not realize that their behaviors can affect dog reaction so it is written pretty simplistically and with terms they need.

LEASH LUNGING/DESENSITIZING TO THINGS AROUND THE DOG WHILE ON WALKS

A big complaint of dog owners is that their dogs or even puppies lunge at things while out on walks. Regardless of the size of dog, lunging must be stopped. Part of having a well-mannered companion is having one that has solid leash manners at all points in time. I have watched dogs actually drag children into busy streets. Therefore, for safety reasons, no child should ever walk a dog without a responsible adult present. There is just too much that can happen.

If your dog lunges at things while walking, he needs to build up self-control or even self-confidence in how to behave. This is going to mean YOU need to teach him that. Along with teaching walking on a loose lead, we have to teach dogs to tolerate things around them. You are going to have to watch your dog closely and learn what body language he exhibits before he starts lunging. It will vary dog to dog. Some may be very overt while others may only give a flick of an ear or a change in stance. This is where owner observation and understanding of the individual dog owned is vital.

Every dog has a threshold between not lunging and lunging – this is the point where the dog is still voice responsive and shows interest in you and the thing he may lunge at but has not started and actual lunge. It is vital that this threshold not be broken. As soon as a lunge starts, you have lost control of the exercise and need to start again. Punishing this is futile, builds stress and anxiety and since it is your fault for not watching the dog closely enough and backing off before the lunge, not fair. It can also encourage the dog to lunge more for a few reasons including you are being not fun or even mean or since you are reacting negatively to the thing, it may be a threat. Remember, you are the one teaching tolerance and building up that threshold. You need to reduce stress levels in the dog; punishing does not do this.

Have the dog walking with you under control. When you see something the dog may wish to lunge at, start to gain the dog’s attention. As long as the dog will focus on you and work with you, start to slowly approach the thing. Watch the dog carefully, when he starts paying more attention to the thing and less to you but is not lunging yet STOP! Get the dog even more interested in you, do some fun training and gain full attention for a few moments, praise and walk away. Next time try to get a bit closer. Always stop the exercise when the dog is paying attention to you and things are fun. Eventually, you should be able to walk close to the thing and the dog not lunge.

Note: If you have to walk past something you know will cause a lunge, shorten the leash up tight to you (do not hang the dog, but give the dog no extra slack either). Start getting the dog to focus on you by using silly voices, treats, toys, etc and walk past QUICKLY without stopping. The dog is not ready for this level of closeness yet, his tolerance is not built up enough and you need to get in and out as fast and as positively as possible.

Safer Dog Walking Techniques from a Motorcycle Safety Class

Part of safer dog walking is constant monitoring of your environment. No matter how well trained your dog is, there may be something he is not ready for, may react to or even if he ignores it, may be a dangerous situation for him.

Humans need to be proactive and try to avoid questionable situations in which they have not tested their dogs. Generally, humans are reactive and wait until a situation arises before they address it at that moment and with future training. It is far easier to avoid a situation than to fight with your dog through one. A dog not getting proper work, exposure first in controlled situations, etc is a greater risk when tossed into a situation he is not ready for by an inattentive or unthinking owner. A dog that is not ready or for some reason cannot tolerate certain situations is a dog that is a greater risk overall. Even if your dog can tolerate a situation, what about the other half of the equation will it behave, as you would like? Is that loose dog as tolerant as yours is? Setting up controlled tests, even for the pet dog, gives us an idea of where we need to concentrate our training and socializing efforts and what needs to be avoided at that point. When I took a Motorcycle Safety Foundation course, they taught a lesson that is applicable to safer dog walking. We have to SEE what is around us!

S.E.E. Scan. Evaluate. Execute.

Scan – Always be scanning your environment while walking your dog for situations, you question his ability to manage or that may place him in danger even if you think he is ready for it. When you see a potential issue up ahead, behind or around you, you must then…

Evaluate – Look for an escape route to get your dog away from the situation before the dog is reacting to it. Is there a side road you can take? Should you turn around and walk back the way you came? What can you do to increase the safety level for your dog, yourself, as well as the community or area in which you are walking at this point? Now you must…

Execute – Quick execution of your plan may be the difference between a safer walk and something else. Remember it is easier and safer to get your dog out of a situation that he is not ready for at his level of training. Even with a superbly trained and tolerant dog, it is easier to avoid danger than it is to get out of the same situation when you are in up to your proverbial neck!

It does not matter if you are at a dog show or just out for a leisurely walk, a moment of thought and evaluation can mean the difference between a safe walk and potential tragedy.

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