React? Or, Respond?

Zoe’s human feels a bit apprehensive when meeting other doggos.

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Zoe isn’t aggressive, she has not fought any dogs, she has male and female doggo friends 🐶

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Still, something about when she was on leash, she went from a cute pink nosed pittie to a feral frothing lunatic!

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Well that was before !

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Since learning to be “preemptive & prepared” in situations that regularly “trigger” her it has allowed us to “rehearse” successful outcomes rather than "rehearse" the outcomes we are working so hard to avoid!

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My dog may be upset about the new rules, throwing "tantrums"..don't pay this too much mind.

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Early in our training when we are learning how to effectively engage & hold their attention it can be a struggle!

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The dog can be;

Distracted by everything

Completely ignore everything

Fixated(sometimes on things they normally aren't)

Putting on embarrassing displays that, if interpreted by the ears only, sound akin to being tortured, only for us to look and see that the handler is merely attempting to “restrain” and control their furry four legged family member.

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In my opinion, it can be confusing when the “training” appears to be the thing that illicits these behaviors more INTENSELY than the prior action of “doing nothing“.

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Indeed, changing the order of operations may be difficult to employ & execute, especially with confidence.

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This does not mean it shouldn’t be done.

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My child is running towards train tracks as the train approaches.

I call for them by name and they do not respond.

I try once, I try twice.

Still no response,

I do not repeatedly call them.

Time is of the essence

Quickly I reach for their hand to prevent them from stepping into harms way.

My child may not be to pleased but I am more pleased that his life and well being remain intact.

My child may throw a tantrum after such a tyrannical, authoritative imposition of will.

Do I feel bad?

Naturally I feel sympathy for my child, knowing that he is not aware of the “why".

I feel a lot better knowing that he is alive, and Un harmed.

Furthermore if I have to go through this situation another 15, 20 or 30 times I will !

I do not have the luxury of letting this situation go the way my child desires, it would be the last mistake he ever made!

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I would willingly go through this experience with him UNTIL he understands my rule, I don’t have time for excuses like "he just doesn't get it" or "this is too hard for him".

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While our dogs may never fully understand that they will get hit by a train if they don't listen, they can understand that adhering to our rules is more conducive and less stressful than struggling & resisting our wishes.

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Knowing before hand, how our dog reacts to new/stressfull situations will help us to be as prepared as possible. Every time we are faced with that scenario, we come face to face with an opportunity to ensure that next time it is a little easier.

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I want to point out here that choosing to do nothing, 100% of the time, will only allow for the problem to get worse.

On the other hand, choosing to take action by;

Guiding.

Controlling.

Restricting.

Rewarding.

Redirecting.

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Engaging

Will give us the opportunity to "rehearse" what we would rather do.

I say, show me a thing that is forced to stop doing a conditioned behavior & I will show you a thing that is feeling scared, frustrated, hurt, confused or even angry.

We are no longer rehearsing the familiar script, be patient!

The new script is, different. We are messing the lines up, entering scenes at incorrect times & unfamiliar with new signals ....

When we practice being prepared or pre-emptive with our canines in high stress situations, doing so can & will provoke our dogs to react precisely in the manner that we want to get rid of!

Sometimes aggressively, biting at the leash or worse, the handler!

Or

Sometimes fearfully, inspiring the canine to withdraw or shrink away from the moment.

The decision to consistently make listening to us imperative for our dogs in times of heightened stress/new situations apparently offends the dog, adding to their emotional outburst. It is precisely because we make our direction absolutely “imperative” in these stressful moments that a distinct line is drawn. Our expectation becomes black and white, easily understandable by the canine.

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After confidently going through enough of these experiences our dogs learn that it is less stressful , less “friction” to work with us rather than against us.

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Scene 1

I put my shoes on.

My dog notices.

I grab the leash.

My dog gets excited.

We have rehearsed this hundreds of times.

My dog is happy, pacing back and forth.

My dog is both visually and audibly excited.

I strengthen his response to our rehearsal by telling him "good boy" "we go for walk" in an excited tone, adding to his energy level.

He throws his paws on my stomach.

I put a leash around him & give him a treat.

I open the front door.

My dog barges out ahead of me as if the pressure inside the house assisted in his escape.

I step out behind him.

Turn around and close the door.

My dog, apparently unaware that I am locking the door, is attempting to begin the walk.

I manage to lock the door and we begin our walk.

My dogs ears are alert, his eyes are peeled open fixated on everything he looks at, his mouth is open, salivating and he is panting.

We start towards the sidewalk from our front door, grass lines both sides of the pathway.

My dog is at the end of the leash, my hand is gripping the handle (god forbid he gets loose!).

My dog pulls me to the sidewalk.

My dogs nose is to the ground.

My dog has not looked at me once since we got outside.

Another dog enters our line of vision and is walking along the sidewalk towards us.

My dog notices.

My dog fixates.

My dog begins to rehearse an event that reinforces behaviors that give the appearance of us being un-approachable & aggressive.

I give several physical corrections which apparently add to the aggravation & drama.

My dog is lunging, howling and barking.

We retreat across the street out of sight and out of mind and continue our walk.

Although I want to avoid this scenario at all costs, we end up going through this exact situation several more times.

Scene 2

It is almost time for our morning walk.

I tell my dog to go to their "place".

I ask my dog to sit, down, then stay.

I give my dog a reward for listening to me.

I get myself ready for the walk, put my shoes on, my jacket, get my phone, check to see if I need more treats and poop bags.

My dog has been in their "place".

My dog is calmly waiting and eagerly anticipating the release command.

I keep my dog in stay

I open the door

I grab the leash & give the "come" command.

He comes and sits in front of me.

I give a reward and leash him while he remains in a "sit".

I give the "stay" command.

I step slowly & cautiously outside (as to not excite him).

& give myself enough space to call my dog to me and close the door without my dog being in the way when I close the door.

I call my dog through the doorway.

I "sit" my dog in a spot where the door won't get him when I close it.

I tell my dog "stay".

I close the door, give my dog a reward and we begin our walk.

My dog sniffs the grass and then looks at me for direction.

I mark this behavior with a reward.

We continue along the pathway towards the sidewalk.

I notice my dogs body language start to shift, he is becoming more interested in his surroundings than me.

I give a light tug on the leash.

My dog looks at me and slows down.

I mark the behavior with a reward.

We continue.

Another dog enters our line of vision.

I notice my dog notice the other dog.

I give a light tug on the leash, reminding him I still exist and so do my expectations.

My dog looks me in the eyes, then back to the other dog then back to me.

We move over enough to give the other dog and his human enough room to pass us without there being any chance of altercation. (Just incase)

I have applied several small tugs when my dog stares for longer than 2 seconds without checking in(fixation).

The other dog passes us.

My dog looks back and sees the dog is leaving our line of sight.

I give a reward to mark this rehearsal and the behavior.

This will not be an occurrence of thought,

It will be a somatic-nervous system response.

Scene 1 our dog is reacting to outer stimuli without guidance.

His nervous system, without direction, without having learned ways to calm down will react as it is programmed to react, the stress level of the dog forever increasing for as long as they live.

Scene 2 our dog is responding to our commands. Focused on us and engaged with us. We are directing them in a way that shows we are thinking about what comes next. Going slowly, rewarding enagegement/focus gives us the ability to direct our canines when it matters.

What are the key differences between Scene 1 & Scene 2 ?

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