ADVICE: The Common Sense Dog

Now that we have discussed the first steps on creating calmness during the walks, we can address the next vital step to eliminating reactivity or aggression on the walk. Physical positioning plays a part in the behaviors we see on the walk, both good and bad. Teaching our dogs where their place is on the walk allows us to move beyond the basics and start addressing bigger issues.

When we walk our dogs, we must embrace the fact that we understand our human world much better than they do. We understand when people or dogs are threatening. We understand when to cross the street. We understand when to remain calm. Knowing this, we owe it to our dogs and ourselves to take a leadership role in the home and on the walk.

Dogs become reactive on the walk for a few different reasons, but we are going to focus on the two most common—fear and frustration. When a dog walks on leash, they are exploring the environment in an unnatural way. They weren’t meant to be tied to leashes, and very often, leashes create reactive behaviors.

A fearful dog that is attached to a leash doesn’t have the opportunity to run away when it is fearful, and when flight is not an option, our dogs switch to fight. They puff up and try to look as ferocious as possible in order to make the thing that scares them go away, and typically when they act this way, we take a detour. This teaches the dog that puffing up and acting ferocious gives them the space they are looking for.

In order to combat this, we must control our dog’s energy level throughout the walk like we discussed in last week’s article, but we must also teach our dogs that they should walk behind us rather than in front of us. I usually educate my clients to walk their dogs on the left or the right and slightly behind their leg. This has many benefits. Because our dogs are physical animals rather than verbal, this allows them to follow our bodies when we change directions or speeds. It also teaches our dogs that we have taken a leadership role and will handle any stressful situations that might arise. This helps fearful dogs relax and take a back seat rather than feeling the need to defend themselves.

Friendly dogs that LOVE to play with other dogs can look aggressive when on leash because they are frustrated. They desperately want to play, but the leash is restraining them. These dogs should also walk behind you, but they must also learn that sometimes we don’t always get what we want. Practice impulse control with these dogs any chance you have. Teach them to wait at the door, wait for food, wait for affection, wait for the ball, wait to play with other dogs. Start by teaching them to wait for five minutes and then slowly move them up to waiting over an hour for the things they want. This will create calm and patient dogs.

All problem behaviors can be resolved through proper leadership.

As always, feel free to email me at askdogtrainersteph@gmail.com if you have questions concerning dog behavior, psychology, or training.

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Stephanie Vichinsky is the owner/head trainer of United K9, LLC in Post Falls. 208-964-4806.