Reactivity is caused by normal (predictable) developmental changes that occur during early adolescence, whereby older puppies start to become increasingly 'wary of the unfamiliar', usually unfamiliar dogs, unfamiliar people, and unfamiliar surroundings, compounded by owners unintentionally reinforcing their dogs' fearful or reactive behavior.
The essential prognostic factor for dog-dog reactivity is whether the dogs acquired Bite Inhibition in puppyhood. If yes (>99% of cases), the prognosis is excellent. If no, the prognosis is dire. Although an adult dog may be classically condition to not want to bite, there are few means to teach a hard-biting dog to bite softer, i.e., to acquire bite inhibition as an adult.
Assessing Danger
First you must objectively assess whether previous dogfights were physically dangerous, by evaluating wound pathology, if any. This will offer an accurate prediction of expected injuries during subsequent fights. The Good News: Nearly all dogfights cause no physical damage whatsoever and so, the prognosis is excellent for you to proceed with various non-aversive training options.
A dog's bite inhibition may be objectively assessed by evaluating their Fight/Bite history. Dogs fall into one of three groups:
1. Dogs that have been involved in many full-contact fights or scuffles but have NEVER injured another dog sufficiently to require veterinary repair. (>99% of cases). For example, 2, 6, or 20 fights but with NO damage. The prognosis is excellent, since there is no reason to expect your dog would inflict injury in future fights, So, get started right away. Of course, you have no idea of the level of bite inhibition in unknown dogs, which is why it is smart to reduce your dog's reactivity by first working with known dogs, whose owners may be given instructions for the repetitive-exposure troubleshooting exercises.
2. Dogs that have severely injured other dogs (<1% of cases). The prognosis for successfully decreasing the force of their bites is not good. Consequently, commonsense management is essential, because future fights would almost certainly result in similar severe injuries.
3. Dogs that have never been involved in a full-contact fight. The level of bite inhibition is unknown, and so, the prognosis is uncertain. However, even when on-lead, if a dog were intent on causing severe damage, it would require a rugby prop to stop it. These dogs are so intense, strong, and quick. Consequently, I often work with these dogs, once I have tested them on-lead, or separated by a fence.
Sufficient, Early Off-leash play PREVENTS:
1. Normal and predictable development of adolescent-onset, fear of unfamiliar dogs
2. LACK OF BITE INHIBITION — that destroys any good prognosis.
When dogs have developed reliable bite-inhibition and dog-dog social savvy in puppy–>adolescent–>adult off-leash training classes and dog parks, as adults, they would much rather play than fight and should they scrap, they cause no damage and so, there's no reason for owners to become nervous and upset.
However, adolescent-onset, progressive 'fear of the unfamiliar' is insidious and often goes unnoticed. Owners become complacent when customarily seeing their friendly and confident dog play with familiar dogs in familiar settings, i.e., at home, or in their Core Social Group and so, they are surprised and concerned when their dog becomes reactive around unfamiliar dogs in unfamiliar settings.
The Other Dog and Owner
When dogs are involved in a scuffle, scrap, or fight, owners often lay blame on the other dog and owner. However, it takes two to tango, or in this case four: your dog, the other dog, the other owner, and you. When two dogs and their owners approach each other, often, all four parties become increasingly anxious, stressed, fearful, and in extreme cases, downright scared. All it takes is for one of the four to react, and all four will erupt, causing the original trigger-dog or person to react more forcefully, thus, creating a vicious circle. Many owners feel frustrated and often scared, because they feel there is nothing they can do to change the other dog’s behavior. But there is: First change your dog's behavior (with the pre-training exercises), and then, concentrate on changing yours.
In addition to the obvious — a reactive dog picking on your dog, there are three massive triggers for another dog to react to yours: 1. Your dog is reactive, 2. Your dog acts fearful, scared, or overly appeasing, especially if rolling over, wriggling, and extra-especially if squeaking, screaming, or running away, and 3. You are stressed and anxious.
Changing your dog's behavior radically changes the perceptions and feelings and hence, behavior of other dogs and owners towards your dog. The most effective approach to prevent another dog from threatening or attacking yours is to teach your dog to be calm, quiet, and still, and not to eye-ball the other dog, i.e., to Come-Sit-Stay-Watch reliably on cue.
Utterly impossible at first, and difficult to do just using food rewards, but as you work through the pre-training exercises, you'll be surprised at how quickly you can change your dog's behavior. Once you can get your dog to turn around, sit, and look up at you, they present a less scary optic to the other dog and owner — a waggy butt, no freezing, and no eye-balling. Hence the other dog and owner begin to relax and feel less threatened, and so, threaten your dog less.
Changing Your Behavior
Your behavior is a huge part of the puzzle. First, you must have confidence in the facts: your dog has never harmed another dog in several incidents; your dog has stellar bite inhibition.
Second, you'll learn a variety of enjoyable confidence-building techniques for yourself, including, The Seven Dwarfs, and Bill Campbells inimitable Jolly Routine, focusing on your feeback by praising and petting lots to let loose a surging pack of 'happy hormones'. (When I had my 'dog bite' clinic in the 70s, with even Level 3 biters, I was often scared, and in one case, terrified. To hide my fear (a massive trigger to get bitten), I used to recite nonsense poetry.)
Pre-Training — First at home and on walks with no other dogs present
After completing Steps 1 and 2 of Lure-Reward Training so you have a quick Sit and solid Stay, Step 3 comprises troubleshooting Come-Sit-Stay-Watch. If your basic training is not yet in place, FMI: the UK Barking Up the Right Tree seminar and DunbarAcademy.com. You must be able to control your dog!
* Proof Come-Sit-Stay-Watch Instruct your dog to Come-Sit-Stay-Watch every 25 yards on walks: stop, take two-steps backwards to prompt your dog to turn around, approach (to straighten your dog), sit, and focus on your face. Praise for several seconds, and then say, " "Let's Go" and resume the walk.
* Training Interludes in Interactive Games When playing Fetch and Tug, integrate numerous Come-Sit-Stay-Watch training interludes to amp up a tugtoy or ball as a powerful lure and mega-secondary reinforcer, so that you don't need to use food once you start working around unknown dogs.
* Wait & Reward Training If you're having difficulty, switch to Wait & Reward Training with food rewards. The only words you are going to say are "good dog". Whether walking or playing, just take two steps backwards, stand still, and wait. Eventually your dog will Sit, especially if you hold the food rewards, tug-toy, or ball in front of your chest. When your dog eventually Sits, PRAISE for several seconds and then offer a food reward. With successive repetitions, praise but delay giving the food reward for longer and longer — a stay-delay, soon to be a lengthy Sit Stay. Practice until you have a quick automatic Sit and solid 30 second Stay-Watch whenever you step back and stand still. Come-Sit-Stay-Watch must become mental- and muscle-memory.
* Teach Speak on Cue In addition to keeping your dog still and watching you, teach your dog to Speak on cue to facilitate teaching Shush on cue many times over, at your convenience.
* Teach Friendly Behaviors on Cue As training (your control over your dog) improves, teach your dog to perform friendly behaviors on cue, such as, beg, bow, tail and butt wags, shake hands, or high-five in front of you, and proofing their reliability every 25 yards on walks when no dogs are in sight, so that your dog is more likely to respond when other dogs are present. When dogs act friendly, they feel friendly. When other dogs see a dog acting friendly, they feel friendlier (less-threatened), and so does the other owner, and so do you.
With Known Dogs (and Owners)
Time to check out your training skills but with known dogs only. Their owners may be instructed what to do.
* Representative Observation and Praise You must be realistic about your dog's behavior. Your dog may be reactive for a few seconds at a time, but for 99.99% of the time, (especially when no other dogs are in sight) your dog is well behaved and so, PRAISE your dog. Do NOT take your dog's good behavior for granted and go unrewarded. Representatively observe your dog's behavior and Representatively Praise. The more you praise the more confident your dog and you will feel.
* Repeated-Exposures to the Same Dog to Desensitize Reactivity. Most owners have been dealing with unexpected encounters on the sidewalk. They try their best to deal with it, and once the other dog has passed by, continue their walk, dreading the next encounter. Consequently, there is no way to practice standard desensitization techniques. However, with a known dog and owner, it is possible to practice repeated exposures with the same dog.
Any reaction to an exciting or scary stimulus is usually worst on the first exposure; subsequent and longer encounters become progressively less stressful. When walking their dog, most people experience a series of repetitive 'first and worst' encounters and so, progressively make reactivity progressively worse and worse.
The easiest repetitive exposure technique is for you to be stationary and try to keep your dog in a Sit-Stay-Watch. Periodically, you may have to reposition yourself to keep your dog facing you, (with its butt towards the other dog. Repetitive instructions may be necessary: Sit, Shush, Watch, etc.
For the first trial, the other owner and dog come from out of sight and a long way off on the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street. As they approach, acknowledge their presence, "Look there's a cookie dog! and increase your level of praise. As they walk by and retreat until they are out of sight, appear to be disappointed. "Oh dear, cookie dog is going away". Decrease praise as the other dog retreats and stop praising when the other dog is out of sight.
As difficult as this is, it will become easier and easier with each walk by. The other owner may now decrease the distance they walk back and forth until eventually, they remain stationary across the street. Once your dog ceases reacting, try the same procedure described above on the same sidewalk. Then, change the exercise to them being stationary and you trying to walk by on the opposite sidewalk, and then passing on the same sidewalk.
* Simultaneous Classical and Operant Conditioning. When your dog is worried or scared, you must offer reassurance and lots praise (classical conditioning), to comfort you dog, as well as teaching your dog to associate your praise and rewards with the appearance of another dog. This applies, even if your dog is barking growling and lunging. Your dog needs your help. You'll learn how to classically and operantly condition simultaneously, so that you don't unintentionally reinforce barking, growling, lunging, fear, and reactivity.
The feedback for both classical and operant conditioning is binary:
When classically conditioning, praise when the scary stimulus is present; ignore your dog when it is absent — for your dog to make positive associations with the scary stimulus.
When Operantly conditioning, praise your dog for stellar behavior: ignore your dog for undesired behavior — for your dog to learn you would rather it be quiet.
When classically and operantly conditioning simultaneous, at its simplest, your feedback needs to be trinary i.e., at least three levels:
1. STIMULUS ABSENT and DOG BARKING: IGNORE, or calmly instruct, "Shush"
2. STIMULUS ABSENT and DOG QUIET: REWARD for NOT BARKING
2. STIMULUS PRESENT but DOG BARKING: REWARD to form POSITIVE ASSOCIATION
3. STIMULUS PRESENT and DOG QUIET: MEGA PRAISE and REWARD YOUR DOG
* Offer a Running Commentary Of course, the above feedback only applies when the Reward is always the same, e.g., the same-old quantum food reward administered to reinforce a single short Response. But the dog's behavior is in a state of constant fast-flux and every half-second, their behavior is different in terms of desirability and quality. Certainly, you can use a variety of more powerful rewards, such as multiple food rewards, or regular food and toys amped-up to be mega secondary reinforcers to more accurately reflect the varying quality of each and every response.
But verbal feedback ROCKS! Praise is even more versatile. You may PRAISE you dog differently every second by repeatedly altering frequency and intensity, at any moment and in real time, to precisely match the quality of your dog's ever-changing behaviors during longer duration behaviors. Very similar to listening a running commentary on a football game in a foreign language.
Unexpected Encounters with Dogs on Walks.
The procedure is the same as above, with the exception you never know on which side of the street, from in front or behind, or when another dog will appear and so, you must be vigilant so that you can up your level of praise the instant you see another dog. And then you're going to talk your dog through each experience that matches its ever-changing behavior during longer duration behaviors.
Of course, we may gain another perspective on dog-dog reactivity by interviewing the dog: "Well, she's a lovely owner. Brilliant temperament. Totally trustworthy. Good breeding — Saxon stock. BUT... she has this thing about other dogs, especially little white dogs. Well, nearly every other dog really. Nowadays, I only feel relaxed when walking at 2:00am when there are no other dogs around. If a dog approaches, she just loses it. Her eyes cloud over and she shakes and shouts and yanks on my leash. It's not pleasant and I worry about her. So, I feel that it is my responsibility to keep other dogs at bay. I tell them, 'Wrroof! Wrroof! Grrrwoof!! Grrrrrrr!!!. Keep away! Stay back. She's not to be trusted!" Sound familiar?
Back in the 80s, we had a pink-ribbon program, designed originally for Rottweilers. Tie a pink bow to the dog's neck and every 25 yards on walks, instruct the dog to beg (like a sun bear). Whereas the poor Rottie lived life with people always weirding-out, spooking, and crossing the street to avoid their approach, now people cross the street to engage, "What a lovely dog. What sort of dog is he?" "Yes, he is lovely. He's a German Cattle Dog."