Transcript-Building Your Dog's Core Social Group
Classically conditioning a dog that is reactive towards other dogs is fundamentally the same process as classically conditioning a dog that is stressed out by any stimulus, but there are a couple of factors that could make resolution more challenging.
The big one, of course, is fear of what could happen if your dog gets into a fight with another dog – your dog could be injured and/or the other dog could be injured. When your dog is afraid of thunder, or vacuums, there's usually a pretty low likelihood that anyone is going to get hurt. But when dogs are reactive and aggressive towards other dogs, they may bark, growl, snap, lunge, bite-and-hold (without causing damage), or, very occasionally, bite and cause damage.
Even if you are confident your dog has good bite inhibition because they have been involved in several previous fights, yet have never harmed another dog, it's quite possible that you may not know the level of the other dog's bite inhibition and the other owner doesn't know about your dog. So it's not unreasonable to be worried. And even if both dogs have excellent bite inhibition, fighting is still unpleasant and scary for everyone involved.
Of course, if your dog has seriously harmed another dog and therefore does not have reliable bite inhibition, you should seek the help of a professional dog trainer immediately and you should not attempt any of the rehabilitative training outlined in this course.
When classically conditioning, it's essential to have control over the intensity of the triggering stimulus. When the stimulus is a stranger's dog, you have very little control, and if the other dog becomes reactive, the situation can quickly get much more intense.
That's why you should start by working only with familiar dogs and owners. The first step is always to establish a core social group of dogs that your dog gets to know, trust and enjoy. Enlist the help of a good friend with a dog that also has reliable bite inhibition. It's best if you can find another dog that is calm, quiet and confident. If you are friends with the other dog's owner, and you know the other dog is not dangerous, let's get to it and make these two dogs into the best of friends.
But before you start, first you must make sure that you have proof that your dog and the other dog have good bite inhibition. Which is to say, both dogs have been in a number of scraps with other dogs, but neither dog has ever injured any opponent.
Second, basic obedience is essential. Walk around your house and garden and then on a quiet street and every ten yards or so, take two steps backward and instruct your dog to come, sit, stay and watch as you pull out their favorite tug toy from your pocket. This easy procedure turns your dog 180 degrees so that they are focussing on you and the tug toy and not on other distractions in the environment. On every second or third time that you stop and ask for these behaviors, reward your dog by playing a short game of tug
Ideally, you will have already taught your dog to be a tug-aholic and you will have amped up the value of the tug as a mega secondary reinforcer. It's best not to use food or tennis balls until you know both dogs have become friends.
When working with another dog, always begin at a sufficient distance so that neither dog becomes reactive. If either dog reacts, you've gone too far too fast. Take a few steps back. Or take a break and start again at a greater distance.
Start in a safe, controlled space with both dogs on-leash. Settle down in one place with your dog while the other dog (and owner) appears and disappears at a distance. When the other dog appears, praise and reward your dog and ask them to sit and stay watching you. Then when the other dog retreats or disappears, ignore your dog. Vary the distance that the other dog and owner approach before retreating out of sight – sometimes closer and sometimes not so close. After a while reverse rolls – the other dog and owner settles down while you alternatively approach and retreat out of sight.
Meet with this same dog for several sessions until your dogs are pretty comfortable around each other. Now it's time for a walk. Walk in the same direction, dogs on-leash, with one dog in the lead at least 25 yards between the two dogs. Periodically, the lead dog is instructed to Sit-Stay and focus on their owner, while the other dog catches up and walks by. Both owners amp up the praise as the distance between the two dogs decreases. At the moment when one dog overtakes the other, each owner should pull out their dogs beloved tug toy and turn the praise up to maximum. As the distance between the dogs increases, both owners should decrease the intensity of the praise. Once the lead dog is 25 yards ahead only praise periodically. Repeat this process over and over with each dog walking by the other dog in a sit-stay.
As the walk proceeds, decrease the distance between the lead dog and the following dog until you're walking side-by-side but two or three yards apart. Periodically, stop and step back and instruct both dogs to sit-stay and focus on their tug toy. Praise and praise and praise all the time. Smile, and do your best to laugh.
Remember, most owners ignore non-reactivity but give all the wrong feedback for very occasional reactivity. You simply cannot give a dog too much praise for being non-reactive. I know that praising a dog for NOT doing something may sound silly, but boy oh boy, it works great.
When you're ready to let the dogs sniff and meet each other it's best to have one dog in a front Stand-Stay with their head between their owners legs, so that the other dog is presented with a non-threatening butt to sniff. When they sniff, praise like you mean it, and then, reverse roles.
Continue walking side-by-side gradually reducing the space between the dogs and frequently praising both dogs and soon, you'll realize, your dog now has a doggy friend!
But your dog needs several doggy friends, so find another friend with a dog and repeat the whole process, until your dog is comfortable around this second dog as well.
Then find another dog and then, a couple more. It's good to try to find dogs of different sizes, breeds, and ages. You want to find at least one big dog, one little dog, one old dog, and one young dog. Generally speaking, the more varied your dog's pack, the better socialized they will be. Eventually, you want to assemble a pack of five or six doggy friends that your dog knows well and meets up with on a regular basis.
As you build your dog's core social group, start meeting up in groups of three or more to walk together on-leash. Take your time to make sure all the other dogs get along, each new combination of dogs has the potential to be stressful.
One of the best exercises is to walk around the block at the same time, but separately and spaced out, with half the group going clockwise and the other half going counter-clockwise. As you walk, you'll keep running into one of your dog's friends. Every time you meet, have your dogs Sit-Stay and Focus so you can greet the other person. After several laps meeting the same dogs over and over, on occasional greetings, if both dogs sit and seem calm, and if both owners agree, tell the dogs to "Say Hello" and let them greet and sniff each other before resuming the walk.
The first few times you meet might be a little tricky. The dogs might be a little apprehensive, or they might need a few reminders before they Sit, but just keep going around the block. Each time you meet, it will be less scary and exciting and your dogs will be more likely to behave calmly and sit promptly so that eventually, you can let them greet each other.
Once your dogs can all reliably greet each other politely and calmly on-leash, you may let them interact off-leash. Schedule lots of meetups with your dog's core social group so they can spend lots of time together, walking on-leash and playing together off-leash. As your dog gets more and more comfortable with their core doggy friends, your dog will grow more confident.
Your dog will be extra confident when they're actually with their friends, so you should assemble some of your dog's core social group any time you want to explore a new environment, especially any locations where they may encounter unfamiliar dogs. Meet up regularly together in new and fun places. Go to the park, or for walks around town, or hikes through the woods. And for your dog's entire life, frequently praise your dog for being non-reactive, to ensure your dog (and you) maintain a calm and friendly temperament.