I heard this quote last week and it's really stuck with me: What you don't change, you choose. So simple, and yet, profound. It really does apply to so many things in our lives; our actions, our reactions, or our lack of action. I think it applies to how we work with our dogs as well, particularly those with behavioral challenges. If you don't make the changes necessary for your pet to have relief from the behaviors that are making their lives difficult, then you are choosing to have them continue to face those same challenges over and over again. Let's look at a common behavioral problem and how not changing what you do means choosing to have the behavior problem persist long term for your pet.
Let's say your dog doesn't like other dogs. When you take him out for a walk on leash, he's constantly scanning for other dogs, pulling on the leash, and lunging and barking if he catches sight of another dog. He's dragged you around quite a bit, and you are embarrassed by his behavior. Nonetheless, you walk him twice a day anyway, hating every minute of it, your anxiety peaking from the moment you clip his leash to his prong collar. He's four years old now, but you sheepishly tell me that he "flunked out of puppy class." Why? Because he'd charge at other puppies, bark the entire class, and you were told he was "overzealous" and lacked impulse control, and you were not invited back to class. So, back to that quote: What you don't change, you choose. By not changing your dog's behavior, you are choosing to continue on this path of dreading walks with him. I know this is hard, but you are making that choice. Want to get a handle on the problem? Then, let's make some changes.
First, stop walking your dog. I actually mean that. Not just stop walking them twice a day. I mean stop walking them altogether. Give yourselves a break. Use a flirt pole, a game of fetch, play hide and seek, and use puzzle toys to challenge your dog's brain. Put your dog on leash and walk him around inside your house. I know it's boring, but it's safe! Make it more fun by creating an obstacle course with your furniture. This is your grand opportunity to work on all those leash skills everyone talks about. Loose leash walking is now possible! And you know what? Ditch the prong collar. Use a flat collar or a martingale collar and start retraining your dog to walk nicely on a leash without pain as a reinforcer. Use treats! Make it fun by playing a little "red light, green light" with your dog, creating arbitrary stops and sits, as if you were crossing busy streets. Once your dog walks nicely indoors, move to your yard (if you have one) to practice the same exercises. If you don't have a yard yourself, see if a friend or family member has one you can use, or you can rent one in your area on Sniffspot. Drive your dog to this new location, even if it's close enough to walk there. It's not worth the risk! Once your dog can do this, you are ready to move back out into the real world.
Here's what we are going to do together. I'm going to have you purchase a specific harness, a head halter, and a double leash. I want you to have the right equipment the next time you are out in public with your dog. Then, you are going to repeat those exercises you did above, walking in your house, walking in your yard or a friend's yard, etc. with the new equipment. Once you and your dog are comfortable with the new equipment, we are going to meet to walk in an off peak area at an off peak time. Why? Because I want you and your dog to be successful and what you don't change, you choose, right? I'm going to show you how to handle your dog to keep their focus on you, on sniffing, on exploring, etc. and not on any other dogs we might see at a distance. We will keep our session short and positive, and then you will do these short sessions, off peak times and off peak places, with your dog on your own. As you gain confidence in your dog's ability to ignore other dogs and listen to you, you can start challenging them a bit. Just a bit though. Maybe you adjust your walk time to a busier time of day when others are out with their dogs, OR you choose a busier area to walk, but you don't do both. You will gradually work your way back to those twice daily walks at times and places that are convenient for you, just not now. Desensitization and counter-conditioning take time and patience. What you don't change, you choose. Choose to take the time and make the effort.
Some of you may be asking, "What about drugs for my dog? Can I give him something to make this process go faster?" I've said it before, but I'll say it again. There is no magic pill that will fix this. It's about changing your behavior to help your dog change their behavior. It takes time, and while your dog might need drug therapy for their underlying anxiety, I like to hold off on that until I'm sure that behavioral modification alone won't correct the problem. If your pet's anxiety is keeping them from being able to change their behavior, then of course we will pursue all therapeutic avenues including holistic options such as CBD.
As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.
Thank you. Very helpful as I have a new dog, ten months old that pulls💕🐾
ReplyDeleteSo glad you found this helpful! I've blogged before on pulling in adolescent dogs, so you might find those posts helpful too for exercises you can do with your young dog.
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