How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend

by Monks of New Skete

  For example, protection training often backfires. It does not create a robot who will be automatically responsive to all commands. In fact, because owners who opt for such training often are interested only in the protective aspects, they can easily disregard the essential foundation of absolute obedience and the basic soundness of the dog upon which it must be built. The relationship itself is also of secondary value. Such imbalance can easily lead to "learned aggression" (see chapter 43, on aggression), which many owners have difficulty controlling. Once the genie is out of the bottle, accidents often result — as headlines in today's newspapers sadly attest. Retraining in such instances is difficult, if not impossible.

  An attack-trained dog is like a loaded gun. It should be handled only by experienced people in appropriate situations. We commend the use of German shepherd dogs and other breeds in police units across the country. When used defensively, they can be of great value. These dogs belong to qualified handlers who live with them twenty-four hours a day. They are trained to high standards and are sound genetically. Laymen, on the other hand, should not have attack-trained dogs. They are not qualified to handle the animals.

  Although we do not recommend protection or attack training, Schutzhund training, first developed in Europe, might hold out a possibility for viable defense training within the scope of a nonprofessional, but even here serious commitment on the part of the handler is essential. It is a threefold obedience system, encompassing tracking, obedience, and protection skills. In true Schutzhund training, no one area is overplayed or allowed to get out of balance with the others. Significantly, this training system treats the dog as a whole. It proceeds from the correct premise that the dog is responsible to the owner. Schutzhund handlers make the protection phase of training more of a game than anything else, even though it can be of use in real-life situations. Although there are eccentrics within any movement, and currently much division within this particular one, Schutzhund training is a sound method and may be of value to your dog.

  However, you must begin with a sound, healthy, discriminating animal, usually from one of the working breeds. You must delve deeply into the training method to become a qualified handler. This will mean joining a Schutzhund club.*It is not possible to explain Schutzhund training in full here, but it is a good possibility for those who feel they need protection training.

  To sum up, you will notice that many ads for attack-trained dogs play on owners' basic insecurities, promising "freedom from worry" and "complete safety." Methods of training that do not relate to the whole dog and that fail to educate the owner properly do a disservice to dogs and society. If you are interested in protection training, please think twice.

  42

  Alarm Barking

  In the preceding chapter we come down hard on the standard types of attack training. But we are not against pets announcing the presence of visitors and, if necessary, protecting their owners from physical harm. We are breeders of German shepherd dogs and work hard to preserve the structural and temperamental integrity of the breed. We value that our dogs have the instinctual drive to bark and defend. That's usually enough to ward off intruders.

  Owners who want their pets to protect them should teach their dogs to speak and then learn to use them psychologically to the best advantage. The major factor in many a tight squeeze, such as a robbery or assault attempt, is the victim's ability to bluff the attacker. Bluffing with your dog means portraying the dog as a true friend and defender, and not as the weak, timid critter he may actually be.

  If you are being followed or bothered, it's a good ploy to bend over dramatically and whisper something to the dog. For a direct approach, hold the dog tightly by the training collar and say, "Not yet, not yet," to bluff intruders. The average intruder has no way of reading a dog correctly and cannot tell that you are bluffing.

  If you want your dog to bark on command, begin teaching him as a puppy. Hold a treat over the dog's head and when he sits, tell him to "speak!" Encourage the dog to vocalize, and if he gives you even a whine or whimper, treat him promptly. Some young puppies fall naturally into the game, and older dogs sometimes take more time to train.

  When you are confronted with an unpleasant situation (assuming that your dog is not already barking because of it), you can fake holding a treat and get a few barks that way. The other person usually cannot decipher whether it is a friendly or unfriendly bark, and most likely will not want to take the chance of finding out.

  To train your dog to bark aggressively at an intruder, set up situations in which someone unknown to the dog can help you. Have your accomplice cover his or her face with a nylon and wear a heavy coat and strange hat. The hat is the main thing that triggers the barking reflex in many dogs — make sure it is a bizarre hat. Have this decoy make some motion outside the house to set the dog off — rattling a doorknob, jimmying a lock. You should be sitting quietly, reading, with the dog nearby, preferably lying near you. When you hear the sound, alert and look at your dog. If your dog gives a slight grump, consider the exercise over for that day. If the dog does not react, go over to the door with the dog, encouraging him to investigate. As the dog sees the stranger, he may growl or bark. Have the stranger reel backward, linger for a moment, and then run away, as if running away from the ferocious dog. Then kneel and praise the dog for "saving" you from the intruder. Repeat this procedure on a weekly basis, but don't let things go too far. All you want is a warning growl or bark. After such setups it is a good idea to balance them with introductions to friends who come to the house. This way, your dog's protectiveness becomes something entirely within your control. If you already have problems with these two activities, or if your dog has a problem with aggressive behavior, don't condition him further with these setups. Remember, too, that many breeds have a built-in propensity for protective behavior; it is a matter of waiting for this trait to mature. Don't expect a three-month-old puppy to be Rin-Tin-Tin.

  43

  Aggressive Behavior, or How to Deal with a Canine Terrorist

  Canine aggression is one of the most frequent problems we deal with when dog owners bring their dogs to us. After seeing hundreds of aggressive dogs, we have come to certain conclusions about the nature of such aggression. First, it is natural canine behavior to establish and preserve rank within a pack, for a dog to protect himself from anything he perceives as threatening, to procure and protect food, to defend territory, and to establish dominance in a variety of situations. Genetic history and selective breeding can increase or decrease the tendency toward aggression in breeds and individual dogs, as can environmental circumstances. To the untrained eye, aggressive reactions are often seemingly unprovoked, unpredictable, and unexplainable, but when examined in the overall context of canine behavior, they become more understandable, if no less serious.

  It is important not to underestimate the scope of canine aggression. It has been, and continues to be, a serious problem that is present in all canine environments. In urban centers, dogs who roam freely resist anyone attempting to round them up; they wander about, picking up new "recruits" along the way, and in the course of packlike dynamics the more dominant and aggressive initiate the others into increasingly aggressive behavior. In the country, packs of dogs loot chicken houses, attack sheep, run livestock, and challenge farmers who attempt to catch them. And every suburban neighborhood probably has at least one or more well-known "mean dogs" whose aggressive behavior is fabled by residents. Let's not kid ourselves: facing an aggressive dog is frightening, even for a professional. Ask the question "Have you ever been bitten by a dog?" of practically anyone, and the answer, if yes, will also include vivid details of the incident. Dog bites are not easily forgotten. Often the context is predictable: a situation involving a strange dog who was unsupervised at the time, along with some action by the bitten party that the dog interpreted as threatening.

  Most owners have no desire to live with an aggressive dog, and certainly not with one they cannot control. The sad truth is th
at many owners put up with such circumstances because they did not act swiftly and decisively when the problem first manifested itself, usually in the first six or seven months of the dog's life. Procrastination and denial are major contributors to a mature expression of aggressive behavior. Aggression rarely becomes a serious problem overnight: it develops through incidents of escalating intensity that are not checked by the owner. Throughout this book we have emphasized the role of prevention in raising a safe and healthy companion. It is much easier dealing with budding forms of aggression in a puppy than full-blown aggression in an adult. Following a dedicated program of socialization, training, and play, as well as setting clear and consistent limits to inevitable displays of juvenile aggression, is the surest path to preventing aggression from becoming a real problem in the adult dog.

  That said, what of the older dog manifesting one or more forms of aggressive behavior? Is there no hope? Training techniques alone cannot solve every case of aggression. But good training techniques and counseling can diagnose and evaluate aggressive behavior and attempt counter-conditioning. We cannot stress enough that if you are having a problem with aggressive behavior, see a trained professional as soon as possible. Preferably, see an experienced trainer or behaviorist on a one-to-one basis so that he or she can work individually with your dog. Do not attempt to "cure" aggressive behavior simply by enrolling in a park obedience course. Go to an expert professional who can evaluate your dog's behavior individually, preferably one who can work with you in a hands-on way. Get such help as soon as possible. Don't wait, thinking that the behavior will go away or get better. It rarely does without training. The behavior usually gets worse.

  It is important that the trainer/behaviorist know all the details of any aggressive incidents. It is essential that you evaluate the incidents, preferably with the professional's help. It is possible to work alone, but it is more difficult. Get a notebook and write as objective and unemotional a description as possible of what happened in each incident. Describe the people involved, the time of day, the actual split-second sequence of events (as best you can recall), and what discipline (if any) you administered. Note where the incident took place and the extent of the damage. It is important to know whether the dog broke the victim's skin (were stitches required?), or nipped, scratched, or inflicted the damage with his mouth or paws. Many times we've had clients report mouth bites only to discover later, when taking a case history, that the injury came from the dog's toenails or paws, not from the mouth at all. Check and recheck. Don't justify or condemn the dog's actions. Simply record the facts. This is the first step in determining the seriousness of the problem.

  After you figure out the sequence of exactly what happened each time, it is now possible to attempt to categorize the aggressive behavior. Contemporary animal behaviorists such as Benjamin Hart, William Campbell, and Nicholas Dodman confirm what experienced trainers have learned from their day-to-day work with people and their dogs: there are different types of canine aggression.*Listing the most noteworthy may help you determine precisely what kind of behavior your dog exhibits. Keep in mind that your dog may be expressing more than one type of aggression.

  Fear or Shyness Aggression

  By far the most common type, fear aggression occurs equally in males and females and is usually seen in situations of stress and noise, when the animal would prefer to escape (leave the area) if at all possible. Instead, he is forced into a confrontation with another dog or a human. For instance, an owner who drags a reluctant Fido up to "meet" strangers, instead of conditioning the dog more slowly to accept company, invites an incident of fear aggression. Most incidents happen in stress situations when a dog's initial display of fear is pushed into actual aggression. Think of the conditioning process as like getting into a hot bath: wise are they who go slow. Obedience training — at least to the come, sit, and stay level — is necessary, since the lack of leadership often contributes to aggressive behavior.

  The fearful dog needs to have confidence in his owner before he can even begin to negotiate meeting strangers. Then, instead of letting the dog meet the stranger head-on, we first work in the general vicinity, moving closer as the dog gets used to things. We may sit the dog several feet from the stranger, praising the dog as he complies. Several sessions may be needed to work positively toward an actual encounter. Be patient.

  As far as dietary changes that may be in order, behaviorists and trainers are divided over a high- or low-protein diet, and it seems that more research is needed to come to more definitive conclusions. But while the relationship of high- or low-protein diet to behavior change is uncertain, everyone agrees that obedience training is an absolute part of any solution to aggressive behavior. Don't think you can solve aggression independent of a consistent regimen of obedience training, and don't use physical discipline to correct such behavior. It only compounds the fear.

  In terms of desensitizing fear aggression itself, the round-robin recall is often very helpful once the dog can tolerate it. Some veterinarians have experimented with drug therapy for this kind of aggression and have had varying degrees of success. Currently Inderal, Prozac, and BuSpar are the drugs of choice. However, do not attempt to administer drugs to your dog without veterinary/behavioral assistance. Drug therapy can sometimes backfire or simply mask underlying problems in the dog-owner relationship that are the root cause of the behavior.

  Territorial Aggression

  The second most common form of aggression is the front-yard and backyard variety. To a degree, in-house and in-car aggression is natural. Owners often put their dogs in a bind, encouraging territorial aggression but discouraging it when they find it excessive. The dog may be confused. Alarm barking does not mean the dog should bark at everyone. You must be in control of his barking and have the ability to turn it off at will with a sign-off phrase like "no more!" or "okay, that's enough." Discourage any kind of fence-running out in the yard, if necessary using a bark collar to stop such tendencies.

  From the start, the best rule to follow is to inhibit territorial aggression in pups with a stern "no" and friendly exposure to strangers. This type of response usually crops up in the pups about the fourth or fifth month. Be on the lookout for such a reaction and clip it immediately. Do not encourage territorial barking; take advantage of introducing your pup to mail carriers, meter readers, and other regular "intruders" early on, setting up positive encounters that establish a context of familiarity for your pup. For example, in addition to setting up friendly introductions in which both owner and outsider act happy around the dog, invite such outsiders to play fetch with the puppy or dog, neutralizing his uptight response. Also, pay attention to your own body language: consciously greet visitors in a happy way. Obedience-train the dog for control.

  For older dogs with an already existing problem, begin a program of desensitization. Set up situations that progress from a measured response to the doorbell's ring (i.e., a brief bark that stops with the owner's command), to opening the door, to an actual introduction, first with someone the dog knows and loves, later with a stranger. Move from one stage to the next only when the dog is controlled and responsive in the existing stage. Only when your relationship with your dog is confident, with little fear that your dog may try to bite you, should you discipline aggressive displays according to the principles described in chapter 10. After disciplining, be sure to go immediately into a sequence of obedience commands that reassert your position of leadership, then try the setup once again. Often your dog is much more compliant this time around. If you suspect that your dog may try to bite you if you discipline him, seek private help with a professional. Most likely you will need to go with a nonconfrontational, "nothing in life is free" approach to your dog that works one step at a time and demands patience and consistency to be successful. Your dog will be expected to earn everything it receives: praise, attention, affection. . . . The professional/behaviorist will outline this for you in exacting detail.

  Intermale Aggression<
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  Males generally fight other males. The problem is an inescapable canine situation related to testosterone secretion and the environment in which the males are raised. For example, in a breeding program such as ours, males must be kept separated because they view one another as competitors. However, this complaint is also frequent among dog owners whose dogs meet up with free-roaming neighborhood males. To control this, defecation and urination by a male must be restricted to the dog's immediate area before you go on a walk. This is so that he does not mark off the whole neighborhood as his private domain, which easily leads to confrontations with other males he interprets as trespassing on his kingdom. Neutering helps reduce this behavioral trait, and to make your dog less dominant and threatening in the eyes of other males. Finally, take sensible precautions. If you know your dog to be dog-aggressive, use a muzzle when you take a walk.

  Aggressive Response to Teasing

  This is a situation when children, and occasionally adults, taunt a dog until he retaliates. It is sometimes common when neighborhood gangs team up to pick on a particular dog, often when the owners are away, but can also occur when an individual child relieves boredom by teasing the family pet. In addition to supervising interactions between children and dogs, it is of paramount importance that parents educate their children in appropriate etiquette: children should be cautioned not to scream around dogs. They should never chase a dog, even one they know, nor should they ever pet a strange dog. Adults who tease dogs or accept "dares" to approach a dog get what they ask for. One young man accepted a dare to stick his hand into a car occupied by a Doberman he did not know. He was bitten and wanted to know why!