Hi, we have a 2.5 year old lab (neutred) , Eddie who recently has begun to show some aggression to smaller dogs. He is not hurting them or biting them as far as I can see, just terrifying them by barking, growling and stooping over them and I think pushing them with his head - he's a big dog so it is hard to see what is going on when it has happened, not least because I am rushing to get him off them. It has happened 3 times in the last 2 months, the first time we were just walking past a man with a young black spaniel, Eddie approached, growled but came away when I called him. Last week he approached a dog that was on a lead (before I could call him back) and the dog growled at him and he then dived in growling and snarling, and then today we had just walked past a man with a very small dog (I'd held onto Eddie's collar as we passed them and then let it go) but unfortunately the small dog approached and the same thing happened. Again I don't think he was biting and the dog wasn't hurt but it looked pretty awful and I was mortified. It's so disappointing as he had made so much progress over the last year and could happily greet then walk off-lead past people, joggers, and dogs and this feels like such a major step backwards. I am not sure why it is happening - I don't think it is fear aggression, maybe just dominance? I did not see any trigger for his behaviour today at all. I obviously now need to keep him on the lead when other dogs are around just in case and go back to treating him as he walks past other dogs with attention on me, but I would love to know why this is happening and if there is anything I could do about it. Any advice gratefully received. Thanks, Jenny
Sorry I can't be of much assistance here, as I am in the same situation recently. I have noticed my 16 month neutered male only shows this aggression when the other small dog retracts, growls, or acts scared in any way when my dog runs up to them. If the small dog isn't phased by him approaching quickly, or stands up to him, there are no issues. Only solution that has been working for me thus far is when I see a small dog approaching (entering the dog park, for example) I put Blitz on his leash and introduce them and then release him. Seems to work, but definitely frustrating!
Hi @Jenny100 There is a folder on this site in which LAT training is discussed at length. I suggest you read and watch the video therein. The idea here is to gradually change your dog's attitude towards small dogs. You will need to follow the protocol first by teaching him Look at home, and then taking the training out on the road. Eventually you should be able to point out small dogs to him. He should turn to you looking for a reward rather than attempting to bully them. If you have any questions about LAT, then please fire away.
Many thanks - really interesting and I will definitely give it a try. Am confused about whether or not to say the Look at That cue or not?
The Glasgow Dog Trainer on Youtube has some great videos demonstrating counter-conditioning reactivity to other dogs.
It's always better to stick to monosyballic cues with dogs. I would use look unless you've already used that word for some other action. Initially you don't use any verbal cue. You are rewarding the dog for looking at some object you produce from behind your back.
I would suggest not using the Look At That cue for a long time, because humans tend to repeat cues over and over whilst the dog is not actually doing the behaviour - thereby teaching the dog that the cue means... nothing! So, first you need to achieve the behaviour and, only once you have a good behaviour, put a cue in just before it happens - to attach the cue to it. Look At That is definitely a good way to manage things and may, over time, help change the way he feels. But you won't reach a point where he is able to safely interact off lead with strange small dogs... at least, don't have that as your goal! It is definitely not dominance, that's for sure! Dominance is not a useful way to think about dog behaviour and doesn't really explain it. There is almost always an element of fear in any dog reactivity, no matter what it looks like to you. Sometimes dogs are happy to approach the other dog but then, whilst meeting them, they suddenly feel scared and out of their depth and react. Sometimes they can sense the fear in the other dog once they get up close to them, and, because they have previously associated fear in the other dog as a precursor to the other dog attacking them, they anticipate that they are about to be attacked - and they get in there first to deal with the threat. Has your dog had bad experiences with other dogs, particularly any smaller dogs, in the past? Times when they were reactive towards him, before he had any problems? Dogs remember bad experiences - I always say that aggression is contagious...
[/QUOTE]There is almost always an element of fear in any dog reactivity, no matter what it looks like to you. Sometimes dogs are happy to approach the other dog but then, whilst meeting them, they suddenly feel scared and out of their depth and react. Sometimes they can sense the fear in the other dog once they get up close to them, and, because they have previously associated fear in the other dog as a precursor to the other dog attacking them, they anticipate that they are about to be attacked - and they get in there first to deal with the threat. Has your dog had bad experiences with other dogs, particularly any smaller dogs, in the past? Times when they were reactive towards him, before he had any problems? Dogs remember bad experiences - I always say that aggression is contagious...[/QUOTE] Hi Jo and thanks very much for your reply. I have been thinking about this a lot and was wondering how the LAT would help with this particular problem as he doesn't seem to show any symptoms of aggression right up until the incidents happen - tail is up and happy and he is just pleased to see someone - I think it will be really useful in getting him back on the lead if I spot another dog though. When Eddie was young and with me on the lead a German Shepherd had a real go at him and quite often smaller dogs have a really good bark at him, in fact during the summer we came across a couple of small dogs by surprise and they really went for him. Initially in these situations he just showed fear then he began barking back and now, as you say, he is possibly getting in there first. What you say above about sensing the fear as he is up close to the other dog makes total sense as on both occasions he has appeared happy and calm before the moment he 'turns'. I do not even know if this will just be small dogs now - I have lost all confidence in him walking past any dog just in case. I suppose larger dogs will perhaps not in general be afraid and therefore not trigger the attack firs response in him. How would you suggest I proceed? I have booked an appointment with our old trainer/behaviourist but it is not until the end of December. Would you say that in the future I will just always need to put him back on the lead when we meet another dog he doesn't know? Is this a problem that might ease with age? How can I stop him reacting to another dogs fear? Thanks again for your reply - t is really helpful to understand why this is happening. Jenny
Hi @Jenny100 I dont believe Jo said LAT would be pointless. Just that don't use the verbal cue Look until the dog is performing the desired behaviour for at least 90 percent of all repetitions. The LAT is designed to desensitise your dog to small dogs. It also involves counter conditioning, changing your dog's attitude towards small dogs. I had envisaged that after teaching Look at home in a familiar environment that you would then use it while you were out on lead and near senough to a small dog that your dog was below threshold. Use the cue and reward . Gradually get closer and closer to a smaller dog, ensuring you ask the other owner whether you can approach, and watching your dog to ensure your dog remains always below threshold. Cue and reward. The idea is to give your dog an alternative and calming behaviour, looking at you, rather than the extant and recent desire to put a paw on the smaller dog and hold that dog down.
Yes, just to clear up the confusion: Look At That will be incredibly helpful to you, and you should work on it loads - just not with the cue in place until the dog really knows the behaviour. But sadly you need to accept that your dog can't be in this situation of actually meeting the other dog, anymore. There is nothing magic that you can do, which will guarantee things will be ok when he meets the other dog - we are at management and training-related management, by this point - so for the sake of the other dog (and aggression is contagious, remember), you need to ensure he isn't in that situation anymore and you have a way to instead walk past the other dogs. He really shouldn't be completely off leash at all, if he is charging other dogs when you don't call him in time or spot them first. Instead, he should be trailing a 10m biothane long-line so you can grab this if you need to - it's that or remain completely on lead, for always. You need to be 100% sure you can prevent encounters - if he is on lead at your side, you've done all you reasonably can - if other people let their dogs run up to you, that's then their fault for not having control over their dog and allowing them to run up to a dog on lead (which should never be allowed...). You and your dog can't be blamed for it. Yes, this could well be enough. Some labs are super-sensitive. These dogs also tend to be incredibly trainable, not needing many reps of anything to learn behaviours - but it also makes them learn from bad experiences incredibly quickly and not just shrug them off, as well. If you really do want to take things further to the point of trying to solve the problem and not just manage and avoid it, I would recommend finding a CBATI in your area and doing some BAT: http://grishastewart.com/cbati-directory/ You might also be interested in Grisha's online course: https://grishastewart.com/bat101/?s2-ssl=yes Or in her book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Behavior-A...qid=1543058786&sr=8-1&keywords=grisha+stewart Look At That is part of BAT, it falls under the category of "Mark and Move".
