# On Leash Aggression



## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

ON LEASH AGGRESSION 

On leash greetings are not really a good way for dogs to meet. If you don’t know the other dog well, it’s safest to keep your dog away. The owner of the other dog may either not know their dog isn’t friendly to other dogs or may not have the chance to say anything to you if you allow your dog to approach too quickly. Sometimes, the other dog might be friendly most of the time, but finds the occasional dog offensive. Dogs like to approach from the side, head down a bit, and like to sniff the rear end of the other dog. When both dogs greet in this appropriate manner, owners can be left trying to untangle leashes 
and try to dance around to keep up with the dogs. In an instant, dogs (and people) can become entangled in the leashes and tempers can flare with the unexpected restriction of movement. Also, if there is going to be a dog discussion, it’s not a great idea to become entangled in their leashes — the dogs get stuck and can’t get away from one another even when they try (and people get knocked down, too, adding to the chaos). If even one of the dogs is pulling to reach the other his body language will tense and thus appear more aggressive to the other dog, who in turn will start to react more aggressive. Dogs 
feel constrained by the leash and therefore do not feel free to escape if necessary. When greeting, polite dogs look and then look away, look and look away, they don’t stare,Tight leashes prevent this. Dogs are sensitive to barrier frustration (seeing another dog but not being able to get to them) and that combined with their oxygen supply being choked off if they’re on neck collars can cause the initial contact between the dogs to be too heated. Even lf both dogs love other dogs, the level of excitement when they first meet can cause a scuffle between the dogs. Strange dogs are a gamble because dogs who rarely get to meet and interact with a variety of other dogs may have under-developed social skills and therefore are more problematic. Dogs that are permitted to greet on-leash learn to expect it, and when they can’t greet they get frustrated ,so you are setting your dog up for potential problems down this road.

In addition, many owners do not recognize rude behavior in their own dogs. They allow their dog to run up to another dog, get in his face, bump him and jump on him. This is extremely rude behavior among dogs, and is sometimes the result of insufficient dog-dog socialization during puppy stage. Adult dogs, while patient with puppy antics, will discipline the pup once he reaches 5-6 months: he is now sexually mature and must learn how to behave. Many people are advised to “correct” their dog for any perceived display of aggression. Some, in addition, force their dog to sit or lie down when being approached by another dog. This can leave your dog feeling anxious and unable to flee should he choose to. Second, “correcting” a dog for growling or barking at another may punish his warning call to an approaching dog: he may go from seeing the dog to biting with practically nothing in between. No need to explain why this can be a problem! And, correcting a dog who is highly aroused may cause him to redirect his aggression onto you.

There are two scientific sound and humane approaches to behavior modification for reactive dogs. Desensitization and counterconditioning is the first. In this process, you start with the mildest version of the problem stimulus that your dog will notice. As soon as your dog notices it, you deliver something your dog loves--usually, this will be a preferred treat,. When desensitization and counterconditioning is done right, your dog learns that the sight of other dogs reliably predicts that delicious treat appears like magic. Over time he comes to tolerate or even look forward to the proximity of other dogs, because they are such excellent predictors goodies to come. The second approach is called the Constructional Aggression Treatment, or CAT. In a CAT session, the learner dog is presented with a mild version of the problem stimulus , another dog. As soon as the learner dog offers any non-aggressive behavior, the other dog moves further away. In effect, the learner dog learns to drive dogs away by being nice to them. Paradoxically, at some point in the procedure, the learner dog may apparently get to like the other dog for real. . A high-quality manners class using reward-based methods will help you teach your dog to focus on you even when other dogs are around. 

If your dog’s interested in another dog, and that dog strikes you as friendly but her handler looks anxious or tries to wave you off, steer clear. “Please keep your distance,”if the dog is dragging her owner rapidly closer. “Oh, he’s friendly!” the stranger replies, and by now it’s too late to say “But my dog isn’t!” Cue explosions both canine and human. Don’t be that stranger, okay? It’s hard on the reactive dog and his person, and it’s not much fun for your dog to be snarked at, either. Dogs have rules about personal space and polite greetings, most of which involve not being jumped on, mounted or pawed at until they have met and established themselves. Letting your dog drag you over to another dog and letting him climb on the other dog or mouth it, is rude in dogspeak and can result in an unpleasant snap, growl or bite. 

Critical to all of the methods is an understanding of the concept of threshold. Threshold is defined as “the point that must be exceeded to produce a given effect.” We think of it as the intensity of the stimulus required to elicit the problem behavior. Every dog will have its own level of tolerance, which will vary depending upon the context. Proximity to another dog is a critical variable with most dogs, so it is essential to know at what distance the dog becomes reactive. However, there are many other factors in which threshold is important: Many dogs can handle a calm, quiet dog but become uncomfortable as soon as the other dog picks up speed. Most dogs are less reactive if they themselves are approaching the other dog, but become aroused when the dog walks directly toward them. Some dogs are not reactive when they see groups of dogs, but
become so when they are one-on-one and, for others, it is just the opposite. Therefore, it is essential to recognize all
of the triggers that affect each dog and the threshold of intensity that begins to elicit a response. We must be able to identify when our dogs are starting to reach threshold and take them out of the moment when stress signs appear. Teach your “look at me” cue in an area with no distractions, gradually working up to asking the dog to turn away from low-level distractions (not other dogs). Ask your dog to look at you using your cue when he looks at a familiar dog with which he is comfortable. As always, set the dog up to win by initially giving the cue when the triggers are well under threshold, perhaps when the other dog is far away, or when the dogs are quiet and not likely to be easily distracted by one another. 

Once the dog will respond 90% of the time when mildly distracted, start asking him to look at you when he sees an unfamiliar dog as long as the dog is well beyond his “comfort zone.” Don’t wait until the other dog is too close: ask the dog-in-training to turn his head around when the other dog is a long way away. Have friends help you out so that you can control the distance between dogs. (It’s fine if the dog in training looks at you and then turns his head right back to
the other dog. That’s great; it’s another chance to get in another repetition! Just say your cue again and reinforce enthusiastically.) These methods can be challenging for many people so it is important to recognize that if you are not making porgress please consider getting help from a qualified professional and especially someone that uses positive reinforcement methods and not aversive methods such as shock or pinch collars. 

Dogs are naturally sociable and inquisitive, especially when they are young. They desperately want to investigate everything in their environment, and when they are prevented in doing so they become frustrated, so they bark. Unfortunately, this frustration can lead to aggression over time especially when the dog experiences pain when pulling on the leash. Let's start to recognize this and work to setting them up to be mannerly and most important stress free as much as possible.


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## Dee Dee (Jul 24, 2015)

Thanks for posting these Dave! Good stuff.


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## Ollie"s Mom (May 23, 2014)

Great article Dave. Gives a really good understanding of what is going on and why. Thanks.


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## Layla's Mom (Feb 1, 2016)

Thanks for this article Dave! Lots of great info :smile2:


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