Yesterday I worked with two dogs that were reported to be dog aggressive. For this reason I took my Olde English Bulldog Odin with me. He is 5 and has helped me work with thousands of dogs. Within a few seconds of watching his response to a dog I can usually tell if we are working with a reactive dog or an aggressive one. Very seldom are they actually aggressive.
The first dog yesterday was an 8 year old Lab and the second was a 5 year old Pitbull. Both clients had either given up on or limited their walks due to pulling. Odin and I both agree that neither dog was aggressive. This is why I constantly tell people to watch throwing the “A” word around when describing your dogs behavior. It can brand them and you.
In order to see how well a dog is socialized with other dogs you must expose them to other dogs. During this interaction either you are in control or your dog is. Dogs/wolves did well for thousands of years without us. Before us they were never “walked” and never had anything around their next to control them. All of their meetings were natural in which they had the ability to get as close to or as far away from another dog as they wished. As soon as we put leads on them they resisted and pulled forward setting the stage for what we call leash aggression.
Most dog meetings are done on a tight leash with the dog in front as you can see in the picture. This is the issue. If you are used to having your dog out in front on a tight leash you get used to their pulling by constantly trying to pull them back which encourages ….more pulling.
When ever you see this I want you to see two five year old kids pulling their Moms into the middle of the street to see each other. They are not focused on the Mom nor the cars coming both ways. When your pulled in a direction you immediately get tunnel vision as well.
Naturally when dogs meet they approach from the side which is non confrontational and respectful. They they circle and sniff butts. When dogs are on tight leashes they meet face to face and do to the tightness of the leash cannot go to the side and spin. They are being held on tension where the only thing they can do is lock eyes and locking eyes is what starts fights. The key to survival is movement, to them they are being attacked while tied to a tree, this makes them more anxious and aggressive.
People feel obligated when someone says “can we say hello with dogs”. Feelings range from dread to apprehension and those feeling run down the leash. The dogs go face to face and nobody reacts until they see the first sign of aggression and that reaction is pulling their dog back (choking them, when they are already in fight or flight) and usually standing flat footed as they stare at the dogs.
If you want to introduce your dog to another dog but do not have another confident handler tie one of the dogs out. Then with your dog, approach on a loose lead, any tension on the lead at all is automatically corrected with a reset or a pop n relax. The same for any barking, growling or whining. Any fixation on the dog gets an immediate direction back on you. The other dog notices who is in front. When they see another dog rushing them, even the most stable dog can become defensive. Most importantly don’t say anything. The dogs are not hearing your. Right now they are all sight and smell, and eventually touch. Sound is never an issue.
You set the pace and tempo. As I say when the dog goes fast you go slow, the more excited the dog gets, the calmer you need to be. For as long as it takes (usually) usually less than five minutes you reset and pop n relax until you are within feet of the dog on a loose leash. You will also notice this having an effect on the other dog. If you cannot get to within three feet of the other dog on a loose lead for a few minutes, stop and try again another day. Once you get close to the other dog move closer as long as you can maintain a loose lead. From there you want to step in and let your dog circle, not nose to nose. At the first sign of aggression you turn your head and look away as you walk away. This automatically separates the dogs. Then you can try again. Honestly most people do not have the nerves for this especially with a rescue. That”s why we are here. Dogs are just like us and are not going to be interested in everyone they meet. After a good circle and sniff there are three possible outcomes; ignore, play, and fight.
Reading around the internet you will see that many advocate allowing dogs to meet off leash. If we were living naturally I would agree, however this muse be done in neutral area, not the house and not the back yard. Few dogs leave their property off leash. This is why knowing how to manage on leash interaction is vital to the wellness of our dogs.