Fear Aggression & Anxiety

[suburbanpaws]

I have a mixed breed (Lab/possibly rottie & shepherd, other) who is 3 years old. I've had him since he was 4 weeks old since I fostered his litter and mother. He was well socialized inside and out of my home both with dogs and people. At about 5-6 months of age he began to show signs of food aggression towards dogs only. The trainer from the shelter suggested we leave it alone as he was only "telling other dogs to respect his space". We did. It worsened. We've managed it by feeding him separately from our other dogs and by allowing only edible bones when separate from our other dogs. Nylabones and toys have become a non-issue. At approximately a year of age he began showing aggressive behaviors towards strangers including barking & growling which escalated to lunging and muzzle punching and then nipping. His fears began first with people with sunglasses and hats and then generalized to any unfamiliar person, dog or thing.

He has always been a bit of a skittish dog starting with the first walk I took him on as a puppy. His mother was also like this. She would jump when cars passed by on our walks. He shivers and pants in the car despite having been taken the majority of the time to places he loves. Thunder & storms have now begun affecting him. If we drop something, bang something, clean the house, move furniture, if something is in his way, he hides. If we yell in the house- he hides. He exhibits lip licking, panting, yawning, erections, nervous skin flaking/shedding and shivering - sometimes separately sometimes all at once depending on his level of anxiety. When at the vet - he gets muzzled and will tolerate examination but always loses control of his bowels while on the exam table. Nail clipping is impossible.

He has never shown a shred of aggression towards those he knows. He is able to befriend humans willing to give him a chance within 4 meetings. He is excellent with obedience having trained with me in puppy K and puppy k2, agility and continued obedience work at home but mastering the focus command is difficult in the face of distractions.

He will tolerate unfamiliar dogs and people outside the home as long as they don't come into his space. Strange people approaching him triggers aggressive behaviors. Strange dogs approaching only triggers aggression if they are hyperactive. Calm dogs he allows to sniff and he in turn sniff them. I am able to read his body language very well and know the preceding elements of his aggression. Inside the home, barking/growling etc towards strangers is present even if they ignore him. I can have him on leash and under control when strangers visit but he is constantly lip licking, yawning and will begin to growl randomly at them when he looks in their direction.

I'm not sure what I'm doing is working. I've done some desensitization techniques with him, try to expose him to the unfamiliar without flooding but he seems so incredibly reactive that his threshold is so low and it doesn't take much to frighten him.

My husband and I are also extremely bonded with him and he to us. He is not, however so attached to us that he has separation anxiety.

He was seen by a veterinary behaviorist who prescribed prozac (which he is now off - we saw no difference) and a program of desensitizing. Adding another dog to our household who bullied him (they are now kept apart) added to his anxiety related to that but has decreased since keeping them separate.

I'd like to form a concrete plan for him that makes sense and that has some solidity. At present I feel I am using only bits and pieces of techniques and would like some help forming a long term plan. I might also mention he stayed with my parents when he was 9 months old while my husband and I travelled and my father's ideas about dog training (dominance and do as I say) and his attitude towards dublin certainly impacted upon him as Dublin was intimidated by and fearful of him.

Any help/suggestions and input on what to do and what to expect is so incredibly appreciated.

Regards,
Rebecca (and Dublin)
dubs.jpg

[Mike D'Abruzzo]

Hi Rebecca,

I'm guessing it is no mystery to you that you are mainly dealing with a genetically based fear aggression. It sounds like you are doing many things right, but as you mentioned, there are bits and pieces to the total plan that are missing.

We can certainly help you make improvements for Dublin's sense of well being.

Just some questions to start you off and help us troubleshoot:

1. How has Dublin been raised in regards to the exercises recommended in the "pack structure" section? We want to make sure we are communicating to him that we want the position of deciding things such as who is a threat etc... This doesn't fix your problem in itself but will be a prerequisite if we don't want to fight against mother nature.

To give you an example, I sometimes have clients whose dogs act aggressively or worry whenever a guest enters rooms where "their" toys are laying around. When the dogs don't feel it is their toys to protect - it makes lifting the anxiety of a threat that much easier.

The same goes for when their is competition for human resting areas, attention of owners, etc.. The less boundaries and the more entitled a dog feels to these types of things the less it makes sense to them when we randomly want to make the dog less worried about these things. Even when a problem with a person has nothing to do with anything resource related, the more we communicate our leadership through relationship, possession, and boundary control the easier it is for them to accept we are in a position to call the shots as to how to treat visitors or the passersby on walks. The fearful dog, as you know, will make poor judgment calls if left to their own initial device.

This I found to be extremely important before attempting a plan like needed for Dublin's

Also, if you can tell us what forms of discipline he has been exposed to and what were the results of? IE shouting, physical with hands, prong collar, gentle leader, etc...

We will need to guide Dublin gently to the correct behaviors for giving situation. The last thing we ever want is for a dog to have bad experiences with the ones he is supposed to trust most. Harsh treatment by us will be assumed as a possibility with the scary stranger, which we wouldn't want.

But, we also need to find what he takes to well without stress when we need to guide him. Gentle discipline does wonders for dogs like him and puts us in a position to have more focused and successful counter-conditioning and desensitizing.

[suburbanpaws]

Hi Mike -

Thanks so much for your reply. Here are the answers to your questions:

How has Dublin been raised in regards to the exercises recommended in the "pack structure" section?

I should mention to you that I'm a graduate of Animal Behavior College and so I've tried to be proactive with all my dogs (we have 4) but Dublin has been the most trained and worked dog of all my dogs especially with leadership exercises. He was my training partner when I was doing my externship. NILF (Nothing in life is free) and demands are never given into - though Dublin never demands anything. If anything, Dublin is the MOST understanding of his role and boundaries in our home. No demands for petting, I determine when play starts and stops and manage all the toys/bones etc. No free feeding and no eating until given the okay. He sleeps on his own bed but comes up on our bed when asked to and waits for permission to do so. Same with the couch. Although I have basic knowledge of dogs I really feel I don't have near the knowledge or experience to deal with much more than basic obedience and basic problem solving. My true passion is to become knowledgeable about aggression issues - this has always been my true interest, but unfortunately not a part of a lot of dog training curriculums. Most of what I've learned about aggression, fear and treatment has been learned on my own through reading. It's ironic I have my own dog to work with in that area! In working with Dublin (and studying your methods!) I hope to become, not only a better doggy parent but a better trainer.

There is a clear communication of relationship, possession, and boundary control in our home. I realize, however, that Dublin doesn't trust me to protect him or he wouldn't feel the need to do so himself so I'm missing something somewhere.

Also, if you can tell us what forms of discipline he has been exposed to and what were the results of? IE shouting, physical with hands, prong collar, gentle leader, etc...

No harsh methods - I know a fearful dog's behavior can only be worsened by using such methods so I have made every effort to work with him on a rewards based system while also making an effort not to reinforce his fear/anxiety. I have tried a halti with him but didn't stick with it. No choke/chain/e-collars, no force, no dominance theory techniques, no flooding have been used thus far. I did, however, have a trainer who was a friend of a friend, come to the house and subsequently did not ask her back as I felt she was too harsh with Dublin. Too many leash corrections and harsh tones. I use the no-reward marker "uh-uh" when he doesn't follow commands but never jerk the leash, push or pull him or force him in any way. I use positive reinforcement and the marker "YES!" for the desired behaviors.

I've been working with him on the "look" or "watch me" command on walks but I'm having a hard time with distractions. I think I have to step back and work on the command at home before taking it out into the scary world.

But, we also need to find what he takes to well without stress when we need to guide him.


Dublin is highly food motivated AND ball motivated. I find that in the light of almost anything (almost) a ball thrower and the ball can change his mind. I haven't tried this in high stress situations so I can't say ALL situations. Treats and fetch are how he gets to know and love the humans who have been willing to get to know him.

Gentle discipline does wonders for dogs like him and puts us in a position to have more focused and successful counter-conditioning and desensitizing.

I agree completely! Thank you SO much. I've been studying your site all night and day and watching all your videos. I'm hoping to be even half the trainer you are someday so any and all advice, input, suggestions, criticisms etc are absolutely welcomed and appreciated.

Rebecca & Dubs

[suburbanpaws]

Still working with Dublin on this. Been using the "watch me" cue and trying to get him to trust me to make the decisions for him. Using mild corrections for undesired behavior. Still feeling I need to do more. Any further input would be so appreciated! Thanks so much

[Teresa]

Sounds like you have been doing great work with Dublin. I would definitely recommend making your way through the different phases of obedience using the Foundation style to teach fair and gentle corrections even though he has already trained in obedience. He should make progress quickly through each phase since he has a solid background.
As you progress through the phases of obedience, you will be in a better position for desensitizing and counter-conditioning.

Be careful using corrections gentle or otherwise to correct undesired behavior, rather I would recommend reinforcing a command for an alternate incompatible behavior. For example let's say Dublin is lunging at a person or dog who is passing by. To correct this issue instead of giving a correction for lunging, I would ask him to sit, climb, heel etc and then reinforce him staying in that command. Giving a correction for lunging can further his anxiety and negative association with new people or dogs. Alternatively, once it is taught that there is a beginning and an end to every command, and correction is introduced independently of any trigger , gentle correction for remaining in a command is understood well by the dog, without furthering the negative association.

Using the "watch me" cue can be very helpful. I would definitely try practicing this at a distance from triggers where he is below threshold. You can definitely use a ball as a reward for this. I like using a ball on a rope when rewarding a dog who is leashed. This makes it less likely that the ball will get too far off from Dublin or you, and you can easily recover it for the next repetition. It also makes it possible to add in a quick game of tug (which can make the ball even more rewarding if he likes the game). Also reward for automatic check-in's in the presence of a trigger. As you gain success from one distance, you can systematically decrease your working distance.

Also consider teaching him to wear a muzzle for safety during counter-conditioning and desensitizing at close proximity.

A fair goal would be to practice a scenario like our Greeting Drill, which we use often in Aggression support group class http://www.selfhelpdogtraining.com/V...sexercise.html

I hope this helps give you a better picture of how to approach this situation. keep us posted!

Teresa

[suburbanpaws]

Well, this week I had a trainer come to the house that I'd worked with during my internship for ABC. He was one of my mentors. He suggested that I use high rewards and praise for desired behavior and give a mild leash correction and step into Dublin's space when he barked, growled or lunged at him (or any other person). He suggested to continue to use the "watch me" command but it is difficult at times to get Dublin to consistently and reliably perform the watch me command when he's already begun to aggress. I also don't want to anticipate his aggression and cause it so I don't want to react prematurely. Once he's started aggressing, it's harder to get the watch behavior out of him. How do I time it right and nip it in the bud without reacting prematurely? Also, Theresa, you had mentioned I don't use any leash corrections - I had mentioned to this trainer that I was hesitant to use any positive punishment (ie: leash corrections for unwanted behavior) as a result of what I'd learned about fearful behavior and the effect it can have on it.

This week a friend who is absolutely willing to work with him, came over. I had her toss treats to him and he obeyed her commands to sit, stay (from behind a gate) and accepted treats from her. But the minute this was over, he would begin to aggress towards her. We went for a walk with her. Dublin was completely indifferent, didn't care that she was on the walk with us, didn't try to aggress towards her even when she was closer to him than she is in the house. As soon as we got back to the house, the behavior started again. I wouldn't say it is ONLY in the house that his behavior exists but it's certainly WORSE in the house.

So now, I'm armed with so many techniques but not sure which will help and which will be counter-productive. I'm utterly confused!

Theresa- are you suggesting I try the exercises shown in the video in a class?

Thanks so much for your help

[Teresa]

Hi Rebecca,


When he is showing aggressive behavior, I would not step into his space and correct with the leash. This is likely to be viewed as confrontational by the dog and could result in aggression directed toward you out of fear or frustration. I do recommend using body blocks (ie stepping into a dogs space), but only for rude behavior, dogs who are constantly in your space, or shoving past you to get into the refrigerator for example. I would never recommend it in a charged situation, such as a dog showing aggression as it can result in more issues than you started with.

As for acting prematurely, the only concern you should have in this area would be in the instance of using a correction (leash or body block). In fact in the foundation method of training all gentle corrections are taught using the same pattern, that way there is no correcting a dog without warning, and always an opportunity for the dog to avoid the correction. There is no issue asking him to watch you, or perform any other command for that matter prior to his aggressive reaction. In fact this would be the goal, that he is willing to to work for you although he is aware of the trigger. When evaluating this situation and how to help him progress, you should be careful not to put him in a situation where he is likely to fail. You should be aware of all of his triggers and the distance by which he is affected by these things. Generally if there is more than one trigger present, they work together and lower the dog's threshold for reactivity, beyond what it would normally be if the triggers were presented seperately. Example if Dublin will react when a man wearing a hat is 6 feet from him, or 10 feet for a man wearing sunglasses. If he encountered a man wearing a hat and sunglasses he may react at 10 or more feet. You should use this information when presenting a situation to Dublin. If he is consistently reacting and unable to focus on you then he is too close in proximity.

If your goal is to get a solid "watch me", you will need to work below threshold and have good success, also rewarding him for automatically giving you eye contact in the presence of the trigger. When he seems more focused on you than on the trigger, you know you can decrease the working distance or increase the distraction from the same distance.

The video of the greeting drill, which I linked to my last post, is an exercise that is taught to dogs who are dog and people reactive to simulate real life situations and interactions. All of the dogs which you see in the video have all completed Obedience through Phase 3. This exercise is a compilation of skills learned through the various phases of training. Once Dublin is at this point in his training, you can set up the same type of scenario with a willing friend, it does not have to be in a class setting. For Dublin, his goal at first would be to start out sitting behind your left leg while you walk out 6 feet and shake someone's hand. Do not attempt to have someone pet him. If he breaks this position, you can use gentle correction to place him back into the sit position.

I would recommend that you outline a plan with specific techniques and work on them. It is confusing to both owner, trainer and dog, to use many different methods at once.

I hope this gives you some good direction!

Teresa