BY FRAN JEWELL
None of us wants an aggressive dog! We want to take them with us everywhere and we want to be able to trust them that they will be playful and kind. We especially don’t want them to ever bite another human, especially children! In fact, most of us go overboard socializing our dogs, going with the belief that socialization is the key to friendly behavior, and sometimes it is. We take them to the dog park, we have play dates, and we even get multiple dogs so they have doggie friends to play with.
However, what many people don’t do is to give their dogs guidance during those interactions. We allow unacceptable behaviors that escalate into dangerous behaviors. Many times we put our dogs into situations where other dogs teach our dogs bully behaviors (yes, there are dog bullies). Dogs will learn bully behaviors to defend themselves or to mask their fears. We think bully behavior is friendliness when in fact it is an attempt by the bullying dog to defend himself. Sometimes we label it “alpha dog” behavior when it is far from that. We think that taking a fearful dog into extreme social situations will help give them confidence. Most of the time these activities will encourage more defensive or aggressive behaviors for the fearful dog.
We say things like, “Just let them work it out,” “He’s friendly!” or “He just wants to say ‘hello!’” We make excuses for poor behavior or our lack of control and training.
We enable our dogs to become aggressive by not providing leadership and direction consistently. All dogs must have a leader, or they will make the decisions about how to deal with situations they are uncomfortable with. Some dogs revert to ancestral (feral) behaviors when they don’t know any other way to cope. It is our job, as owners, to let them know what acceptable behavior is and what is not. If we are not giving them that information clearly, it creates more stress for our dogs. Would it be fair to anyone to drop them into the deep end of the swimming pool without having had swimming lessons? Absolutely not! Would dropping someone into the deep end without swimming lessons create an intense fear of water? Most likely. It is the uncommon dog that can do that without emotional consequences.
When we take dogs into new places we must be pro-active. We must give them coping skills (obedience). Our dogs must trust us that we will take care of them, no matter what. We must watch behavior of our dog and that of other dogs. Walking your dog while talking on your cellphone is not being the leader your dog needs. Chatting with friends, not paying attention to what your dog is doing, will not help your dog when something makes him afraid. We need to make the decisions about where to go so our fearful dog is not overwhelmed or bullied by other dogs. If we own a bullying dog, we need to teach him it is not acceptable to run up to another dog and posture them. Just because a tail is wagging doesn’t mean his intentions are friendly!
We must know if our dog is fearful in nature, then we must protect him and give him skills to cope. Letting dogs work it out for themselves, taking them to over-stimulating situations where you don’t know the behavior of other dogs or children without giving your dog clear directions is a recipe for aggression. Our dogs need to trust us that we will not put them into situations they cannot handle. Build that trust through fair and honest obedience training. Live a life of leadership in your home. Fair leadership builds the trust a fearful or anxious dog needs.
Fran Jewell is an Idaho Press Club award-winning columnist, IAABC-certified dog behavior consultant, NADOI-certified instructor #1096 and the owner of Positive Puppy Dog Training, LLC, in Sun Valley. For more information, visit positivepuppy.com or call (208) 578-1565.