 Barked: Wed Apr 1, '09 7:44am PST |
 | |  | | I've had some issues with my dog when she's on leash and I've found several resources to be invaluable, and available at the public library. "Aggression in dogs: practical management, prevention and behaviour modification" by Brenda Aloff has drawn illustrations that will help you spot the many signals of discomfort your dog is offering before it gets to the growl/snap stage, so you will have a better chance of interrupting the interaction and re-directing your dog. I also recommend "On Talking Terms with Dogs" by Turid Rugaas - lots of photographs of calming behaviours that you can employ and some you can get your dog to employ. For example, dropping the head and sniffing the ground is a calming behaviour which signals an unwillingness to fight by the dog that does it, and also helps the dog that drops its head to calm down internally. I put this on cue by teaching "find it" and dropping treats on the ground for my dog to find. I started in the house with no competition from other dogs and no distractions. Then we moved it to the back yard, no other dogs and few distractions. Then we began on walks seeing some other dogs at a distance (I crossed streets, etc. to maintain or increase distance). My dog is doing much better on leash and will drop her head and search and sniff at the "find it" command, but I do still maintain or increase distance when we're on leash to help her comfort level. I hope these suggestions are helpful. |  |  | |  |
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The Dog Show: Who's Your Mama?
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