Out and about with sensitive dogs

Hi everyone, this was supposed to be a short post, but didn't turn out that way. Well enjoy the read!

In today’s world, everything is moving so fast that you may not notice or overlook your dog’s ability to cope with the world around him/her.

I have an anxious dog who struggles in certain situations so I have a lot of experience with this issue. It has been a challenge, but having Bailey in my life has made me a much better, more patient person and dog trainer.

Bailey has been reactive to certain triggers in the past which has made it challenging for us to take her out and about. But we have worked with her over the years and she is now more accepting of different situations. But when she is having a stressful day, these fears do come out again, so on those days I am very careful where I take her. So this is the first question you need to ask. Is my dog able to cope with ‘busy’ environments.

I have made a ‘how to’ list of how to cope with a dog that can be reactive and fearful in certain situations.

1. See how your dog is travelling that day. Is he/she stressed, over stimulated or having a few anxiety issues? After a stressful event, it can take from 3 hours to a couple of days for them to decompress, depending on the severity of the stress. You may be setting your dog up for failure if they are struggling a bit from a previous trigger/event.

2. Has he/she just had a huge run or played roughly with other dogs? If the answer is yes, then you need to give your dog some ‘chill out’ time to decompress before you go. If you have ever been to a gym and had a really rigorous work out, how do you feel when you are finished? Tired, but really pumped! It can take an hour or so to settle and feel calmer after a ‘gym’ session.

3. How are you travelling that day? Are you stressed or anxious? This can affect your dog considerably as they can read our body language really well. If you are nervous, your dog will pick up on that and be more alert (and reactive) to perceived threats.

4. Look at the area you are walking into and make a quick assessment. Situational awareness is a must when managing your nervous dog. Look around and see what could be a bit over stimulating for them. Ok, dog off the lead over there, kids on bikes over there, e scooters at 10 o’clock, construction noise at 6 o’clock, etc. One important thing is to decide, is it too stimulating for my dog to handle? Do I need to find somewhere else that is quieter or has less people?

5. Make a plan. Have a look at the cafés or restaurants and scope out their set up. How are the tables set up? Where can I put my dog where they won’t be confronted by their triggers? If they do get a bit stressed, is there a clear path we can get out? The café we went to in Nannup had a table that was around the corner from everyone else and there was an ‘escape route’ if we needed it. We were not boxed in a corner so were able to leave without weaving around other people and their dogs. It is really important to plan for an escape so if things go pair shaped, you can leave easily and quickly. If you really want to go to a certain café and their set up isn’t that great, get some take away and sit in a quiet area with your dog.

6. Don’t allow others to pat your dog or approach with another dog (if this is their trigger). This is really hard for some people as they don’t like the word no and can get a bit upset when you say it. We had someone approach us from behind with a German Short haired pointer that had been stirred up by his guardian on the other side of the road 10 minutes beforehand. We were distracted as we were picking up Bailey’s poo and they were on us before we knew. The dog was totally out of control. I said to them to watch their dog and moved Bailey away. Never, ever come up behind a dog, especially if your dog is over aroused. It will most likely start a fight as the other dog may whip around to confront the perceived threat. If we didn’t see them at the last minute and that dog had approached Bailey from behind, she would have definitely lunged. It just takes one thing to go wrong for your dog to become stressed and over threshold. Just remember that most people can’t read their dog’s body language.

7. Give your dog something to sit/lie on and also give them something to do. You can create a ‘station’ for your dog that gives them a sense of comfort. Use a dog bed, a bathroom mat or even a towel and practice at home making the mat a calm place to be. Give them a Kong, long lasting chew, or something similar that is really pleasurable for them while lying on the mat. Just remember when they are licking, chewing or eating, a chemical called Dopamine is released in the brain that makes them feel good. So, if you do the work correctly, they will associate the mat with calm and feeling content. Once you have done the work creating a calm station at home, take that mat into public and ask them to lie on it. Give them a treat dispensing toy (Kong) or a snuffle mat to give them something to concentrate on which will help them immensely! I was hiding treats around our table for Bailey to find when I took that photo. She was having fun!!!

8. Start exposing them to different situations when they are young. The socialisation and juvenile stages for pups are important periods in their lives and when they gain confidence in different situations. BUT….. be warned. It is important that you do the work and build a firm bond with your pup before you thrust them into the world. A pup that does not feel secure with their guardian will not cope very well in the big wide world. Confident dogs and pups will use you as a ‘pillar’ of strength and are more inclined to accept new experiences. And please do not drag your dog into situations they are not comfortable with. I was at the Cherry Festival where there were people everywhere and a poor German Shepherd puppy was being dragged into the crowd. This is a sure way of creating a fearful and anxious dog. The experiences they have during these periods will have a lasting impact and influence on how they perceive the world.

9. Give your dog a choice. If they want to move away from a situation, then let them. Don’t force them into something they are not comfortable with. When I take Bailey into town, I stop and let her look at whatever is worrying her. I then say to her ‘what would you like to do?’ Most times she moves to cross the road and I follow along behind. Then we stop again, look around and when she is comfortable, we start moving again. If she isn’t comfortable, we turn around and leave

10. Allow your dog to explore the area. SNIFFING!!!!! Remember that dogs have an amazing sense of smell and can interpret so much about a place by the smells around them. Dogs that explore and interact with their environment using their olfactory sense (sniffing) can become much more comfortable. I found that when Mark walked away from us to have a look at a café, Bailey was a bit concerned and immediately started sniffing. I let her do it and it seemed to calm her.

11. Don’t get upset if your dog starts to get too nervous. Don’t feel as though you have ‘failed’. The important thing is to teach yourself how to interpret your dog’s nervous body language and act on it straight away by moving away from the stimulus. They are telling you that all is not well and we need to move. If you miss these cues, then they may start to get reactive or shut down totally. You do not want to get to this stage.

So, in essence, all dogs are not cut out for mingling with crowds. You can understand why when you get down to their level and realise all they can see is a sea of legs. It can be really daunting. Give yourself and your dog some room and don’t force anything on them. Once you start listening to your dog, they will breathe a sigh of relief and respect you so much more for it.

Preparing your dog to walk off lead

I recently had a question from someone regarding recalling their dog whilst off lead. This is a very brief overview of what needs to be considered before you do this as it is very important for the safety of your dog.

The socialisation period for a pup is 3 weeks to 12 – 14 weeks. This is the most important period of pup’s life as it is when they soak up information like a sponge. What happens during this period will help shape them for the future. If they have good experiences, it can help them become more confident within their environment and accepting of change (novelty). If they have bad experiences, it can do the opposite, so any socialisation that occurs during this period needs to be structured as much as possible. What I am saying is don’t take your young pup out into the middle of the city and force them to deal with situations they are not ready for. Take them to a quiet place where you can both sit and relax and watch the world go by. Then you can build on top of that foundation slowly. I have seen overwhelmed pups in busy places (Bunnings is a perfect example) who are terrified and trying to tell their guardian to get them out of there. Either the guardian is ignoring their pleas or telling them to ‘shut up.’ Breaks my heart.

Take the time to get to know your pup and develop a bond. You are both strangers when you first meet, so a bond is imperative in helping your pup feel safe. If you don’t have a firm bond, are you going to be able to call them back to you when they are off lead? Probably not.

Why is this important? If you have provided your dog what he/she needs during the socialisation period, there is a greater chance your dog will become more confident. Also, your relationship will be built on trust. I say ‘greater chance’ as there is a lot to a dog other than nurture. Genetics has a lot to do with it too, but I won’t go into that now.

What previous training have you done? Have you done any work with disengagement? Have you done any long lead work? Their noses are amazing, so there is a lot of information going in to the brain. It is hard to disengage from that if you haven’t done any training!

Long lead work (I use a 10m lead) will give your dog a bit of freedom, but you have hold of the end in case you need to stop your pup chasing something or moving too far away from you. You can also have the lead dragging on the ground when you have done a bit of training so you can grab it quickly if need be.

Does your dog have adequate time outside of the backyard or do you only take them out once a week? You can imagine what would happen if a dog that is only taken out once a week were let off the lead. They could either be really overwhelmed and nervous or so engrossed with the environment around them that they will not be able to concentrate on what you are saying to them.

The biggest question to ask is – What do I expect from my dog? You may expect a perfect recall within 2 seconds each time you call. This is a bit unrealistic. You may find that recall isn’t one of your dog’s strong points. That is ok, this is something you can work on. Dogs (like people) are all individuals and have strengths and weaknesses. Just because your last dog had a fantastic recall, doesn’t mean your current dog will. Every dog is an individual.

Don’t be one of THOSE people who let their dog’s off lead without doing any primarily work and then a short time later start screaming at them to come back as they are chasing other dogs, people, rabbits, ducks or Kangaroos. All dogs are natural predators and chase is part of the predator sequence. In other words, it is natural for them to chase.

Get to know your dog and develop that bond. Take your dog to puppy school that is run by a certified dog trainer and learn how to communicate through positive methods. It is worth the work!

So, start off small, practice your recall (there are many ways of teaching your dog recall), use a long lead and don’t be in too much of a hurry to take them off.