Conditioning is a process by which a dog learns to associate something with a stimulus. The most commonly known example is undoubtedly Pavlov and his famously salivating dogs. This is known as classical conditioning. B.F. Skinner took the concept further to develop the four quadrants of operant conditioning (explained in a previous post HERE) which can be summed up loosely as 'actions have consequences' and which dog trainers use every day to work with dogs.
When working with a reactive, fearful dog, we are faced with a dog that is already conditioned to have a fear response to a particular trigger (or possibly more than one). Encountering their trigger closer than they feel comfortable with will result in a number of behaviours and communication attempts designed to let us know that they are scared. These range from the subtle signs such as a lip lick, up to the classic stereotypical depiction of the reactive dog growling, lunging and barking.
Here is an excerpt from my book, 'Fight or Fright? A Reactive Dog Guardian's Handbook' available on Amazon worldwide:
"Things that the handler needs to look out for to tell if a dog in their care could be unhappy includes signals such as avoidance behaviours, turning their head and looking away or trying to hide. A dog lagging behind and walking slowly, or reluctant to walk at all may well be avoiding potential trouble.
One often missed by humans is the quick flick of the nose with the tongue tip or lick of the lips. Yawning is a method of stress release that is not immediately recognisable to people.
Look at your dog’s eyes (although never stare into them, as this is extremely confrontational to a dog, and will make matters worse) – if there is a lot of white showing, known as whale eye, the dog may well be stressed.
Ears that are positioned back are a good way to tell, and if flattened right back the dog is probably under a lot of stress. This is less obvious in dogs with long ears, but they will instead clamp their ears tight against the side of the head, as flattening them backwards is not possible.
A crouched body position with the head held low is one of the easiest signals to read as the dog is clearly making themselves smaller to decrease any appearance they may have of being a threat to anyone or anything.
Following a stressful situation, the dog may shake his entire body from nose to tail, literally shaking off the stress.
A tail that is positioned lower than normal, coupled with an arched back denotes stress in the animal, and the tail tucked right under the body between the hind legs is a very clear sign in many dogs. The dog getting close to a fear aggression display may give off a warning signal by holding his tail slightly raised and straight with the body leaning forward in an attempt to push the threat backwards.
Sometimes it may seem as if your dog has strange timing in what he chooses to do. A thing that you know he is unsure of may be approaching and suddenly he sits down and has a scratch, or starts furiously sniffing at a patch of grass for example. These are known as displacement behaviours and are the dog trying to communicate to whatever is coming that they are not a threat, and please just pass on by and leave them alone.
As the stress levels rise, we may start to see the dog panting, tongue lolling. This ‘spatulate’ tongue, where it hangs long out of the mouth, much wider at the tip and possibly curling up is known by some, in conjunction with a wide, exaggerated facial expression, as a ‘clown face’ although some breeds can look remarkably similar when not under stress (particularly seen in the Staffordshire Bull Terrier), or after intense exercise. Heavy panting unless you know the dog has just been exercising hard should be viewed with suspicion of stress. The lips are long and tense, and as the dog feels more under threat may be drawn back to show the teeth as a warning. The dog’s eyes will show small, contracted pupils and a hard stare, accompanied with furrowed brows. The piloerection response will be seen, more commonly known as the hackles being raised. Hair is held erect in a line following the midline of the dog’s back, often seen more clearly over the shoulders and rump of the dog. Strictly speaking, this is not always a sign that an aggressive display will follow as it can mark a range of things in dogs: stimulation, interest, being startled and arousal as well as fear. Often, the dog will stop and stare at whatever is bothering him, seeming to grow in height as he registers the potential threat.
It is after some or all of these signals have been displayed without the trigger moving away that the stereotypical reactive behaviour will occur. This is the point at which the dog feels they have no other option but overt threats in a last-ditch attempt to drive the trigger away and so we see the classic lunging and barking that is most recognisable as the reactive dog."
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| We would all like our dogs to be comfortable out and about |
Being able to recognise the less severe signs of stress and fear is an important part of being able to work with the dog to improve the situation. It is well worth taking some time to watch your dog closely, and ensure that you can spot any of the behaviours mentioned above, to be able to deal with any situation as rapidly as possible.
Counter conditioning is one of the main tools available to aid the reactive dog in learning to be comfortable in their environment. The idea is to change the dog's emotional response to the trigger, teaching them to associate it with something positive. The method involves very careful exposure of the dog to the triggers, always ensuring that they are far enough away that the dog is not scared, which is why recognising those early signs of fear is so important.
Once you have found that magic distance at which your dog is under threshold (threshold is explained in this post about trigger stacking, also useful to keep in mind) but still in the presence of the trigger, it's time to break out the ultra high value rewards. This is usually done with food. The important thing is that is really is high value - no stale gravy bones here, you need to break out the really good stuff. Little pieces of cooked chicken or beef, shreds of ham, cubes of cheese. One popular method that makes dispensing the food relatively easy while juggling the lead as well is to use the tubes of squeezy cheese. Primula with Ham is a particular favourite in this house. It has the advantage that a tiny little squeeze will keep them licking at the tube for a long time. The other important thing is that, as soon as the trigger is no longer in sight, the ultra high value treats go away. The REALLY good stuff is only ever dished out when there is a trigger nearby. Gradually, over time, the dog starts to associate the trigger with the really good stuff.
It's vital to note that you are not distracting your dog with the treats. They have to be aware that the trigger is there as otherwise you are achieving nothing.
It may well be that in the beginning your dog's threshold distance seems massive and insurmountable. Don't panic! You may start off at a huge distance but, as your dog starts to see the trigger at that distance and automatically look to you for their reward. When this happens, you can start to close the distance down a bit. Slowly and carefully is the best way to do this bit. Always make sure that your dog stays under threshold and, if they start showing signs of stress and fear, go back a few steps and work closer again gradually. If in doubt, distance is always your friend.
Counter conditioning is not a quick process. Nothing that will actually result in a happier, less fearful dog is quick. There is no such thing as a quick fix. Done correctly however, counter conditioning is one of the most effective forms of behaviour modification to help fearful dogs live a less stressful life.
For more info on counter conditioning, the CARE for Reactive Dogs website is well worth a read.
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