Why Environment Matters for Our Reactive Dogs

Dogs are very aware of the environment around them, often far more so than we are. This can have effects on our reactive dogs as well. My dog of choice is the Border Collie, which will come as no surprise to anyone who reads this blog as my current boy Finn features regularly. His herding genetics mean he is very responsive to movement and very visual.

When working flocks of sheep, collies are using their eyes all the time. There is the classic collie ‘eye’ in which they stare hard at any sheep not moving the way the dog is steering them. They are also always scanning the flock to make sure there are no outliers about to make a break for freedom away from the main flock. Their sight is sharp and primed to take notice of any change in the landscape.

Environment Matters

I first encountered how this can have effects on our sensitive and complex dogs when Finn was around a year old. We were out on one of our early morning walks. It was summer and quite light as we walked down the road through the village towards the fields. Finn stopped suddenly and all his body language was tense and indicating stress. I looked and listened, assuming there must be a person on the driveway of the house we were passing, or a cat in the hedge. There was nothing moving that I could see or hear.

I tried to encourage Finn gently to carry on but he wasn’t going to lift a paw and go any further on that pavement. Realising that something was really bothering him, I worked out where exactly he was looking. It was an ordinary household refuse bin. I couldn’t understand it – this bin always lived on this driveway, by the side of the gate.

Then it hit me. The bin usually sat on the other side of the gateway. To Finn, it was in the wrong place. Something he would normally be fine walking past. Being in the wrong place made it dangerous and need very close watching. 

Apparently their main diet is blue merle Border Collies...

We eventually got past it by backing up a little way and (as it was so very early there was no traffic) taking a wide berth around the end of the driveway into the road. Once past it, Finn glanced backwards a couple of times, as often he worries more about things behind him where he can’t keep a close eye on them. I made sure to return home along the same stretch of road (after a completely uneventful rest of the walk) to assess his reaction on seeing it again.

Nothing.

Trotted past as if it wasn’t even there.

Right Person, Wrong Place

We have noticed this with Finn at other times. He has a very small circle of human friends, but dearly loves the ones that he does have. One is my eldest brother, who Finn greets with great big full body wagging and joyous dancing paws, usually followed by copious kisses.

On one particular day, my brother arrived while my husband was outside doing some work on his van on the driveway. Finn was out on part that runs alongside the house, behind some gates that mean he can watch the world go by from his safe place. They also mean he can’t get close to anyone walking past – although we know he’s scared, they wouldn’t, and I’m not risking him being declared a dangerous dog. My brother came over to say hello to my husband and Finn reacted.

My brother is well versed in what to do and crouched down to make himself smaller, talking softly to him. Finn quietened down and my husband let him out to go and say hello, as he was calm. He walked over, had a quick sniff and accepted an ear rub but then but himself back into his safe place behind the gates.

I've posted this a few times before but I love this picture of Finn just taking the world in.

Generalisation - Not Just For 'Sit'

Our dogs are incredibly contextual. That’s why we have to generalise or ‘proof’ cues. We need to teach the dog that the cue means the same action in different places and with different levels of distraction.

It can be the same when working on the triggers for our reactive dogs. Finn is scared of people he doesn’t know. He knows my brother, but ONLY in the place where he is used to seeing him. When my brother turned up on our driveway, he was in the wrong place and so Finn couldn’t reconcile him with the person he loves.

Only when my brother spoke to Finn did he realise that this was a familiar person. He still couldn’t relax enough for anything more than a quick greeting before heading back to his safe place. It's given us something else we need to work on with Finn, to get him entirely comfortable encountering the people he knows in different places.

This is something that’s important to remember when working with our reactive dogs. Feeling safe in proximity to their triggers in one place may well not translate to other places. Moving ahead with caution is the safest way to ensure that we don’t put our reactive dogs in a situation in which they are not yet able to cope.

Make sure to give them time to look, and always watch for signs of stress. Slow progress is far better than rushing and attempting to miss out steps, which may ruin all the work that has gone before that point. Is that really worth the risk?

Let them look but be aware - the high tail may signal stress rising

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In other news: the imposter syndrome workshops have started and so far have proved to be fun and educational. I think learning works well with laughter involved and so the workshops are like friends having a chat, with some advice and tips included. If you are interested in a group or individual workshop, join my Facebook imposter syndrome support group or send me a message via my writing Facebook page or my website. I also have an imposter syndrome blog.

My Redbubble shop is live , with several designs currently in place.

Many of you who read my blogs will know of my association with Canine Principles. They have just released several new accredited courses including an Ofqual* Level 4 Diploma in Canine Coaching & Behaviour. I have enrolled and started working through the course, and it is as excellent as ever. If you are looking for an accredited diploma, I'd really recommend it.

*Ofqual is a regulatory body for qualifications in England.