The Friendly Dog: a public nuisance, or a fun companion?

“Don’t worry, he’s friendly”. The words that put ice in the stomach of every dog trainer or reactive dog owner.

As a trainer who often works with aggression and an owner of some very serious dogs, these words are the bane of my existence. They are more often then not accompanied by a very happy and energetic dog barreling towards you off leash, recall not even a thought in their owners mind.

Why is this such a problem? Well, their dog is friendly. This does not mean that the dog they are running to will receive them that way. I have witnessed otherwise extremely social dogs who take extreme offense to being bomb-rushed by a strange dog. Think of it as the human equivalent of a complete stranger running up and giving you a giant, unsolicited hug.

While the uneducated owner is thinking that Fido just wants to make some new friends, they could be unknowingly starting a fight, erasing weeks of work in reactivity training, causing fear reactions in previously non reactive dogs, creating over stimulation in another friendly dog (leading to, you guessed it, reactivity), or so many other negative things. This is such a harmful and entitled mindset for owners to be in. The “my dog is friendly, so why can’t they do what they want” attitude.

Now, what’s the best way to approach this?

• Always keep an eye out- the more time you have to react the better.

• Create SPACE. If you can get avoid the situation, absolutely do it!

• Advocate for your dog, as soon as you see a potential “friendly dog” that looks out of control, communicate with their owner. “My dog bites” (even if not true) generally gets them to get control if they are capable and can save your dog from a potentially traumatic or harmful experience.

• If the dog gets to you, do whatever you can to protect your dog. I always put myself in between and try to grab the other dog if it is something my dog can handle. If that is above what is comfortable for them, I’ll wave the dog away and keep them at bay however necessary.

As the owner of a social dog, what should you do? Train your dog! A solid heel command and a reliable recall go a long way. If you know your social butterfly can’t pass up the chance to greet a buddy, leash them up and use it as engagement practice with a distraction. Remember to keep an eye out too! Even though your dog is friendly, you have a responsibility to keep direct control of your dog at all times in public. Always be understanding that not all dogs are the same as yours, and have safe off leash fun with your buddy when they have enough proofed training to do so!

Training Tools

What training tools should you use to train your dog? This common question brings up a lot of controversy anywhere you look. Even between professionals, there is not one answer that is agreed upon. Prong collars, head halters, flat collars, martingale collars, front clip harnesses, back clip harnesses, ecollars, slip leads, long lines- the options are endless.

For me, the answer is simple. What tool are you the owner comfortable with using, and what works well for your dog?

There is no training tool that was designed with the goal to physically harm your dog. Any tool can cause harm when used incorrectly. A Improperly used prong may imbed into a neck (over time), a improperly used front clip harness can cause serious shoulder damage, a improperly used flat collar could cause strangulation. Used correctly, all these tools can be so beneficial. But none of them are inherently evil. This is something you may hear some trainers flinging around to promote the tools they prefer working with. Every trainer has a preference, generally due to what has worked for them in the past, what has not worked for them, and often based on the opinions of other trainers they have learned from or look up to.

For example, I dislike using head halters. I have found most dogs I train to dislike them, and am more comfortable using other tools to get the same results. However, I have seen many trainers who love the head halter and do great work with them. Does this mean I will never use a head halter? Absolutely not. If a client comes to me and really wants to train with one, I will show them the correct way to use it and happily work with them with it. I have been sure to give myself experience with every tool through the years to ensure I can use them the right way, knowing that not everyone likes the same things.

No dog is one size fits all. That is why it’s so important to be well versed in many different ways of training. By getting stuck in a rut and training every dog the same, you will ultimitely fail one. By keeping an open mind and being willing to work in many different ways, you will never run into a dog you cannot help.

This is why you should choose a tool that fits you and your dog. If you feel forced into a tool choice, you are not going to utilize it the way it is meant to be used, therefore making it an inefficient choice for you. If a tool does not work well for your dog, there are countless other options out there, so why force something that is causing conflict in your relationship? All good trainers want good results show off by HAPPY dogs. Find something that works for you both, and get out there and train your dog.

Playtime

*PLAY*

It can be an important part of training. Rewarding your dog is SO important. But play can also become a problem.
How, you ask?

I so often am told by owners stories of their dogs demanding playtime. They can’t settle without it, they can’t sleep without it. They require it, they bug their owners constantly for it. If they don’t go to daycare 5 days a week, they are unmanageable bundles of energy.

But I’m here to say that play should be PART of your dogs life, not your dogs whole life.
By mentally stimulating our dogs and adding structure and learning to their life, play can become fun again. When I hear owners dreading going to play with their dogs, I know that something is wrong.
So play with your dogs. Enjoy them. But also train them. Give them clear and consistent boundaries. Start enjoying each other.

Muzzles

Let’s talk muzzles:

There are so many preconceived views of muzzles.

Going out into public with a dog you’re almost guaranteed to hear at least one “that’s a bad dog” “why are they wearing that” “that dog bites” or something of the sort.
What many people don’t think of-

Maybe the dog eats things off the ground they are highly allergic to?

Maybe they are sensitive and scared around new things and their responsible owner is trying to give them space?

Maybe they are just muzzle training for preemptive purposes (vet, potential future emergencies, etc)? Maybe the dog and owner are working on improving the dogs behavior in a safe and responsible way?

The list goes on.

I am a big believer that EVERY dog should be comfortable in a muzzle. If they ever need to wear one for medical purposes, this will decrease their stress. Imagine being hurt, then having something completely foreign strapped onto your face? I would rather my dogs understand that a muzzle is not a punishment or reason to be stressed.

Muzzles are also amazing tools to help dogs to positively experience things that have made them uncomfortable in the past SAFELY.

There are a million reasons why muzzles are amazing tools- who here has muzzle trained their dog and why? Anyone strongly against them? I would love to hear your opinions. In my experience they can be a life changing tool for many dogs.

The Importance of Socialization

You hear it all the time. “Socialize your dog”.

It’s one of the few things that the majority of dog professionals can agree with. Socializing your dog correctly has infinite benefits. It improves confidence, stability, and overall adaptability of your dog.

Now, what a lot of people AREN’T telling you. You can drastically hurt your dog through improper socialization. Shattering their confidence, promoting bad habits such as running up to strange people and dogs, obsessive jumping, over stimulation in public places, lack of focus, anxiety, and even fear aggression. Obviously, you want to make sure you aren’t causing these problems for your dogs.

So let’s talk basics.

When the word socialization comes to mind, the first thing many people think is interaction. Interaction specifically with new people and new dogs. But, it is important to instead think exposure. Exposing your dog to new experiences, while promoting what you want from them. You may hear about a socialization period for your dog- most professionals agree between 6 weeks of age until around 4 months. During this period, a puppy is more impacted by its’ experiences. So, it is even more important to take your time to properly expose them to new things. A dog can still be socialized and impacted by experiences after this period of age, it just often takes longer and may be more difficult to achieve the same level of impact they would have experienced during their socialization period.

For me, socializing isn’t taking your dog to the dog park and letting them run around freely with dogs and people. I want to control their experience from beginning to end, ensuring their success. Knowing your dog is important. What is too much for them? Where will they thrive? Will this be a positive or negative experience for them? All things to think about before taking your dog out.

Before worrying about socializing, I always want to make sure that the ground work is there first. Do I have a good relationship with the dog where I can help them through the new experience by communicating with them? If the answer is no, I work on that at home first. Engagement, focus, and confidence begin first at home. If I can not achieve these things there, an outing will not be successful or worthwhile for you and your dog.

Once I think the dog is ready, we go somewhere with low distractions first. A new environment, but preferably a low activity one. I work on the same things there that I would at home. Introduce them perhaps to new surfaces and make it a positive experience for them. If the dog needs to revisit this level of new location multiple times to be successful, then that is exactly what we do. Rushing your dog will only slow you down.

Next, I move on to somewhere with a bit more going on. Maybe some new people and (controlled) dogs around. Now, this part is very important. When I bring a dog out, it interacts mainly with me. Not the new people, not the new dogs. Working to be confident and neutral around these things is the ultimate goal. Save meeting new people and dogs for people and dogs you know and trust. If all your dogs interactions with dogs and people are positive, they will have a much more positive outlook on dogs and people then if you gamble with strangers.

Moving slowly and at your dogs pace is so important. Taking bigger steps then what they are ready for can set them back. Every dog is different, and you need to learn how to read your dogs signs. Slowly increasing the distraction and stress level at increments that are right for the dog is like taking a staircase to the top instead of trying to climb a giant cliff. At the time it may seem long, but by the time you get to the top you will see how worth it it was to end up with a well socialized dog that can handle any situation.

Why train your dog?

Since the beginning of the domesticated canine, humans and dogs have had an extraordinary relationship. Over the years, our dogs have become an irreplaceable part of our lives. Personally, my dogs are my very best friends. So why do we owe it to them to train them? Many people think of training as something very formal and structured, and it can be. But what people don’t think about is how we are “training” our dogs any time we interact with them. Our dogs learn from everything we do with them, so we owe it to them to teach them how to communicate with us. What we do and don’t like, so it turn we can have happier lives together. The next time your dog misbehaves, stop and think. Did you ever clearly communicate with them that you do not like what they did? If not, take a step back and start training your dog. Dogs are not inherently good or bad, they are doing the best with the information that has been given to them.