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Stop Walking Your Aggressive Dog In Public

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Why You Shouldn’t Walk Your Aggressive Dog

Aggressive Dog
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Yes, this is a very strong statement, but allow me to explain why you shouldn’t walk your aggressive dog in public. As a professional dog trainer, who works mostly with reactive dogs, there’s a reason for this strong position. Of course, it’s a free country and you can make your own decisions, but are your choices making things worse? If you share your home with a reactive dog that displays aggression in public, take a moment and think twice before leashing your dog up.

Do Public Walks Help Your Dog?

Think about this question from your dog’s perspective. If your dog lunges, barks, growls, shakes, refuses to walk forward and displays fearful body language, then your dog doesn’t like public walks. Most pet owners walk their fearful dogs in public, hoping their dogs will overcome their fears.

This is a tough way to change your dog’s behavior; it’s equivalent to asking a fearful person to walk along a bed of snakes, so he learns snakes are safe. When dogs are afraid of people or other dogs, yet are asked to walk amongst them, they are just as terrified. Plus, walking a fearful dog in public will only deepen a dog’s fearful behavior, so she will react aggressively more often.

Change Behavior With Minimal Distractions First

Pet owners wanting to change their dog’s fears is completely understandable, and what’s best for the dog. Start in a quiet environment with a certified positive reinforcement dog trainer, and move at your dog’s pace. Think about it this way: It’s best to teach a fearful person snakes are safe by introducing one snake at a time. Hold the snake far away, while giving the person $100 bills when he chooses to look at it without freaking out.

Pairing good things with scary things works, but must happen in a controlled environment to be effective. Once a dog learns that scary things make good things appear, she will become less fearful—however, this takes time.

Your Dog’s Aggression Causes Ripples in Public

When dogs bark and lunge at other dogs or people in public, it sends out a negative ripple effect. No one enjoys being barked at by a scared dog—not even other dogs. When this happens, dogs, puppies, people and children learn that dogs are scary and learn to avoid them. Soon, they become fearful of other dogs all because a dog behaved aggressively to them once. Yes, it can take one bad situation to scare a dog, puppy, person or child permanently.

Walking an aggressive dog in public definitely makes the situation worse for everyone, especially your fearful dog.

How To Start Volunteering For Dog Rescue Groups

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Becoming a Dog Rescue Volunteer

Dog Rescue Volunteer
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Everyone wants to help a dog in need, but many are not sure of how to get involved or even where to start. Take it from a fellow dog lover and dog rescue volunteer: All dog rescue groups need manpower. Yes, donations to rescue groups are wonderful, but rescue groups need boots on the ground to assist in transporting dogs, fostering and interviewing potential adopters. It’s a new year, so get involved with dog rescue. Here are a few tips to becoming a dog rescue volunteer.

Find a Dog Rescue Group Near You

With the Internet, it’s much easier to locate a local dog rescue organization within seconds. On Google, search for a dog rescue in your area and type in “dog rescue (your city and state).” Most reputable dog rescues will pop up on the first page. You could also use the Petfinder’s website, as that is a well-known and trusted organization.

If you have a favorite breed of dog, you can find a local breed rescue by searching “(name of breed) rescue (your city and state).” Most links, including Petfinder, will redirect you to a rescue’s webpage or offer a contact email. Trust me, rescue organizations follow up quickly with emails sent to them, especially those offering help. If you don’t hear anything back within a week, send another reminder email with “volunteer” in the email subject line. Persistence is key, and much appreciated by overworked rescue folks.

Complete and Submit Online Volunteer Forms

Once a rescue group reaches out to you, they will send you a dog rescue volunteer form. Thoroughly complete the form and send it back within a week. Every volunteer must complete some type of paperwork before volunteering. Some rescue organizations have volunteer form links on their website. If so, complete the form online and send an email to their contact person informing them of your desire to volunteer.

On a rare occasion, if you don’t hear back from your chosen rescue, send a reminder email. If you still don’t receive a response, contact another local rescue in your area. Rescues are non-profit and run by volunteers that are probably overloaded with surrenders.

Change Your Schedule to Accommodate

When rescue groups need a foster home or transportation, it happens quickly. As an example, within a 24-hour notice, I drove 3 hours one way to pick up a mama dog and her 8 newborn puppies. Each transport volunteer had to change her schedule immediately since a young mother was in the process of having puppies in 15-degree weather outside. Think about it this way: Carving out 2-3 hours to help a dog in need means a new life for this dog. Be flexible. 🙂

Please volunteer for a dog rescue group. They certainly need your assistance and donations.

Is My Dog Protecting Me Or Is He Scared?

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Dangers of Protective Dog Behavior

Protective Dog Behavior
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This is a difficult question to answer because human feelings are being used to describe a dog’s reaction. Many pet owners feel their dogs are protecting them from threats. It’s a comforting feeling for humans, but dogs feel frustrated. When dogs growl at people approaching, while sitting in their pet owner’s lap, this is called resource guarding. Yes, your growling dog is protecting his resource, which is you, but protective dog behavior is dangerous that will get worse, if not addressed quickly.

Why Dogs Resource Guard Owners

Guarding valuable resources is a natural dog behavior, but it can cause issues within human homes. Dogs will guard beds, food bowls, high value toys, treats, space and people. Every dog has a different personality, but most will resource guard whatever they find valuable to a degree. Humans are certainly valuable because they put food in dog bowls, provide treats and toys, keep them safe, and can open doors.

Some dogs can bond so deeply with a specific person that they will start to resource guard her from other dogs, people and even children. Sometimes, resource guarding goes undetected until another person or dog enters the home, and then the chaos ensues. Resource guarding should certainly be addressed as soon as possible, as it can result in biting behavior. Plus, no one wants to live with a bully.

How to Change Protective Dog Behavior

While many pet owners feel flattered when their dog resource guards them, it’s important to know this behavior will only escalate, if not addressed immediately. When a dog is protecting a person, he’s reacting to a dog or person approaching the pet owner and himself. Protective dog behavior manifests differently for different dogs. Dogs will either freeze, glare at the approaching person, snarl, show teeth, snap or even bite. It’s important to change a dog’s perspective of people approaching while he’s next to his pet owner.

Make It Rain Cheese

Find treats your protective dog absolutely loves, and then chop them into pea-sized treats. Cheese, hot dogs, baked chicken or diced lunchmeat are excellent examples of high value dog treats.

Have a seat on the sofa (or wherever your dog usually resource guards you), and ask your dog to join you. Then, ask a friend to slowly walk into the room and stop at the entrance. As your friend approaches, ask her to toss a steady stream of treats toward your dog’s mouth. After a few seconds, ask your friend to leave the room. Pairing good things with scary situations will change your dog’s perspective, and soon he’ll learn that an approaching person makes cheese rain from the sky.

Oops, He Barked

If your dog barks at the approaching person, ignore him until he stops. Once your dog stops barking, say “yes” and reward with treats while your friend walks out of the room. Next time, practice with your friend standing a bit farther than last time, and continue having her toss treats to your dog. Dog training sessions should last 2-3 minutes maximum.

When to Get Help

Resource guarding can be tricky to address, so it’s always important to partner with a professional dog trainer who only uses positive reinforcement. If a dog lunges, bites, muzzle punches (hits person with muzzle) and/or snaps at someone, then it’s time to bring in a professional. Timing of treats and distance are critical components of resource guarding, and a professional dog trainer can address issues quickly and effectively.

My Dog Refuses To Walk Up Or Down Stairs

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How to Help a Dog Scared of Stairs

Dog Scared of Stairs
zhitkov/Adobe Stock

Walking up and down stairs seems like an easy task; however, traversing stairs can be scary for some dogs and puppies. A few stairs are easy to navigate for most dogs and puppies, but it’s when it’s a full flight of stairs that can be downright spooky for them. If you live in an apartment building or have a second floor in your home, it’s important to teach dogs and puppies that stairs are fun and safe. Below are dog training tips to help a dog scared of stairs.

First, Add Non-Slip Rugs

Most dogs and puppies dislike walking up or down stairs because they’re slippery. It takes balance and coordination to maneuver four legs within small spaces that suddenly incline or decline, and coordination has to be learned. To set your puppy up for success, place non-skid rugs in the center of each step and the top and bottom of each landing space.

Decorative stair rugs are available online for indoor stairs. For outdoor stairs, use remnants of rubber-backed rugs. Either way, providing traction is an important step before teaching your dog that stairs are fun.

Walking Upstairs

Walking upstairs is a little easier for most dogs and puppies. They can take their time placing paws strategically to pull themselves forward. While getting your puppy to walk upstairs is easier than downstairs, she may still find it scary at first. This is why it’s so important to teach puppies that treats can be found on each step.

Sprinkle a few super yummy treats on the first step, while your puppy watches you, and stand about 3-4 feet away from the step. Your puppy will likely walk over and eat the treats off the step. Next, sprinkle a few treats on the first and second step, and let your puppy find the treats. She may find getting to the treats on the second step a bit challenging, but she will figure it out and self-reward herself. After a few minutes of sprinkling treats on two steps, end the puppy training session.

Heading Downstairs

Walking downstairs is downright scary for dogs and puppies. It takes lots of balance and courage to maneuver four legs downstairs carefully while gravity is pulling you downward. Practice teaching your dog or puppy how to walk up one or two stairs first. When your puppy is standing on the second stair, sprinkle a few treats on the first stair and the bottom landing spot. If she becomes scared, while walking downstairs, pick her up and bring her down the stairs. Continue practicing daily by adding one or two stairs until your puppy is comfortable climbing up and downstairs.

When Dogs Refuse Stairs

It’s common for dogs and puppies, that haven’t encountered stairs before, to hesitate walking up and downstairs. However, if a dog suddenly becomes scared of stairs, then it’s time for a veterinary visit. Older dogs may develop arthritis, which causes severe pain while stepping up or climbing downstairs. If a younger dog refuses stairs, she may have an injury, congenital issue (hip dysplasia) or torn pad. Some dogs slip when walking up and downstairs, and become afraid to navigate stairs again. If this happens, follow the above recommendations for teaching your dog that stairs hide treats.

Take it one step at a time, and reward all progress.

Is Your Dog Aggressive When Startled?

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Help for Dogs That Become Aggressive When Startled

Dog Startles Easily
Kateryna/Adobe Stock

Being startled is a normal response when someone or something surprises you from around a corner, when someone suddenly walks through a doorway, or when you hear a scary sound. When most dogs are startled, they will jolt, bark or freeze, and then recover within a few minutes. However, there are some dogs that will panic and react by lunging forward, charging, barking and growling. These dogs have a difficult time recovering from being startled; it can take hours for them to recover. If your dog is aggressive when startled, it’s time to change her behavior.

Why Some Dogs Lunge or Charge When Startled

No one enjoys being startled; it’s scary and it can cause anxiety if it happens often. If a dog is severely startled, it can dramatically change the dog’s behavior around the thing that initially startled him.

As an example, if a strange dog startles your dog by running up to him during walks, your dog can easily become afraid of other dogs approaching. Think about it from a human perspective: If a scary clown suddenly appears in your living room, you’ll learn to dislike clowns and walk cautiously through your living room for a while.

Many anxious dogs, when startled, will charge forward, lunge, growl and even bite someone when startled. Anxiety is a key component. For some dogs, their anxiety triggers an excessive response when startled. Some dogs will react this way even when startled by their pet owners or family members. When this happens, it’s scary for everyone, including your dog. Think about it this way: Some humans react aggressively and start punching or kicking when startled while others just jump and recover quickly.

How to Change Reactive Startled Behavior

When practicing this behavior, the goal is not to startle your dog. Instead, pair something yummy with previous scary experiences slowly to change your dog’s perspective of this scary experience. Remember, when pairing good things with scary things, your dog learns that scary things make hot dogs appear.

Most dogs startle when someone walks into a room while they are sleeping. If your dog jumps up and lunges in this situation, then it’s time to change her behavior. Be prepared next time; stand sideways (face and front of body turned away from the dog) in the doorway, and softly say your dog’s name or “hello.” When your dog wakes up, toss chunks of cheese or hot dogs toward your dog. Practice this several times a week, and soon your dog will wag gently when you say “hello” or walk into a room.

When to Get Help

If your dog is anxious and has a difficult time settling down, or has hurt someone when startled, it’s time to get help. Locate a veterinary behaviorist in your area as well as a professional dog trainer who specializes in dog anxiety and only uses positive reinforcement training protocols. While your veterinarian can prescribe anxiety medication for dogs, it’s best to leave dog anxiety medication recommendations to a veterinary behaviorist.

Dog Training Nation is a dog training blog for pet owners and dog lovers. We cover a range of topics from puppy socialization tips to dog aggression to dog health. It is our hope you share our content to make the world a better place for dogs.

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