Intra-Family Dog Aggression

Introduction:

Some of the most challenging cases for professional dog trainers are those involving intra-family dog aggression (IDA).

Aggression among dogs is essentially is a means of preventing conflict. A growl or snap warns the approaching dog to back off, and if he does, conflict is avoided. When family dogs fight, either something has gone wrong in the "warning system," or there is poor  management of the environment (and the dogs) by the owner. 

 

Same-sex fights are the most common. Male dogs fight with each other more often than females, but fights between female dogs tend to be more intense.  Fights between dogs of the opposite sex are less common, but do occur. 

Dogs with illnesses, injuries, fears, phobias and generalized anxiety are more likely to fight. Aggression is self-reinforcing, i.e. every time there is a fight it makes it more likely that there will be another.

These cases are always challenging, and there are many factors which will impact the odds of success, but some of the main things to consider are: a) the sexes and breeds of the dogs involved; b) the number of dogs in the home; c) the severity of the fights; d) the frequency of the fights. Cases involving occasional fights can be easier to deal with than cases where the dogs  fight every time they come in contact with one another. Two fights in 12 months is a completely different dynamic than 12 fights in two months.

Key action steps:

1) Enforce the deference protocol. This removes resources from "easy access" (less goodies lying around means less opportunity for conflict) and it helps the dogs focus on the owners for everything they need in life.  

2) Take complete control of your dogs’ daily routines.  Examine the household rules and rituals and look for ways to establish order.  

3) The owner must learn to read canine body language. 

4) The owner must learn the concept of the "thin line between arousal and aggression." In addition to obvious resources like toys or food,  dogs fight when they are aroused, excited or stressed - positive or negative stimuli can be equally arousing to dogs.  Cooking in the kitchen, administering medication to one of the dogs, a place on the couch or bed, the arrival of the owner, the arrival of guests,  noisy children at play, a passing dog on a leash (triggering a fight between the 2 dogs you're walking), a situation where one dog attacks another and the third jumps into the fray  - all of these are common triggers of fights. 

5) Avoiding known triggers is crucial.

6) Obedience training helps the owner gain calm, effective daily control of the dogs, without scolding or shouting. 

Safety tips: 

The strategic use of dog crates, leashes and muzzles, can help prevent future incidents.  

Never leave dogs who have fought, at home alone uncrated. 

Do not allow dogs who have fought, to play together in the back yard. 

Owners should learn how to break up fights without being bitten, and owners of pit bulls should learn how to use break sticks and keep them handy at all times.

“Board and Train” Won’t Fix Aggression

Board and train (B&T) is an option that can “jump start” your dog’s training. Having your dog spend a couple of weeks with a good trainer can be a godsend.  Our clients love the Canine Dimensions Board and Train program. Here’s an email from one of our B&T clients: 

Kenny and I can't tell you how pleased we are with Duke's two weeks of training. Prior to his training, it was really a chore to walk him. He always pulled and got distracted very easily. The bigger he got, the harder it became. Now, he walks nice and doesn't pull us, even when he sees something he wants to explore or chase. The bonus - we all get more exercise now since it's a pleasure to walk, not to mention all the positive comments from all our neighbors. We continue to be very impressed with his level of discipline after his boarding/training and more impressed that he has kept his personality and playfulness.  

We are so pleased we brought him to you! We can't thank you enough for your dedication to our Duke. We liked that you took in Duke to your household for this two week training session and treated him like a family member. For us, that was a key factor, and I definitely think it was better for him to learn in a constant loving environment as opposed to a kennel.  Overall, we could not be happier. Well worth the money! We have already recommended you to several people who were very impressed with Duke's progress.   

Board and Train is a great program, but there are reasons why you should not choose B&T if your dog has an aggression problem.

• The RELATIONSHIP between you and your dog is critical - especially when it comes to aggression.  You and your dog are a team. In order to address aggressive behavior in your home, you must work with your dog. The trainer is the coach. You and your dog are the team. “Teamwork” does not magically transfer from “dog and trainer” to “dog and owner.”   Even if your dog responds well to the trainer during her time in boarding, she is likely to revert to her old habits when she returns home.   
• ENVIRONMENT.  There are many environmental factors that affect behavior. People who have fostered dogs report that some dogs who behaved well in their foster homes later behaved aggressively in their new homes. Perhaps part of the explanation is that foster parents are more experienced handlers and offer more controlled environments. Crating,  visitor traffic, presence of children, other dogs in the home, locations of entrances and exits, type of fencing in the yard, different people and places encountered during walks, visits to vets and groomers, and many other variables, can influence a dog’s behavior.
• ORIENTING RESPONSE. During his early research in classical conditioning, Pavlov discovered that quite often, when as assistant reported a certain behavior in a dog (such as salivation at the sound of a bell), it would not occur when Pavlov entered the room to observe it. When variables were introduced (even something as simple as Pavlov entering the room), the new stimuli hijacked the dog’s attention. He labeled this “the investigative reflex.” He hypothesized that in order to survive, an animal needs to be focused on immediate changes around her. This survival reflex was so compelling that it superseded everything else. Today, scientists have a mountain of data which has confirmed Pavlov’s hypothesis. They have measured this effect in a number of physical responses such as brain waves and heart rate, and have renamed the effect on the animal’s bodily reaction to a more accurate term - “orienting response.”

Relationship, environment, and orienting response are the reasons that B&T is a poor choice for aggressive dogs.  Some trainers offer it as a solution to aggression, possibly because B&T is a premium service which comes with a premium fee. But unfortunately, B&T has very low success rate in aggression cases.   

B&T is a good choice when operant training (where behavior is offered in response to a reward, or reduced as a result of correction) is needed.  Dogs needing to learn basic obedience do well in B&T because operant training is easily transferred.  Complex behavior problems such as aggression often require a classical component (pairing a stimulus to an involuntary response) in the rehabilitation process.  New conditioned emotional responses will not be transferred from the boarding experience to your home.   

If you are struggling with your dog’s aggressive behavior, choose private training in your home, not Board and Train.

Dog is Whining-Howling-Screaming on Leash When He Sees Another Dog

If you haven’t encountered this behavior during leash work yet - I promise that you will.

This is the dog who may have learned to heel on leash, but when he sees a distraction (usually another dog) he vocalizes in a very LOUD whine – kind of like the old style police siren you might see on an episode of “The Untouchables.” I’m not talking about a little whine; I’m talking about an ear piercing scream that can literally be heard a block away. Sort of a cross between a bark and a howl, it’s called “baying” when done by hounds but in this case the behavior is coming from a dog of any breed, who is expressing either anxiety or frustration.  

The natural instinct of many new trainers when they encounter this behavior will be to correct with a hard leash prompt. Sometimes a well-timed correction will work, but usually this is not the correct solution. Why not? 

First, you would have to correct the dog pretty hard in order for the drive to be broken. Think of how that would look: the dog is screaming, people are looking out the window wondering what that awful sound is, and there’s a trainer yanking hard on a leash. “Oh my! That trainer is torturing that poor dog! Quick Louise, get my cell phone so I can take some video!”  

Second, correcting the behavior with a leash prompt if the behavior is rooted in anxiety might create an even worse problem (leash lagging). You run the risk of the dog shutting down completely. 

Another thing people try when confronted with this problem is to use food treats and/or a "look at me" command in an effort to “redirect.”  Using food may temporarily mask the problem but it won’t fix it. It won’t address the root of the problem. Plus you run the risk of inadvertently reinforcing the undesirable behavior.

Same problem if one tries to use a “sit” command to fix the problem.  Instead of trying to  take drive out, the best way to address this issue is to put the dog in drive.   

The solution:

The handler must become more interesting than the other dogs, by keeping your dog in motion. Use your dog’s drive as your ally. Pick up the pace, make some unexpected turns, slap your hip, change directions. Become more interesting to the dog than the distraction. Keep the dog moving and keep him focused on YOU. 

This is not a quick fix. It takes skillful handling, lots of practice, and it requires gradually increasing the level of distraction to proof the exercise, but eventually even the most siren-like dog can be taught to walk politely, and quietly, on a leash.

What if this noisy behavior occurs in the car or at the Vet’s office?

In these situations I prefer management. In the car, teach the dog to ride in a Vari-kennel (blocking out the visual stimulus of the other dogs). At the vet, either arrange for an appointment at a time when you will be the only client, or find a vet who does house calls.  

"What Should I Do If My Dog Growls At Me?"

Growling

 

“What should I do if my dog growls at me?” is a question that trainers frequently hear. Even though it’s a common question, the “correct” answer is hotly debated among trainers. Here are some of the most popular   answers, along with their pros and cons:

 

Option 1: Do nothing. Remain perfectly still.

Pro:   Not a bad choice. Easy to execute.
Con: You run the risk of getting bitten if the dog is growling to signal a desire   for increased distance (i.e. “Go away!”).

 

Option 2:  Redirect the dog. Offer a bone, toy or food treat to get his mind on something else.

Pro:   Amateur trainers safely escape injury all the time with this time honored maneuver.

Con:  What you’re really doing is reinforcing, not redirecting. You  are rewarding the behavior. Dog growls, he gets a treat or toy – that’s a positive reward. When you reward a behavior you increase the likelihood that it will happen again.

 

Option 3: Correct the behavior immediately. For example, frontally align yourself and make direct eye contact, scold in a low tone of voice and if necessary do a leash correction. Teach the dog that it is never acceptable to growl  at you.  

Pro:       Looks great on TV shows (if the dog backs down).

Con #1: This response has a good chance of actually triggering a bite.
Con #2: If it does not trigger a bite, you will be shutting down your dog’s   warning system, making the dog much more dangerous. In the future when he feels threatened, instead of giving you a warning (growl) he will bite.

As you can see, this is not an easy question to answer. The better question may be, “How can I avoid situations which make my dog growl?” By avoiding known triggers we can greatly reduce the need to deal with a growling dog in the first place. A good handler knows his dog, reads his dog and understands his dog’s temperament, drive and personality. A good handler knows how to prevent situations that will cause a dog to growl.

Option 4:  Ignoring, rewarding, or confronting a growl may have undesirable consequences. The best option is to shift the dog from a threatening mode to a cooperative mode by putting him into drive. Your attitude  becomes, “I’m not interested in your growl. I’m doing this new activity instead.” When you put a previously growling dog into working drive, you shift him into a completely different frame of mind. For example, one might go get the dog’s leash and put him into a happy, “let’s go for a walk” frame of mind. Or call him to sit, down, and then reward with a treat.*

 

This is NOT the same thing as Option 2 above (“redirect”). Putting the dog into working mode operates on the principle that active submission is first obtained by evoking a new response, and then rewarding the new behavior.

 

The handler must do sufficient groundwork for this procedure to be effective. The  dog must know and respond to obedience commands. That’s one reason why we always include basic obedience training (aka "foundational behaviors") as part of our aggression rehabilitation protocols.

 

If option 4 is done correctly, there is little chance of inadvertently reinforcing the aggressive  behavior, because you are first evoking a new response to gain submission, and then offering the reward, rather than directly rewarding the undesirable behavior. It’s unlikely that the dog will “connect the dots” since dogs have a hard time with linear thinking. But even if he  does, this is still a MUCH better option than confronting or punishing the dog. When you punish growling you risk  shutting down the dog’s warning system. Remember, a dog who knows how to warn (growl) is much safer to work    with than one who bites without warning.  

 

Conclusion: Next time a dog growls at you, avoid the temptation to use options 1, 2 or 3. Instead, diffuse the situation by shifting the dog into working drive to bring him from an undesirable state of mind into a safer one. *Note: Option 4 should not be used in situations involving resource guarding (e.g. food, toys, treats, stolen objects).