Guarding on the lead

Re: Guarding on the lead

amy Lue-Young — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 19:42:28 GMT

Id recommend using a harness if they dont already!

Dogs use their head position alot to communicate their feelings to other dogs, if their not sure of another dog they might tell them by turning their head away and/or lowering it (as well as blinking, lip licking, yawning etc etc) if they are on a lead and collar they cant do this well!

Some dogs might panic and go straight to fight mode or the other dog might approach inappropriatly if they dont know how the other dog is feeling

Just an idea!

Re: Guarding on the lead

Alison Clare Hickman — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 23:54:21 GMT

No apologies necessary Delightful! But thanks.

I wrote back to you as I wanted to know if your client had had any success? Reason being, as you've pointed out, you do come across this sort of behaviour from time to time. So I thought I'd see if you had any hints / tips to add onto the advice I offered, or if there was anything that clearly didn't work? I like to evolve the advice based on real experiences...

Cheers.

Ali h

Re: Guarding on the lead

Delightful — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 22:38:15 GMT

Oh how very rude of me not to reply, I do apologise, yes this was really really helpful and i do appreciate it.

It is a useful piece of info which i have passed onto the client but I am also going to keep this as you do come across

this from time to time dont you.

Thanks alot and again sorry I took a while to get back to you

KInd regards

Re: Guarding on the lead

Alison Clare Hickman — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 22:00:07 GMT

Hi Delighful,

Was any info useful? Love to get your feedback...

Ali h

Re: Guarding on the lead

Alison Clare Hickman — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 23:13:11 GMT

Hi,

Here's a section I've copied from a behavioural advice sheet I was given by a (former) colleague who has qualifications in behaviour. It would be best if your client concentrates on one dog at a time (difficult?) or has help (possible?).

Hope it assists you / her.

...Dog aggression on the lead...

Suggested causes:

Frustration – having a lead tied to the neck means the dog knows he cannot move freely. When this means that he cannot check out a nearby dog, it leads to frustration. Repeat this a few hundred times and the frustration can become automatic.
Fear – a dog that is already nervous around other dogs can feel restrained or confined by a lead. Similar to the pattern with frustration, if this happens frequently enough just seeing another dog on the lead can cue the anxiety.
Bad experiences – a bad experience on the lead can cause a bad association to seeing other dogs on leads.

How to change the learned behaviour:

Try systematic counter-conditioning and desensitization as the main part of the solution. Gradually introducing other dogs at a distance, and then closing the distance while giving your dog very high value rewards (often food), and practising defensive on the lead techniques. These will changes the dog’s opinion and reduce the fear and frustration.

The "This way!" technique...

“This way!” is a verbal cue that tells your dog to immediately turn around and follow you. It is trained by practising the move with a treat as a focus. The key is to use the treat to teach him to walk in a small circle around you, rather than letting the lead get tight and pull him (or you).

Start work in a low distraction environment and then take it outside on a walk. Whenever you start working in a more distracting area, use treats and then fade them away after the dog becomes proficient.

Good luck!

Ali h