Sometimes when I work with a socially challenged dog, the last thing I do is take the dog into that challenging situation.
The first thing I do is work with the dog and owner in an environment that, to them, seems to have absolutely nothing to do with the problem we are trying to solve. I like to call it "doing the groundwork." Such was the case with a client and his dog, Pickles.
Pickles was in a bit of a pickle. She was a sweetheart of a young dog, eight months old, that my client had adopted when she was about six months old and it was clear that her social skills needed refining. She wasn't aggressive towards dogs in the slightest, but just
didn't have a clue how to approach them or how to allow them to approach her. She was so excited to be around other dogs that she just froze and stared at the other dogs. Her owner would try in vain to pull her away but she just dug her claws in the ground and would not budge. Most people saw this as an indication of an impending assault, but even though she was frozen in movement her body was not rigid in the slightest. Her eyes were staring but still soft. There was almost a pleading in her facial expression, pleading for a dog to play with.
Her owner tried his best to help with her socialization by doing what most dog owners do and went to dog parks. Although the other dogs didn't seem to mind Pickles, the other dog owners sure did.
You see, Pickles is a pitbull, a pitbull with an incredibly dedicated and responsible owner.
Much to Pickles' owner's chagrin, during our first month of training together we didn't go anywhere near a dog park. Instead, Pickles, her owner and myself went for leashed walks.
Along the walks we began the groundwork by working on her obedience, teaching her the difference between heeling and walking nicely on-leash. She learned there were boundaries and rules while walking and that whenever we came across another person on the walks she was to come into heel and walk politely as they passed. We spent a great deal of time building an unshakable trusting relationship between herself and her owner so that she willingly sought his approval and acknowledgment along the walks instead of ignoring him.
Also during this groundwork Pickles' owner began to understand how she was trying to communicate with him by reading her body language. He soon learned the difference between her fear response and insecurity, being peaceful and being aloof, joy and excitability, being distracted and being ignored. Pickles' owner was also taught what to
do when things go wrong. As much as I'd like to say that every situation with dogs is perfect, I would be lying. There are times when a dog owner needs to know how to get himself and his dog out of a sticky situation. In Pickles' case, her owner was instructed to do a series of mini heeling exercises with lots of turns and stops in order to keep her mind engaged when he saw her attention wavering into a zone that would lead her to freeze in her tracks.
Gradually our walks began to include micro versions of situations that Pickles once found challenging. Then came the day of the big test. We went to a busy dog park.
As soon as Pickles saw another dog and began to act overly focused, her owner did a short heeling pattern to regain her attention. Pickles' owner then kept her focus on him - not on the exuberant playing dogs - so that Pickles would be calm and relaxed when these approaching dogs finally came to greet her.
The end result was the beginning of the next stage of her training - how to greet and play with other dogs - which is what Pickles' owner wanted.
After doing the groundwork of building a mutually trusting relationship, Pickles was much calmer and willing to listen to her owner. The dog-to-dog greetings became much more relaxed.
Sometimes getting what you want may take you on an unexpected journey of getting what you need first.
Joan has been working with dogs for over 15 years in obedience, tracking and behavioural rehabilitation. Contact her at k9kinship.com.
