Group Walkies!

Ben had a great time with his doggie pals on a group walk today. Lots of chase games and running through puddles were enjoyed by all the dogs, apart from little Oscar he isn't keen on puddle! It was a tad chilly but that didn't spoil the fun. His pals Lucy (Labrador), Oscar (Jackapoo) and Robert (West Highland Terrier) came back to Ben's pad for playtime. There was lots of hair for me to sweep up but it was worth it to see Ben having so much fun!

Here are some pictures from the walk taken by LiveLoveLabs Photography https://www.facebook.com/livelovelabsphotography?fref=ts 

 

 

The Unwritten Rule

I have neglected my blog this past month or so. I think its because Ben hasn't had any problems, he is doing really well, which is fab, but I need to remember to write about the positive things too! This blog post, however is about an incident one early morning at the woods.

I met my friend with little Robert (Ben's West Highland Terrier pal). We met at 6.45am so it would be quiet. It was dark and rather chilly but that's dog owning really! The woods we went to are good as they lead to an old pit and you can walk round in a big circle and barely ever see anyone. It's also ideal as you can see well ahead which is necessary when you have a potentially dog reactive dog.

We didn't see anyone the whole walk and the dogs were having a great time, it got light quickly which was better, roll on Spring! We walked back down into the woods to get back to the cars and there is a corner as you walk down the slope, so we put both dogs on leads just in case another dog was round the corner. There is a long path after the corner and we saw a person with two dogs ahead of us, a Border Collie and an Alaskan Malamute. Now Alaskan Malamutes are a breed that Ben never reacts too well with. Before I knew what was happening, the Malamute comes charging towards me and Ben. My friend dashes ahead to let the owner know that Ben can be dog aggressive. She pays no attention and actually says to my friend "an aggressive dog?" The Malamute is jumping around me and Ben, its friendly but that makes no difference to Ben who is immediately on the defence air snapping at the other dog. Then the Malamute runs over to little Robert also on his lead, he is petrified also air snapping, he is only 6 months old. I ask the owner to get her dog as mine isn't very good, she says "your dog should not be doing that, he shouldn't be reacting like that, its horrible". I saw red and had a right go out her explaining that its courtesy to put your dog on a lead when other dogs are on lead. She marches off in a huff and says Ben shouldn't be there. I am so mad. My friend is mad. Another walk ruined because of an ignorant rude person.

I understand there are incidences when dogs will run over to us, but it helps if the owner actually makes an attempt to come and get their dog and apologises. This owner was very offensive, perhaps because she was embarrassed she couldn't control her dog. I therefore urge people to put their dog on a lead if you see an approaching dog on lead or if you are able to recall your dog to walk by your side if they are trained to do that. Without a doubt train a good recall from day one, proof the recall in different situations. If recall isn't there, then do not let your dog off lead, have them on a long line using high value treats and practice, practice, practice. You would not forgive yourself if you dog ran up to a dog on lead and got attacked and injured.

When it all pays off!!!!

I haven't written on this blog for ten days, I am such a disgrace and apologise to those following!

I wanted to share a moment of wonder with you all that I managed to capture on video. I took Ben for a walk around a local golf course, not where people play golf but there are hedges around the large course which makes a lovely walk, a bit of a hill fest for my liking but it does me good!

Anyway it was early and it was raining so I knew it would be quiet. I took Ben's favourite fetch toy, the KONG flyer Frisbee, which is basically a floppy Frisbee made of rubber. We are playing fetch and another dog comes bounding over, turns out its a female Labradoodle I find out when I talk to the owner. I reassure Ben its okay and they sniff each other and the Labradoodle gets bored and goes back to her owner. Me and Ben carry on and come across this dog again, the owner doesn't have any control over it to be honest and the Labradoodle wants Ben's floppy Frisbee!

And then this happened........

 

 

Its hard to tell which dog it Ben but he is the dog holding the Frisbee! It was so amazing to watch this, Ben likes to play with dogs but generally he will only play with dogs he knows. I am still smiling about this a week later. It just shows you that working with your dog in a positive way and being consistent and patient does pay off. 

 

 



Lots of positivity this week :-)

Me and Ben have had excellent walks this week. He has made some new friends following a plea I made on a Labrador group for small socialisation walks. It has been a massive step forward for him and there has been no signs of reactivity or aggression. Will be meeting up with these dogs again for more fun, I feel so positive! The more positive experiences he has with other dogs, the better.

From left to right - Harley, Lizzie, Ruby and Ben

 

Lucy with Ben

Lucy and Ben waiting for me to throw the ball!

 

This week we also walked with Ben's best buddy Ripley who he knows very well
Picture by LiveLoveLabs Photography - https://www.facebook.com/livelovelabsphotography?fref=ts

Roxy, Ripley and Ben swimming!!!
Picture by LiveLoveLabs Photography - https://www.facebook.com/livelovelabsphotography?fref=ts



Two steps forward....ONE step back

Whenever Ben had an 'incident' with another dog, I used to feel so disheartened afterwards and like all the work I have put in has gone down the pan. Therefore perhaps the title should be 'One step forward....TWO steps back' which is the correct saying! But it's not because as long as the majority of his encounters with other dogs are positive then I know he is on the right track. Before, we could not go a few days without a reaction to another dog, now its more weeks and even months. I have totally accepted that there will be occasions where he will react in a situation completely out of my control.

A few weeks back now, a dog off lead approached him when he was on lead. I knew Ben would not be happy as he was on lead which makes him feel like he cannot get away should he need too. I called to the owner to ask her to put the dog on lead and she shouts "I wont be able to get him back now". So I said "my dog can by reactive with other dogs so you may want to grab your dog". Anyway the dog made it to Ben and Ben pinned the other dog to the ground with his body for a few seconds. The other dog was not hurt in anyway but for a spilt second I felt very frustrated but then I remembered all the progress we have made. I ended the walk at this point because I didn't want Ben to be all tense should I have carried on and we encountered further dogs.

I have therefore decided to order Ben a 'I need space' yellow vest from the yellow dog campaign website. I have done a blog post about this campaign previously. Hopefully this will limit the problems we can potentially have with off lead dogs.

Could it be down to the other dog?

In the past month or so I have come to the realisation that with Ben his reaction totally depends on the other dog. Previously, I have thought perhaps its where we are walking or the situation but I am just about certain its the other dog. Perhaps location does play a part too but I think the other dog plays a bigger part. Obviously, I am not saying Ben doesn't have an issue, because he does, it's his reaction around those dogs that do cause a problem for him that he needs to learn to tone down. He is learning to tone it down with some dogs and I notice instead of bark, growl and lunge it could just be a low growl and that's it.

Last week, I had to take my car to the garage for new tyres. I dropped the car off and walked Ben to a café nearby after playing Frisbee on a field also nearby. The café is handy as they come out to you to take your order so I didn't run the risk of leaving Ben unattended. We were sat about 3 metres from people walking past the café. I got his favourite treats out and sat back and enjoyed my coffee. Ben was happily panting away after playing fetch and watching the world go by. Six dogs walked by with there owners during the time we were sat there. How many did he react too? He reacted to two of the dogs by barking and hackles raised. The only two dogs that actually looked at him and who appeared to me quite challenging in their stance. The other dogs just ambled past calmly and he just looked at them and then at me for a treat.

The other day in the car, we drove past a dog walking along the street and he did a low growl. We then drove past another dog and he just looked at it and was not bothered at all. Its a no wonder I have such a difficult job of helping him because I cannot control the signals other dogs are giving to him and as touched on in other blog posts, dog body language is so subtle. This is why I know he cannot be 'cured' and he has to be managed and I have to keep learning from his signals and the signals of other dogs we encounter.

A Happy Medium

I have not really continued Ben's story since my post on the 11th September entitled 'Confusion' when I shared the various types of advice I have been given to help Ben. From putting him in a big group of other reactive dogs to avoiding all dogs completely. I definitely did not want to continue with the group walks with other reactive dogs, he looked very worried most of the walk and I wonder how he felt about me taking him there? Did I lose some of his trust in me? I definitely didn't want to avoid dogs completely either as I felt this would make him worse.  I needed a happy medium.

So basically I just decided to stop trying so hard, stop asking for advice and stop the desperation for him to be better with other dogs. STOP obsessing about it all. Maintain a loose lead and be relaxed at all times.

Obviously I do not mean I stopped his counter conditioning training technique or stopped being careful where I walk him and at what times etc. I didn't let my guard down, I just stopped obsessing over it all and just decided to enjoy my dog.

Moving on.....

I have been avoiding this blog all week.....I heard about some negative comments about it (including personal insults) and I guess it made me wonder if there was a point to this blog. Some say I should be concentrating on my dog and not writing a blog....I am writing this as he is snoring away in his bed so I am not really sure why that comment was made! The blog will exist to create a diary for myself about Ben's progress and I also hope it helps other dog owners in similar situations. Me writing this blog is not affecting my dogs training or wellbeing in case anyone is concerned!

So I have decided to continue with this blog and forget those that have nothing better to do than berate me, who will not accept that I have changed and will not accept that I am sorry for past mistakes. And at the end of the day, its really none of their business. Why have I previously cared so much about what these kind of people think? I have absolutely no idea!! Most of them have made many a mistake too. It is time to forget them all.

It can be lonely having a reactive dog but there are people in my life who I am very thankful for, they are there for me and they support me. I want to thank those people, people who let me socialise Ben with their dogs to help him and to help me too. You know who you all are and I am very grateful xx

Blood Tests

When we feel unwell, we behave differently. This can also apply to a dog. When Ben first displayed signs of dog aggression, I had him health checked by the vet, but it was only a simple health check which did not include blood tests. The vet explained to me that its unlikely to be a health issue because the aggression started after he had had a bad experience with another dog who had attacked him. I didn't think anymore of it until recently when I read about dogs with low thyroid levels showing signs of aggression at random. So I decided to bite the bullet and have various blood tests carried out on Ben. I did research online and discussed with the vet what tests were needed. As well as doing a full thyroid profile, the vets carried out a full blood profile testing things like liver and kidney functions etc. They also did a Rheumatoid Factor test to see if Ben was experiencing any signs of rheumatoid arthritis. Part of me knew there would be nothing wrong with him health wise, but I wanted to know 100%. The vet bill came to just under £400 for all these tests...ouch! I called my pet insurance company when I was at the vets and they said cover was on the policy as its investigation for a possible health issue. I am still waiting to hear if they have accepted the claim so fingers crossed please!!

So the only thing that came back with a very minor issue was Ben's kidney function so the vet asked me to do a urine sample so this could be tested and used to decide if there was a problem. His urine test was normal so no further action was needed. The laboratory confirmed that all the other tests were within the normal ranges. His thyroid level is on the lower end of the scale so I am going to look into that more, as I have been told it should be higher for a young dog like Ben.

So it seems that his behaviour problems are not due to an underlying health issue, which is really good to know and its good news for Ben. I can put that niggling feeling away now that there could have been something wrong with him health wise.

Apparently Ben may need to be put down

Photograph by LiveLoveLabs Photography -
 https://www.facebook.com/livelovelabsphotography?fref=ts

I took Oscar (my mums dog) and little Robert (puppy I sit for) to the park yesterday, I had walked Ben early in the morning so he was at home. I came across the Labrador that Ben had attacked as described in my post entitled 'Guilt'. It has been a long time since that happened but I felt like I should ask how the dog is. The owner said he was fine and it all healed well but took quite a while. He then went onto say that Ben may have to be put down because he is clearly a 'dominant' dog. He said that he had a 'dominant' dog once and he ended up having it put to sleep at 6 years old, because it attacked his wife. He didn't go into detail about the attack or whether she was injured or anything. He advised me to make sure I walk through doors first before Ben and to make sure he has his dinner after I have eaten mine. I did not have the energy to stand there and explain that Ben is not dominating anyone, not me nor another dog. Ben's reactivity is based on a fear of other dogs, and the only way he knows how to protect himself is to 'get in there first' so to speak. The owner is an older gentleman and clearly does not know how outdated his views are in relation to dog behaviour. His Labrador is clearly well looked after and is a lovely friendly dog, so perhaps it doesn't matter what his views about dominance are, but I just felt sad for his previous dog that was put to sleep so young because he was deemed as 'dominant'. Yes the dog apparently attacked his wife, but we don't know what his wife did or what the situation was. Perhaps I should have asked questions about it, but I just knew there would not have been much point as this man is totally set in his ways about dog ownership.

I have come across other dog owners that seem to think that letting their dogs on the sofa or the bed will mean that they aren't 'Alpha' or 'Top Dog'. They think their dog should have to wait till they have eaten before the dog gets their food. Some dog owners think this way because unfortunately their are still trainers out there that believe in this outdated theory, that you need to be the pack leader, the alpha in the house. And if you are not 'Top Dog' then your dog will have behavioural problems and will know it can dominate you. Dogs do not think like this, dogs learn from positive and negative experiences. Your dog should want to please you because he/she is rewarded with praise, a treat or a toy. Remember my post about the trainers I have seen and the gun dog trainer who thought that throttling Ben with a slip lead would make him behave? This trainer is another who believes that the human should be the dominant one and the dog should be submissive towards the human and in turn will behave. The dog may behave, but only because he/she is utterly petrified. I do not want my dog to be scared of me, what would be the point in that? And maybe that dog that was put to sleep attacked the wife because it has been mistreated and one day it just snapped....

Should you wish to read more about dominance and why it's the incorrect way to look at a dogs behaviour have a look at these links;

http://www.dogwelfarecampaign.org/why-not-dominance.php

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/14_12/features/Alpha-Dogs_20416-1.html

RELAX!!!!

Easier said than done when you have a potentially aggressive dog, but its VERY important. When I used to see another dog out walking with Ben, I would panic, tighten his lead and move him closer to me and to the other side of me depending where the other dog was heading. These actions were all making Ben think that there was something to be worried about. When I had Wrigley and I used to take him out on his own (he was great with other dogs), I would see a dog and automatically panic, it was that engrained in me. Then I realised I didn't need to panic as I was only walking Wrigley!

I definitely find that if I am relaxed, Ben is more relaxed. If I am scrambling to get his lead on and in a panic, it makes him more reactive. This is why I have started to keep him off lead more and more if other dogs are in the distance. He will look at the dog, look back at me for a treat and we will carry on. I am relaxed and he is relaxed. Leash reactivity is very common among canines, I have come across many dogs where their owners have said their dogs are better off lead than on around other dogs. The leash can make them feel restricted and trapped, especially if they are perhaps a little scared or nervous around other dogs.

In order to help myself relax, when I see another dog I think brilliant a training opportunity here, lets see how Ben does. I know that Ben is not as good with certain dogs as he is with others. It depends on their breed and their personality. I have a list in my head of the breeds he has never been good with so if I see one of them I will generally walk a different way so we don't have to walk past. But I still remain calm so I do not alert Ben and give him something to worry about. If its a dog I think he will be okay with, we carry on and use it as a mini training session thinking positively.

I am finally getting to a stage now where Ben is mainly leash reactive, this is a big improvement for him and me. It has took nearly two years to get to this stage, but one light bulb moment has definitely been to RELAX!!

Dog Ownership is not Simple

I have touched on the fact that I thought I could get a dog, feed the dog, walk the dog and fuss the dog and all would be great. It is really not that simple and it has been a massive learning curve for me. I was not prepared for Ben, I had not done any research about raising a puppy. I had looked after my in laws dog, but she was coming up to 3 years old at the time and was and still is very chilled.

I was working full time when we got Ben and so was hubby. I thought great we can get him Friday and have two days off work with him to settle him in before work on the Monday. The first night he slept straight through, quiet as a mouse. The second night he screamed blue murder in his crate. He had been crate trained by the breeder. I ended up on the sofa. The first few weeks were exhausting, in fact the first year was exhausting. If you are thinking about a puppy think long and hard I beg you. We all have to work but there are dog sitters and dog day care services out there but it's not cheap. We should have done this from the word go, we left Ben for 7 hours on his own and thinking about it now makes me very upset. I think to myself what if being left alone at such a young age for so long affected him and that's why he has issues now. After about 3 weeks I just felt too guilty so my mum offered to come at lunchtime to give him a comfort break and this helped, we didn't have to clean up urine/poo when we got home and Ben seemed happier. Evenings were spent with him as well as weekends, a puppy is a full time job! I could write a massive post about raising a puppy and the do's and don'ts, which I have purely learnt from experience and reading online. But this blog isn't a training guide and there is so much reading material on raising a well rounded dog. I recommended the book - The Happy Puppy Handbook: Your Definitive Guide to Puppy Care and Early Training by Pippa Mattinson. I have read it and its very informative and so helpful. I feel I have been quite negative here, a puppy does bring so much joy to your life, they truly do but there is no point in sugar coating it - you have to be committed!

You also have to be committed to you adult dog too. Dogs thrive on human interaction, they love to be with us. Dogs suit people who do not have really busy social lives unless your social life is meeting friends for a walk! I am not saying you cannot have a social life if you have a dog, but your dog needs to be considered all the time, otherwise they could develop behavioural problems if they do not get enough physical and mental stimulation. There are so many adult dogs in rescue centres looking for new homes that have been handed in by their owners. The excitement of having a dog does take over common sense, it has happened to me I am not ashamed to say it. I have rehomed two dogs but one because she attacked Ben and he was not happy and one because of separation anxiety. I have mentioned I should not have got either of these dogs in the first place, it broke my heart having to give them up but I knew it was for the best. Some people get rid of their dogs because the novelty wears off, they did not realise the amount of commitment involved. They maybe having problems with their dogs, maybe aggression, maybe recall problems, pulling on the lead, messing in the house, chewing in the house...the list is endless. If you are not committed then you will not have the gumption to train your dog.

We all have days where we can't be bothered, but a dog is a privilege and no dog deserves to live half a life.





 

Confusion

I spent yesterday thinking about my next blog post and what it should be about. I have wrote about my need to 'fix' my dog and the hunt to cure his aggression. I think this post should be about how confused it made me getting advice from different sources...... different trainers, various Facebook groups, the internet (googling) and dog forums.

The qualified canine behaviourist advised to gradually increase the distance to other dogs at Ben's own pace. She gave me an information sheet about dog body language and the signs to look out for to indicate that Ben is uncomfortable. She also gave me an chart showing the stages of aggression in dogs (below).

So for us humans, if we are anxious, we might start sweating, fidgeting, wringing our hands and breathing faster. For a dog, the signs are very subtle and very easy for us to miss, but another dog will not miss these signs. Here is a list of signs that a dog is stressed;

Yawning

Shake-offs

Tongue flicks (tongue licks straight out and up to the nose)

Moving slowly

Refusing treats

Panting

Avoidance

Stiffening up

Cowering

Pacing

Eyes hardening

Ears going back

So as you can see from the list above it could be easy to miss these subtle signs, like yawning for example, the dog could just be tired or panting, the dog could be hot. Here is a useful diagram - The Ladder of Aggression developed by Kendal Shepherd;

I have observed Ben turn his head away quite a few times when faced with another dog so this is a sign we need to move on. He does sometimes stare at a dog too, not just a normal look, a hard stare. So again this is where we would change direction or use a distraction before he climbs the ladder of aggression and it turns into growling or snapping. Its important to remember that these signs vary from dog to dog and its not set in stone what order they happen in but obviously the more subtle signs like yawning and tongue licks come before growling and snapping. They can also happen slowly or VERY quickly, and this is why they can easily be missed.

I have digressed here, I am meant to be writing about how I was confused because I was getting different advice about how to help Ben. But I think the above is useful anyway and does relate to this post in a way!

I mentioned in my counter conditioning blog post about trying to figure out a way to get Ben closer to other dogs without the risk of an off lead dog running over to him. I needed him to remain comfortable and make sure other dogs would be safe. This is when I started thinking about group walks with other dogs following a suggestion online, but I knew the other dogs would need to be fairly calm and well socialised and not reactive themselves. I knew that once Ben has been around a dog for a short period of time, he relaxes when he realises there is no threat. So I thought group walks with other dogs would be ideal as I could keep him on lead and muzzled initially and take it from there. I had a kind offer of some group walks from two people I got chatting to on a forum who were local to me, they knew about Ben's issues and wanted to help. We met for a walk and Ben was brilliant, he was on lead initially but then I let him off lead (still with his muzzle on) and he was great. The walk was with 3 other dogs who were all very calm and minded their own business. When I got home from the walk, I felt really positive, here was a way to socialise Ben to help him to see other dogs aren't out to get him, and he was really relaxed on the group walk. It was also useful walking with others as if another dog approached they could go ahead to warn the owner about Ben. They could then put their dog on lead and give us plenty of room. Me and Ben went on many walks with these dogs, and the owners brought their other dogs that were more lively, but Ben continued to surprise me and had no problems with walking with 6 other dogs. He would even play with them and join in their chase games. He was without his muzzle in no time and it was brilliant. It seemed to help him on daily walks just me and him as well, he didn't seem as reactive when we saw other dogs. Unfortunately when I rehomed Wrigley, these people did not want to walk with me anymore. It was hard for me to lose this support, we had become friends too so it took me a while to accept that they did not want to see me or Ben anymore.

Ok, so I knew Ben was good on group walks with gradual introductions at the start of the walk, lots of praise and treats. I came across a social dog walking group that was used to help dogs like Ben and to meet other owners struggling with the same issues. I was in two minds with this as there would be other reactive/aggressive dogs there. I got chatting to someone who had been on a few of these walks and they said their dog had really improved. So I decided to take Ben along. I arrived in the car park and got him out the car, he was on lead and muzzled. There were about 20 dogs in the car park, lots of noise. Ben lowered himself, his ears were back and he looked scared. I should have got back in that car and left but I didn't. I wish I had, imagine how he felt. I do not like spiders, and if someone plonked me in a room full of them I would be very scared and anxious. I also would not like the person that put me there. So I walked with the group, Ben and some of the other dogs had a few spats, most of it noise and lunging. I felt worried that he was practising this reactive behaviour. He was off lead and muzzled but he stuck fairly close to me and if he lost me in the group, he looked mortified. Owners of other dogs on the walk were grabbing the scruffs of their dogs and saying NO if they acted aggressively. The philosophy of these walks was to make the dogs realise that being aggressive does not get them anywhere, the other dog does not go away if they bark and lunge and growl. This made some sense to me, because usually if Ben reacts to a dog then I change direction or walk faster away from the dog that has made him react. Therefore, his behaviour of growling, lunging and barking is reinforced because what he thought was a threat to him (the other dog) has now gone away. I do think these type of group walks were using the 'flooding' technique, which means exposing the dog to the fear (in Ben's case, other dogs) over a prolonged period and eventually the dog will relax because fear can only affect the body for so long.

So, we have small group walks with other dogs that aren't aggressive, we have group walks with other aggressive dogs using the flooding technique. Then we have the Pack Leader/Dominance theory. Being the pack leader basically means that because the dog knows you are the leader, he/she does not need to be afraid or attack other dogs because you are there to scare away any threat, you are the leader. You are top dog. This is quite an outdated way of looking at dog training, yes your dog should be trained in a way where they obey your commands, but part of the pack leader theory does involve punishment. Your dog needs a good 'parent', not a dominant leader. Remember the gun dog trainer who made Ben sick strangling him with the slip lead? Ben was impeccably behaved with him after that, because he was petrified. He was not a happy dog, he did as he was told because he was too scared. I don't want my dog to be scared of me. I want him to know I will protect him but I do not want to punish him.

Lastly, I have been told to keep Ben away from other dogs completely. This made me wonder if this would make him worse. Obviously we may see the odd dog but for the most part I could street walk very early or very late. If he was not seeing other dogs, surely when he did see one it would be more scary for him? He would not be learning to accept that other dogs aren't a threat.

So what do we think? Confused? Yes, I know the feeling.....

Counter Conditioning

I have said I do not want this blog to be like a training manual, but I did want to do a post about the main technique I have used to help Ben feel better around other dogs. I will share my experience of using counter conditioning with you because it is a method that helps tremendously. Initially it needs to be really steady and short training sessions.

I started using this technique on street walks as I knew we would not have to contend with off lead dogs. I used treats he doesn't have at home so it was extra exciting for him. When we came across a dog and he looked at it I gave him a few treats, and said 'good boy' as I fed him the treats. After about 3 days of doing this he caught on that the sight of another dog equals a treat. So then he started looking at me after looking at another dog. So, dog walking on the other side of the street, Ben looks at the dog then looks at me, Ben gets a nice tasty treat. Sounds simple enough and this stage was, its very easy to manage situations with street walks as you can cross the road to get some distance. Ben was always generally okay upon sight of another dog in the distance and this is why I started with street walking because I knew he would not be over his threshold. In terms of threshold, this is the point where the dog starts to react to another dog or something else they don't like or are scared of. So I had to make sure he was under threshold (relaxed) so I could associate another dog to a nice tasty treat, to teach him that when he sees another dog it doesn't mean he has to be scared or stressed, it means he gets a reward. If he were to react at a dog whether it was barking, hackles up or a growl, I did not speak to him, I just carried on. The behaviourist advised that as long as 80% of his interactions with other dogs are positive, then it would still help him.

Once I was sure he was associating another dog with getting a treat, it was then time to move onto distance and other situations. I would sit in the car with him in a car park of a busy dog walking area, and upon seeing a dog coming off the park or going on, I would reward him as long as he was relaxed. I also taught him the 'touch' command so I would put my hand out flat and tell him to touch it with his nose and then reward. This was a good distraction technique.

The difficulty came with increasing the distance to another dog as this meant I was needing to go onto fields and parks. This is where I struggled because off lead dogs would run up to him, when he was on lead and it would make him go over threshold. I got quite frustrated on occasion and have had a few arguments with other dogs owners trying to explain that they should put their dog on lead if they see another dog on the lead, its common courtesy. I remember thinking I would never get anywhere because I could not control every situation around me in order to keep Ben below threshold. I needed to get closer to dogs and reward Ben for being relaxed, but it was risky. Every time an off lead dog came running over and he reacted, it almost felt like I was going back to square one. This is what led me to look at other training methods, reading things on the internet and getting advice from others with reactive dogs.

I had trained the basic principle of counter conditioning, Ben knew he would be rewarded upon sight of another dog, he would stay below threshold if the other dog was in control on lead and around 10 metres away. I now needed to figure out how to get him nearer to other dogs gradually, but without the risk of off lead dogs coming bounding over to him.

Proud of my boy today

Its been a busy few days so I haven't had chance to continue Ben's story, but I thought I would share a lovely moment from today. I took Ben with me to see Robert, the puppy I have been puppy sitting for. Ben has been with me a few times already, but today they both lay in the sun together, nice and relaxed. It was lovely and it felt like a big achievement for Ben and me. Will continue his story tomorrow but for now a few pictures :)

Guilt

I mentioned on another post about the mistakes I have made with Ben, but it has not just been Ben that has been affected.

The worst injury he caused to another dog was to an elderly Labrador. I was on the local park with him sitting at the café having a coffee, which I shouldn't really be doing with a reactive dog like Ben. He was on lead and laying next to me on the ground. The other Labrador, which was off lead came up to us, and Ben just went for its face. It was a lot of noise and what I thought was air snapping. The owner who had his back to his dog, also having a coffee came and put his dog on the lead after checking him. I saw a tuft of fur on the ground but didn't think anymore of it. I apologised to the owner and asked if his dog was okay, and he said he was.

I guess the strange thing about this incident was that Ben knew this dog, he had seen him (and sniffed in greeting) several times on the park and had always been fine. He is generally good with elderly dogs as they are calm. Maybe it was because we were sitting by the café and he used to have a biscuit from the café when we went, so perhaps he was resource guarding. Maybe the other lab startled him. I don't really know, but suffice to say I do not take him on that park anymore unless its at 5am.

The worst part was I took my little sisters dog to the park the next day, and saw the elderly lab and its owner. He shouted to me "your dog cost me hundreds of pounds yesterday". I walked over to him and he explained that when he got home he noticed blood around his dogs ear and realised the ear itself was torn. His dog was too old to be sedated for stiches, it was just too risky so he was having antibiotic injections and anti inflammatories. I offered to pay the vet bill and he would not let me, so I offered to pay half and he still wouldn't let me.

I felt absolutely awful, this poor old dog. His owner did say that he should have had his dog on a lead around the café. My dog was on a lead and an off lead dog came up to him, however this is no excuse for Ben to react the way he did. I just kept thinking, why can't my dog just have a little grumble at another dog if he is not happy with them in his space, why does he have to launch on them in such an aggressive way.

Muzzles

I said I would be honest in this blog, so I will be honest and say I HATE muzzling my dog. I have spent a lot of time getting Ben used to his muzzle around the house and on walks. He is better than he used to be with it. Before he would not walk and would just drag his head on the ground trying to get it off. Now I can walk him on lead with his muzzle on without him trying to rub it off. If he is off lead in his muzzle he will spend a lot of the walk rolling around trying to get it off, he has pulled skin off his nose on a few occasions when doing this. It makes me so sad to see him doing this, so much so I have found myself crying on walks. He is a different dog in his muzzle, he shuts down in a way as if to punish me. I know he isn't, dogs do not have that mental capacity but I cannot help feeling that way, I cannot help feeling guilty. As soon as the muzzle comes off he comes to life again. I have observed that most of the times he has reacted have been in his muzzle and on his lead.

Another issue with the muzzle is I cannot throw treats on the ground, which is my main distraction technique. Ben cannot pick treats up from the floor with the muzzle on. I have cut a piece out of the front of the muzzle so I can give treats through the muzzle easier but even with a hole in the front, he cannot eat them off the ground himself.

So how do I combat the problem of making sure other dogs are safe and Ben is relaxed? I have touched on it a bit in this blog already. I will bullet point below;

• 5am walks
• Walking places that are big and open where I can see far ahead
• Avoiding places with corners, if we go round a corner and a dog is there it can pose a problem
• Street walking followed by a game of fetch on the garden
• Walking with family/friends so they can go ahead to other dog walkers to tell them to put there dog on a lead
• Being conscious of the time of day Ben is walked, weekday afternoons are great, most people are at work and I avoid people walking their dogs before and after work
• Avoiding popular dog walking areas
• Taking Ben to a fun swim session instead of a walk

A mixture of these things ensure that the majority of his walks are problem and reactive free!

I have met up with new people and their dogs on occasions. It is very kind of people to help me socialise my dog in this way. Ben will always be muzzled initially when meeting any new dog, and I observe his body language and his reaction to the other dog. I do find that Ben is always brilliant on group walks of maybe 3 or 4 other dogs, I am not really sure why this is.

Lastly, just to finish off this post, I would like to stress that Ben is not a dog that will run around attacking and biting dogs. He does not want to fight, no dog wants to fight. Ben is scared and sometimes he thinks the only way to deal with this threat is to react and scare the threat away. My job is to teach him he doesn't need to do this, I am there to protect him. In the early stages of the counter conditioning (feeding treats upon him seeing another dog) Ben was always muzzled, now that he is improving he is not muzzled as much. I carry the muzzle with me should there be a need for him to wear it but by following the bullet points above I rarely have to use it.

Some dogs do need to be muzzled and on lead at all times depending on the severity of their issues. A Baskerville muzzle is the best kind of muzzle to use as the dog can pant and drink wearing one. The material muzzles do not allow this and are generally for a dog that may bite a vet or a groomer in that situation so its a temporary measure.

Here is a great video on how to get your dog used to wearing a muzzle - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FABgZTFvHo&noredirect=1

There is nothing wrong with a dog wearing a muzzle, its nothing to be ashamed of.

The other sides to Ben

Up to now, I feel I have been quite negative about my boy! His issues with other dogs is what prompted me to write this blog, however there is so much more to him which is all positive!

Ben loves absolutely everyone, he really likes children as well. I do not have children, but he would not be a concern should I have a baby in the future. Obviously no dog should be left unsupervised with babies and young children. One of his favourite people is my mother in law.....she gives him a digestive biscuit every time we go round there, he actually moans when we turn onto their street with excitement! After he has had his biscuit though, he is still happy to see her.

Ben likes to greet me with something when I get up in the morning or when I come home from work, generally its one of his teddies but if he cannot find one, he will literally pick anything up he can find!!! It is very cute, he wags his tail so much his bum wiggles.

Ben loves to play fetch, his favourite toy at the moment is his Kong Flyer, which is basically a floppy Frisbee. He will happily play fetch with me on the field when other dogs are around in the distance. I am a pro at walking in the most suitable directions to prevent any problems! Sometimes, if there are too many dogs we will street walk and then play Frisbee on the garden instead.

Ben's favourite place to fetch is at the river, he LOVES to swim. We have been to fun swim at a hydrotherapy centre quite a few times with him, I get to go in the pool with him and play fetch. As soon as we arrive he runs up the ramp and dives in!!!!

One of his favourite games is hide and seek. I get him to sit and wait in the kitchen whilst I hide small treats around the garden. Then I open the door and say FIND IT, and he is off, tail going mad searching for the treats. I do it with a toy sometimes as well.

One of my absolutely favourite things that Ben does is when he is tired, he will come and plonk himself next to me on the sofa and rest his head on my shoulder and go to sleep. Then he snores down my ear hole! He loves to be close to me or hubby in the evenings, as I am typing this he is between us both sleeping.

And now time for some pictures which I think show Ben's character well

 

Pictures above taken by LiveLoveLabs Photography

https://www.facebook.com/livelovelabsphotography?fref=ts

The Importance of Positivity

Following on from my blog post "What the 'experts' said...." where I shared the training advice I have been given from four trainers, one of them being a qualified behaviourist from this website - http://www.apbc.org.uk/apbc

When Ben first showed signs of aggression, I should have gone straight to this website and sourced a qualified behaviourist. I shouldn't have seen the gun dog trainer who choked my dog or the trainer that wanted me to spray him with water. Obviously I did not know what methods they were going to show me in order to help Ben, which is why its so important to go with someone who is qualified and registered as a pet behaviour counsellor with an organisation such as the APBC. Its important to check what methods are used, they should be positive and force free. No shock collars, choke chains, spray collars, no hitting your dog, no pinning him/her to the ground, no shouting in your dogs face......the list is endless. You need to build a trusting relationship with your dog, your dog needs to know you will protect him/her.

Imagine if you are scared of heights, someone made you stand at the edge of a high cliff. You are feeling very worried and like you might fall at any moment. You are sweating and shaking from the fear. Then imagine someone causes you pain at the same time and starts shouting at you. How would you feel? Would you feel better? Or worse? You would definitely feel worse, it would not help your fear of heights. But say you were standing near the cliff, and someone was calmly reassuring you and letting you go to the edge at your own pace to look down, letting you decide when you are ready. This would be better for your fear.

The Yellow Dog Campaign

I thought it would be useful to do a blog post about the Yellow Dog campaign which is an international campaign. Basically, your dog wears a yellow ribbon if they need space, the ribbon can be seen in the distance by other dog owners, for them then to put their dog on a lead. They also have made vest and bandanas that your dog can wear, and even owner tabards.

This campaign is becoming more and more well known, and the more people that know about it the better.

Here is the link for the website for information;

http://www.yellowdoguk.co.uk/

The problem of some other dog owners

Only this morning, I watched a familiar scene play out with two other owners and their dogs. One owner with their dog on lead, the other owner with two dogs off lead. One of the off lead dogs (a Jack Russell) ran over to the on lead dog (Lurcher) and started to attack it. The Lurcher did retaliate and the Jack Russell backed off but then went back for more, the Lurcher's owner was using her ball thrower to try and get the Jack Russell to get off her dog. Meanwhile the Jack Russell's owner was repeatedly shouting her dogs name and trying to grab him.

Usually, I am the owner with the dog on lead who can potentially be aggressive, then I have an off lead dog running over wanting to say hello and I have to do my best to keep Ben calm and get out of there pronto. Because of other dog owners not having the courtesy to put their dog on a lead or not being able to control their dog, I walk with Ben in places I know I will not see many other dogs and where I can see far ahead in the distance. Early walks are great as well, the mornings where I have managed to get up at 5am have been brilliant, we are able to go to the local park where there is usually lots of dogs, but we don't see any at that time! I must try and do that more often.

Every time Ben reacts to a dog, he is practising this problematic behaviour and then I get us away immediately, therefore his barking and lunging has worked so its a no wonder he continues to do it! This is why I now do my best to prevent Ben reacting to other dogs, I carry high value treats with me at all times, treats he does not have at home. The best thing I have found to do is throw treats on the floor and tell him to find them, he loves playing find it games at home and he is the same on walks. Great distraction technique whilst the other dog walks by. He is still aware of the other dog going by but he is doing something fun and isn't stressed. I make sure I throw the treats away from the direction of the other dog.

I am not afraid to shout ahead to owners to ask them to put their dog on lead and to warn them that mine can be aggressive sometimes. I have even said this to people and they have put their dog on lead but then walked way to close to me, so Ben has reacted and they have said "oh dear I see what you mean". This is not helpful in any way. I have also avoided people with their dogs, and people with certain breeds like German Shepherds or Staffordshire Bull Terriers have been offended. I have to then explain its not their dog I am concerned about, its mine!

Don't get me wrong, there are many dog owners that happily put there dog on lead when I ask, or do it automatically. Its hard as Labradors are seen as a friendly breed so even with his muzzle on a lot of people think its because he is a scavenger.

So if you are a dog owner reading this or thinking of being a dog owner, have the courtesy to put your dog on a lead if you see an approaching dog that is on lead. When walking your dog, be aware of your surroundings, I have lost count of the amount of dog walkers I see on their phones or chatting with other dog walkers and not watching their dog and approaching dogs. I was guilty of this when I first got Ben before he developed these issues, but now I have experienced how difficult it is to manage a reactive dog I am 100% focused on my surroundings and what Ben is doing. If I walk my mums dog I am the same, I will put him on lead if I see a dog approaching on lead. At the end of the day it could be his safety at risk if he went over and got attacked.

An Unhealthy Dog Obsession: Part 2

So I have told you all about Elsa, there has recently been another dog in my life for the past 4 months up until just over two weeks ago. Wrigley, a pointer crossbreed was advertised as free to a good home on a pet advertising site. I saw this gorgeous specimen and HAD to have him. I called his owner and ended up travelling all day on 5 trains and in 3 taxis, I was so worried with him being advertised for free that he would end up being used for dog baiting. As soon as I met him I was smitten. Him and Ben have been great friends for the past 4 months, I initially had my reservations as Wrigley was an intact male (not castrated) but Ben surprised me and they were playing within ten minutes of being introduced. My plan was to see how it went with Wrigley and Ben and take it from there I just wanted to ensure this amazing dog was safe. I had made the decision to keep Wrigley after a few weeks but unfortunately he developed separation anxiety and became quite destructive and stressed in the house alone. I was using dog daycare services which got very expensive. Therefore I made the tough decision to rehome him. He is now living on a farm with two Dalmatians and reports are great from his new owner. I made the 6 hour round trip to see his new home and meet his owner  and I was very pleased to let them adopt.   It feels like its been so much longer than 2 weeks and I miss him terribly but my focus is purely Ben now and that's how it should be, it's how it should have always been. My need to have a 'normal' dog overtook any common sense. 

Its all getting abit serious....

So time for some funny pictures!!!! Hope you enjoy :)

Cuddles with Pooh Bear

 

Am I drooling?

Three headed dog on a log!

 

Ben's cat impression sitting on the windowsill 

Sleepy time

 

I have nothing to say about this pic!!!

Towel robe!

I am not certain this stick is big enough

What the 'experts' said.....

I have had a few requests to write about the trainers I have seen with Ben, I guess I was concerned that people may try and use some of the methods I have been told to use, but please if you have any behaviour problems with your dog, find a qualified behaviourist, your vet will be able to recommend one in your area. In some cases it depends on the dog and the extent of the behavioural problem, but many behaviourists will give you advice and guidance over the phone or email and help you find the suitable way forward with your dog.

Ok, so the first person I saw with Ben was a trainer that was recommended to me. I spoke with him on the telephone and he said he would be happy to come and assess Ben and bring one of his dogs with him. His advice was to get Ben a half check collar so I could control him better and 'check' him when he misbehaves. A half check collar is like a normal collar but half of it is a loose chain wrapped through the material of the collar, this enables the handler to yank the lead which tightens the chain part of the collar around the dogs neck. This is what the term 'checking' refers to. He also said to squirt Ben with water when he reacts at a dog or goes to attack one.

The second person I saw was a trainer who I found online from the Association of Pet Dog Trainers website. He advised to stand with Ben at a safe distance from other dogs, keep Ben on lead and when he looks at the other dog, give him treats. Then gradually increase the distance to other dogs as Ben improves.

The third person I saw was a gun dog trainer. He showed me a slip collar which is a thin rope that can be tightened in a similar way as the half check collar. He put the collar just behind Ben's ears and lifted the lead to tighten the collar around Ben's neck, this was to get Ben to sit. Ben panicked and was sort of dangling in the air, then he was sick. So the method is when a dog comes over to Ben tighten this slip collar so he behaves himself.

And finally, the fourth person I saw was a qualified behaviourist from the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors website. She advised to teach Ben the command Touch and Hide. So I can use 'touch' as a little trick to do to distract him from other dogs when I put my hand out for him to touch it with his nose. And 'hide' so I can get him to hide behind me when another dog comes over unexpectedly. She advised to use counter conditioning in the same way as the second trainer I saw also.

Amongst the above, I was also reading advice online, on facebook groups and forums. Its a no wonder my dog was not improving, all these different things I was doing, the poor animal was confused and so was I.

Elsa's story

So following on from my post yesterday "An Unhealthy Dog Obsession".....

Elsa was a lovely dog, she was 6 months old when we rehomed her. She was a part trained gun dog so she was totally obsessed with retrieving a ball. If we had the ball in the house on the table or the kitchen side, she would literally stare at it until you moved it. Or she would bring it to you and drop it on your knee and stare at the ball and back at you! We had her off lead on the first day she was with us and she was so good. I felt very lucky at finding her. We asked the gamekeeper we got her from if she would suit a pet home and he said she would as she was only part trained and had been brought up in a family environment as a puppy. Her and Ben got on great, lots of play fighting on the garden and cuddling up to sleep together.

 



Elsa started to be very protective of her ball on walks with other dogs. She would go for a dog if they attempted to come near her with her ball. We started walking her without her ball and she was brilliant with the other dogs.

 

The very hard decision to rehome this beautiful girl came after her and Ben were playing one day, and all of a sudden Elsa started to attack Ben, we couldn't stop her with our voices and Ben was sort of attacking her back. Hubby managed to pry them apart. Ben jumped onto the sofa out the way and lifted his paw up. I went to him and saw that Elsa's teeth and sliced above his paw and it looked liked it was hanging off. We rushed Ben to the vets and he was sedated for stiches. There were also tooth punctures on the back of his paw. I was so upset. From then on it was like living on egg shells, Ben wasn't the same, he wouldn't get up on the sofa when Elsa was there and seemed to be very wary of her. They still played with each other as normal. The decision came when we were eating dinner one evening a few weeks after the first fight and Ben moved on their dog bed and Elsa just launched on him. He wasn't injured but was scared. So we decided that day and I remember crying most of that night. Managing two aggressive dogs was just too hard, I felt like I was giving up on her but her issues were fully explained to her new owner and he had experience with rescue dogs. He also went on shoots for leisure so wanted a dog to train up as a gun dog as well as living as part of the family. We felt this was ideal for Elsa.

 

I am going to leave it there as I don't want to get myself upset, but I will never forget Elsa and I know she has a good home and is happy. 

My search to 'fix' Ben

This is going to be a long one........

Note the word 'fix' in the title. All I wanted to do was fix Ben as quickly as possible, I wanted him to be a normal dog I could take to the park who could meet other dogs and play. I wanted to sit at the café on the local park with my family/friends with their dogs and have a coffee, with the dogs happily playing and just doing what dogs do. This was my biggest problem, I didn't want to walk my dog on lead in a muzzle with everyone staring at him and him unhappy with this thing on his face. The amount of times I went back to that local park where all his problems started, pushing his boundaries, not thinking about him and how stressful it must have been. I look back now and think - what the hell was I doing? I was posting about Ben's problems on a Labrador Forum and ignoring advice about walking him separate to Elsa, about muzzling him where other dogs were and taking time to find the right trainer. I was rushing into everything desperate for that 'cure'. Pushing him too far making any work I was doing with him go back to square one.

I was setting my dog up to fail from the moment I set out to cure him. There is no cure, there is management and there is improvement.

I am going to stop there for now because I was going to write about each trainer I have seen and I don't know whether to or not now, this blog is Ben's story so far so maybe I should, but something is stopping me. What do my readers think?

An Unhealthy Dog Obsession

Ben was the beginning of my dog obsession. I didn't have dogs as a kid and neither did any of my family and friends. I always liked dogs, and enjoyed looking after my in laws Bichon, Daisy when they went on holiday. From the moment I got Ben, I became completely obsessed with dogs. I would point dogs out on the street, I would go to places where I knew lots of dogs would be, I would go to pets at home when I didn't need to carrying Ben around with me so I could show him off and so he could meet other dogs. I would arrive at puppy training class early so I could talk to the trainer about Ben, I would be the last to leave the class so I could see the junior dogs arrive. I would get excited about going to the vets with Ben. I took Ben to puppy parties, junior puppy parties, I advertised on Gumtree for local people to meet for puppy playdates!!! I obsessed over his training, making sure he was prepared for the next class. He became the 'demonstration' dog for the next set of puppy classes. This is all sounding a little crazy....never mind, I want this blog to be honest.

 

By the time Ben was 5 months old, I begin searching the internet for another dog, I had decided I didn't want a young puppy again but one from 6 months old. Bear in mind at this point, I did not know much about dogs, I was still under the very wrong assumption that you get a dog, you walk it, you feed it, you love it and all is plain sailing, but its just not that's simple and this has been one of the biggest learning curves. Anyway I started texting hubby links to dog adverts, he was not as keen as me and took some persuading but we started to meet dogs that were in need of rehoming. I remember we met a 12 month old Labrador, and it did a wee all over hubby's shoe and Ben was petrified of it so we didn't feel right rehoming that one. Then there was a female beagle cross who we met and went on a walk with but she was totally crazy and we felt she would be too much for us. Finally I came across a 10 month female black Labrador who had been part trained as a working gun dog. She was stunning so I sent a picture to hubby and we agreed to go and meet her. When we arrived on the farm, we met a gamekeeper who uses working Labradors and Spaniels on shoots. He was looking for a new home for this female Labrador as well as a fox red Labrador who was 6 months old, the same age as Ben. He showed us what both of these females could do in terms of being part trained to work. We fell in love with the fox red Labrador, her name was Elsa and 5 days later we brought her home. Unbeknown to us we would be rehoming this beautiful girl a year later.....

 

 

What is Aggression?

The last thing I want this blog to be is a training manual, I want this blog to help others with aggressive/reactive dogs but by no means am I qualified in canine behaviour. However, I have always thought that the best way to learn in life is by experience. To learn from your mistakes. And trust me when I say this, I have made many. But lets not go down that route....at least not yet anyway.

 

So the word Aggression. The definition of aggression in the British and World English Oxford dictionary is 'Feelings of anger or antipathy resulting in hostile or violent behaviour; readiness to attack or confront'. Seems simple enough, but in the dog world, some people see aggression as barking at another dog, lunging at another dog or snarling at another dog. So really its not clear cut, never has been and never will be. I describe Ben as aggressive because he has caused injury to other dogs, but sometimes he is just reactive, sometimes he is just like any other dog. I guess in some ways, this does make it harder for me because he can be unpredictable, a lot of it depends on the other dog with him. I am now very good at reading his body language and feel this is key to manage and help any dog who has issues with other dogs.

 

I post on a few Facebook groups about Ben, and I remember someone said, don't describe your dog as aggressive, describe him as reactive. So now I just use both of these words! Or say, he can be aggressive but it depends on the situation and the other dog.

 

I guess I wanted to write this post to clarify that Ben doesn't go around attacking dogs left, right and centre. And if he was that aggressive then I probably wouldn't have the confidence to write this blog. Ben requires management to ensure other dogs are safe, to ensure he is relaxed and to ensure I stay sane.

 

Stay tuned for the beginning of his story....

 

 

Ben does have some doggie pals!!

Its not all doom and gloom and avoiding other dogs in Ben's life, he has quite a few doggie pals. His best buddy is Ripley, a 2 year old yellow Labrador. They have known each other since Ripley was about 6 months old. I met Ripley's owner through a Labrador Forum and we are good friends now. Ripley lives with Roxy, another yellow Labrador. Ben and Roxy have a strange relationship, Ben knows that Roxy is the boss and they don't tend to play much. Roxy will break up Ben and Ripley's play sometimes because she wants to play with Ripley!! Then there is Oscar, who is a Jackapoo! He is my little sisters dog and him and Ben have got to know eachother well. They don't play fight like Ben does with Ripley, but they do chase eachother on walks and are always pleased to see eachother!

More recently he has befriended a Westie Puppy, by the name of Robert I met his dog mummy from a facebook group and we found out we live 10 minutes away from eachother! With gradual introductions Ben has accepted him and we have been on walkies and Robert has been round for a cup of tea :)

Pic below from left to right - Little Oscar, Ben, Ripley and Roxy

Picture taken by LiveLoveLabs Photography - https://www.facebook.com/livelovelabsphotography?fref=ts

 

Video - Ben and Ripley playing

 

 

Robert, the Westie Puppy and Ben playing! (warning barking dog!)

 

 

And here is a picture of Robert, just because everyone loves a puppy pic!