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;
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.....
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