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View Full Version : Dog Behavior Online Seminar #1

judgemenot
11-29-2007, 12:35 PM
Ever been out walking a dog, or watching someone else's dog when it meets another dog face to face on leashes? What happens? If they know each other there is rarely a problem. If the dogs are at a loose leash heel there is rarely a problem. But what about when they are tight leashed and pulling toward one another? Or if that part goes ok, what about when you try and PULL them away from each other? There is almost always going to be a snarl or a snap.

Here is the most simple thought pattern I can give you. TENSION IN THE LEASH MEANS TENSION IN THE DOG!! That’s right! Every time Fido is pulling he had a lot of tension going on. When ever you are the one pulling you are creating the same issue.

When we train police/protection dogs we use that same technique to get the dogs to build tension. We let em fly right when they have peaked and now they are a well trained monster with many teeth ready to maul a, (hopefully) deserving bad guy, (or that guy who keeps swiping your Christmas decorations)! But in any case that build of tension is needed to TRAIN a dog to do all that. So what do you think your doing when you Fido pull all over hells half acre and then he meets the mailman or the dog down the lane on one of his walks? Your building up that tension. And if Fido gets to a peak at the meeting time it could get ugly.

How about a dog who is tied out all his life? What do you think this does? Everything in its entire life is just beyond that radius of chain/rope/cord. So it’s a lifetime of build up. So the next time you hear on the news about the mentally handicapped kid, or toddler who walked into the back yard of the guy next door and the Pit bull on the chain mauled it, you know what that this is a trained situation that could have been avoided. Imagine the kid doesn’t walk right in on the dog but sits just out side it for a few minutes...tension building...then it gets in there and wants to pet that puppy! What do you think that a dog on the brink of this much tension is going to do? Lick lil Billy's face and cuddle with him? No I’m afraid not.

This isn't to point blame at anybody or even to start a big discussion about who is at fault in these cases. It’s to start a line of good education and talk about that.
Please feel free to comment positive or negative! I’m a big boy I can take it! We should keep this clean though. Let me know what you think.

www.k9goodmanners.com
FranMan
11-29-2007, 04:16 PM
Nice write up!
t3rse
12-04-2007, 12:10 PM
what about a dog in heel off leash?

for instance:

My dog got into a scuffle the other day with a weimaraner. He was heeling off leash as usual and the weim was also off leash. The weim charged Enki, but stopped short. This of course pissed my dog off and he took the bait. The point being, that I know it really isn't my dog's fought that they got into it, but how do you control tension in a scenario such as this? How you show the dog that everything is kosher?

It took a lot of effort and a little ass kicking to break them up...
judgemenot
12-04-2007, 02:23 PM
Mostly that all has to work out in Obedience. Do go off leash until you can call your dog out of any distraction on a longline first.
FranMan
12-05-2007, 05:36 PM
what about a dog in heel off leash?

for instance:

My dog got into a scuffle the other day with a weimaraner. He was heeling off leash as usual and the weim was also off leash. The weim charged Enki, but stopped short. This of course pissed my dog off and he took the bait. The point being, that I know it really isn't my dog's fought that they got into it, but how do you control tension in a scenario such as this? How you show the dog that everything is kosher?

It took a lot of effort and a little ass kicking to break them up...

You dog has been attacked too much I'd guess he is just playing the defense side. A shock collar and some fence training would prolly help. Did you say there was a some dog at Don's that he was fence fighting? The would be good for training. Well maybe with a tall fence...
judgemenot
12-05-2007, 08:28 PM
You dog has been attacked too much I'd guess he is just playing the defense side. A shock collar and some fence training would prolly help. Did you say there was a some dog at Don's that he was fence fighting? The would be good for training. Well maybe with a tall fence...

just be carefull with that shock collar. When aggression is involved it can sometime intensify the negative reaction and make him more aggressive toward other dogs. You need to train a dog without distrations with a shock collar first and then add time, distance and then the envirmental distractions.
FranMan
12-09-2007, 09:25 PM
just be carefull with that shock collar. When aggression is involved it can sometime intensify the negative reaction and make him more aggressive toward other dogs. You need to train a dog without distrations with a shock collar first and then add time, distance and then the envirmental distractions.

That's why I said a taller fence. LOL. His dogs knows what's up but is smart enough to know that distance means he won't be corrected. Just like sabot. He is like "ah you aren't for real until you walk at least half way towards me." A pinch collar on a long line would prolly be better but t3rse has been talking about getting a shock collar also.