*DISCLAIMER: I am not a behavior expert. The knowledge I share below is based on research I've done, my own observations and experience in handling different animals, and my knowledge of what's expected behavior for service dogs around other animals* Dogs really seem to enjoy chasing small things like rabbits, cats, and squirrels, They bark madly if one crosses their path and they can't reach it. This is a common activity for most dogs, and stems from their instinctual prey drive that all dogs are born with. Most dogs chase small animals because they're bored or frustrated, a few do it because they have an intent to do harm (aggression), and some are trained to do it for pest control or hunting. Even if a dog doesn't chase a rabbit or squirrel, they may be highly excited about it's appearance, and refuse to listen to you. Small animals can present a training hurdle for service dog owners, because they're pretty much everywhere and they seem way more interesting to our dogs than we do. Other animals, such as dogs or livestock, your own dog may or may not have a drive to chase, but these can be equally distracting. Maybe they want to go say hi, or are blown away by the sheer size of a horse. Whatever the animal, it's important to help our service dogs learn that we will keep them safe, and to learn how to be calm & relaxed no matter the animal, no matter the place. You never know what you will encounter when working, so it's a good idea to expose your dog to as many different animals as possible, and to do so in the right way, to prevent problems later on. I've written another post on teaching your dog to ignore small animals. That focuses on specific training techniques. This post will delve more into specific places to find opportunities to train and go deeper into body language cues around other animals. Goal: Calm, Collected, Focused on YouIn every situation with other animals, your goal should always be to teach your dog to be chill and maintain focus on you above all else. Lots of Down practice with duration, playing games together, working at a distance on basic commands they can succeed with, walking past while in heel, and reinforcing or correcting when appropriate. Expose to new animals from a distance. A good distance in stores is 6 ft or more. Outside should be 15 ft or more, even up to 50 ft away. Move closer as dog's behavior improves. Safety First
What to Correct or Praise
Places to Find Other Animals
Other
Good BehaviorWhen you see your dog displaying the behavior you want around other animals, calmly praise them to reinforce that behavior. I say calmly, because if you use excited reinforcement, it can re-establish a sense of excitement around that animal, which can lead to behaviors we don't want. Calm reinforcement could be a low, "Good boy/girl" or a gentle stroke or ear scratch. Nothing fancy. This isn't the time for getting them happy about food or revved up to play fetch. Good behavior can be ignoring by looking away or not looking at, existing calmly nearby, wiggly behavior nearby but not revved up, and no reaction at all.
Avoidance Behavior - Good or Bad?Below are a few examples of avoidance. Avoidance can be good or bad, depending on the situation and level of it. Turning their head, licking their lips, looking away from something, moving their body away from something are all signs that dog doesn't want anything to do with what's nearby. That's their way of saying, "Hey I need some space!" If it's mild, like turning their head, accept that choice and continue your long down or long sit exercise. If your dog tries to physically get away, increase the distance and work there for a while until your dog is feeling more confident. Some animals you won't want them to be super close to anyway, like livestock, but others, like cats or other dogs, they need to be able to be in close proximity and be fine with it. Behavior to InterruptWhen you see undesirable behavior cues, step in immediately to correct your dog and give them a better alternative for their energy and focus - the last bit is as important as the correction; you have to give your dog a better option so they learn that's more fun than harassing other animals. Your dog won't associate the correction with the animal, as long as
Looks Playful But Body is Tense or Extreme Focus - This one can be tricky. Dogs can sometimes appear to be playful towards other animals with bouncy movement, tail wagging, barking, and the play bow. But, if they are also staring, can't be pulled away, have tense muscles, make rushes towards the animal, and other cues, they aren't in true play mode. They are excited and aroused by the animal's presence, which can easily tip over into red flag behavior. Also, you don't necessarily need or want your dog to try to play with pet rabbits, birds, cats, or large livestock anyway. Aggressive/Reactive BehaviorMore than simple avoidance, aggressive or reactive behavior in your service dog - or any dog - are not good. This may look like growling, barking, lunging, pulling on the leash towards other animals, attacking other animals, or having actually killed an animal. Step one in either case is getting your dog away from the situation and pulling them from public access work or halting your animal socialization training. Then, you need to consult with a rehabilitation dog trainer. If your dog shows intent to do harm or extreme fear or severe avoidance of a certain animal or person, they can't ever be a service dog, because even if you fix the behavior, you can't be 100% sure you won't encounter that animal in public. If your dog is merely uncomfortable around another animal, washing them out depends on the animal. If it is a zoo animal or a farm animal, and you live in the city where seeing either is extremely unlikely, you might be able to keep working them as long as that insecurity is not present in any other interactions. But, if it's an animal you are likely to see, that's grounds for washing them. It isn't fair to them, and again, even if you fix it, you can't be 100% sure that the issue won't present itself if the dog gets overwhelmed. Hopefully the photo examples above have been helpful and revealing for you. Most of them don't show the type of exercises you should be doing with your dog, but rather they let you see the body cues to be watching out for. For your work...
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My Name is Sally...I have a condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. This blog is about my journey training Robbie, a dog who helped me regain independence, confidence, and achieve the impossible in the face of my disability. It continues on with the training of Austin, Robbie's successor. Check Out... - "More than a Dog" was published on a site called The Mighty Categories
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