Kelpie-i Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 (edited) Would be interesting to see what happens if you aren't tense when a dog appears. We can't help but tense up when we know that something may happen, this is a natural human reaction and is our own conditioned response to a particular trigger. Therefore to tell a person to "relax" is as useless as...well you get my drift. No matter what you do, your body will stiffen even slightly and dogs can sense this change. This is why counter-conditioning is a great way to condition the dog to your natural tensing. In a usual aggression situation, the owner tenses just as they see another dog, this tensing is just another trigger for the dog. Your dog has conditioned responses to various triggers and therefore you can counter-condition the dog to respond to your tensing in a different manner. Doing some collar grab work as well as lead tensing work and teaching/conditioning the dog to show a new behaviour when these things happen is a good way to add to the current conditioned response, and IMO a much more sensible way of dealing with the situation where tensing is going to happen, albeit it may take a few weeks to condition the new respones but if you are in the habit of training then that should not be too difficult a task. I did some major counter conditioning work with my DA dog and it went from a case of redirected aggression towards me whenever I tensed and therefore shortened/tightened the lead to keep him from lunging another dog, to now full focus on me upon tightening of the lead upon seeing another dog. Do I still tense up...you betcha but funny thing, I am much more relaxed because I know that my tensing will not cause any problems..if that makes sense! Edited March 6, 2009 by Kelpie-i Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Good point Kelpie-i :cool: Click to Calm also addresses this and has exercises to counter condition these cues like leash tightening. Have to admit I haven't tried them yet - good to know that they do work, maybe I should give them a try as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superminty Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 Just wanted to put in another vote for Click to Calm, also Brenda Aloff's Aggression in Dogs :D Read through all the exercises and choose which will work for you. Those two books helped me so much - I now have a dog that I am comfortable walking in public - I am also now glad to see dogs approach as it means I have an opportunity to proof my dog's reponses. It's almost disappointing when you go for a walk and don't see a single dog ;) I no longer tense up when I see another dog - the counter conditioning work I have done has also counter conditioned me! The sight of another dog is the trigger to look at my dog, read his signals and react appropriately. There's no time to get tense Good luck with it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelpie-i Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 SM, I would like to try the Emergency Shut down maneuvre on Gabe but he has been quite good lately! I HOPE I will never have to use it! Although I am curious to see if it will work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dee lee Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 (edited) Doing some collar grab work as well as lead tensing work and teaching/conditioning the dog to show a new behaviour when these things happen is a good way to add to the current conditioned response, and IMO a much more sensible way of dealing with the situation where tensing is going to happen, albeit it may take a few weeks to condition the new respones but if you are in the habit of training then that should not be too difficult a task.I did some major counter conditioning work with my DA dog and it went from a case of redirected aggression towards me whenever I tensed and therefore shortened/tightened the lead to keep him from lunging another dog, to now full focus on me upon tightening of the lead upon seeing another dog. Do I still tense up...you betcha but funny thing, I am much more relaxed because I know that my tensing will not cause any problems..if that makes sense! Sorry, I missed this! Kelpie-i, I understand the principle but how did you do this? It sounds like something I can start immediately (ie before I get the book and clicker). She has been a real PITA this week. Oh and what is the "Emergency Shut down maneuvre"? Edited March 10, 2009 by ✽deelee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Singing is a good way to counter tension in the human! Hard to be tense when you are singing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dee lee Posted March 10, 2009 Author Share Posted March 10, 2009 Singing is a good way to counter tension in the human! Hard to be tense when you are singing. Its a good point. I have tried humming and singing in my head and that does help . At the very least its a good way to get other dog walkers to avoid us- "Here comes that crazy singing woman and her vicious dog" Fortunately I go early in the morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 At the very least its a good way to get other dog walkers to avoid us- "Here comes that crazy singing woman and her vicious dog" laugh.gifFortunately I go early in the morning. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelpie-i Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Persephone, I will type up a quick process for counter conditioning to collar grabs and lead tension in the next few days as it will take a little more time to write than I have at the moment. The emergency shut down maneuvre is one that was shown to us by Brenda Aloff at her recent seminar. Again it will need some conditioning and it is used mainly once the dog has already aggressed and/or the "locking on" is intent and you don't have any other options left. It's best if you purchase Brenda's new book "Get Connected" as it explains it in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 "Here comes that crazy singing woman and her vicious dog" - the picture I have in my head right now..... :rofl: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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