Rehabilitating An Aggressive Dog

[megan_]

At my little "club" we train on leash. Only dogs with proven focus are allowed off leash. When we started, when they wanted to give everyone a go off leash, we all stood outside a gated area. This took up time, but it meant that everyone was safe.

We are now at the point where all dogs can run off leash, provided the other dogs are standing back from the course.

[JulesP]

My immediate concern is that the dog can drag the owner to get to other dogs. I know you are a positive club but how are you addressing that? It really needs some gear on it that gives the handler control. Even for out of the club. Or it needs a muzzle.

Lets not forget that agility training is done OFF LEAD. No dog is onlead for any part of training at my club.

AD said the dog dragged its owner 3 metres to get to the other dog. So either the owner was holding on to the collar at the time of the attack or it was onlead. Either way the dog could drag the owner. That is dangerous.

[poodlefan]

My immediate concern is that the dog can drag the owner to get to other dogs. I know you are a positive club but how are you addressing that? It really needs some gear on it that gives the handler control. Even for out of the club. Or it needs a muzzle.

Lets not forget that agility training is done OFF LEAD. No dog is onlead for any part of training at my club.

AD said the dog dragged its owner 3 metres to get to the other dog. So either the owner was holding on to the collar at the time of the attack or it was onlead. Either way the dog could drag the owner. That is dangerous.

It might have been onlead between exercises (which we insist on at my club). The idea of this dog being offlead doesn't thrill me at all.

Megan:

At my little "club" we train on leash.

How do you train a dog to jump on lead? You certainly wouldn't be able to send it ahead or get any lateral distance on one.

Edited December 6, 2010 by poodlefan

[corvus]

These are classes Corvus, not trials.

I meant "trial" in the testing sense. Presumably rehabilitation sessions would involve the handler doing something with their dog. Each time they do something where the dog is expected to respond, that's what I meant by trial.

[poodlefan]

These are classes Corvus, not trials.

I meant "trial" in the testing sense. Presumably rehabilitation sessions would involve the handler doing something with their dog. Each time they do something where the dog is expected to respond, that's what I meant by trial.

I think that's a safe bet.

[mita]

I meant "trial" in the testing sense. Presumably rehabilitation sessions would involve the handler doing something with their dog. Each time they do something where the dog is expected to respond, that's what I meant by trial.

Spoken like a true researcher, corvus. And a neat definition of 'trial' which allows measurement in the testing sense.

[corvus]

Sorry, I realised a bit late that trial has a more common meaning in training circles.

[mita]

Sorry, I realised a bit late that trial has a more common meaning in training circles.

Your use of 'trial' fitted with your previous post about doing some action research on this dog's issues. Neatly described, too.

I've found the same thing myself, some words have a technical meaning in research or scholarship, that's not quite the same as in everyday- life contexts.

[Kelpie-i]

In my line of work and during my quest/ eternal search for the $1 million dollar answer to 'curing' dog aggression over the many years, here it was I know to be actual facts when rehabilitating a DA dog so far:

1. Desensitisation via thresholds is the only permanent means of rehabilitating a DA dog... and even then it is not without it's limitations.

2. Desensitisation needs to run it's own course - up to 2 years for some cases. Regular CONTROLLED exposure helps the desensitisation process along..... nothing else will.

3. The higher degree the reactivity, the longer the desensitisation process will take - as mentioned can be up to 2 years

4. All of the various techniques out there ie. focus, backaways, u-turns, LAT, BAT and anything else are fantastic for teaching both the dog and owner coping/handling strategies....nothing more and nothing less. They do not "cure" the aggression but are extremely helpful during the process.

5. Physical corrections are counter-productive during the desensitisation process. They merely mask the behaviour and give the owner a false sense of accomplishment....does not help in the rehab process since owner more likely to violate thresholds.

6. Once the act of aggression forms part of the dog's repertoire, the owner needs to know that the dog will always be inclined to use it. It's like a cancer...once formed, it can always resurface.

Therefore your goals should be set for each training session only....not for the entire rehabilitation process. Small, do-able goals such as 'close the critical distance by .5 metres today', or 'LAT game with one dog only'. Whatever the goal/s, they should be for THAT specific training session only.

We all know what the ultimate goal for the owner is

Realistic expectations is also a must with DA dogs.....remember there is NO CURE for DA...just desesnsitising the dog to other dogs to lessen the fear and the owner learning how to read and communicate with the dog.....that's it!

Hope my 20c worth helps the person.

Edited December 6, 2010 by Kelpie-i

[Agility Dogs]

Goals are one thing - reality is another.

My personal theory is that you don't rehabilitate or "cure" aggressive dogs – what you do is raise the trigger point at which they aggress. That can require many different things and many different timeframes depending on the dog and the handler. Some dogs never make it back to class.

I've seen my share of aggression incidents in agility and in every one of them I'd say the handler's failure to notice and control their dog's escalating reactivity was a significant factor. They simply miss the signs and they don't react fast enough when their dog focuses on another. The time to call your dog is when its by your side and turning towards the other dog - NOT when its 2 metres away and fully engaged in an attack.

So for this dog/handler team the first step for me is NO AGILITY TRAINING UNTIL THE DOG'S REACTION CAN BE CONTROLLED AWAY FROM EQUIPMENT

That's goal one. No equipment and no training until the behaviourist says its OK. My guess is that won't be immediate. This dog clearly means business and until such time as the handler can demonstrate effective control, she shouldn’t have it near other dogs unless it is muzzled and on lead.

From a liability perspective you have a dog with a history of aggression. If you allow it to continue training and it nails another dog, the club or trainer running the classes will be up for all costs. From the point of view of other class members, they aren't guinea pigs or training aids for this dog and handler. It's hard enough training your own dog without having to keep an eye on someone else's. An aggressive incident towards some dogs will set them back months. Play it safe.

I'd suspend the dog from all agility training until it can pass a temperament and control test set by you.

Thanks - that's one of the points I have made to the committee dealing with it. We are not ever going to stop this dog being this dog. All we can do is change the balance in the relationship between handler and owner so that the dog has more value on the handler than it does achieving satisfaction elsewhere.

[Aidan]

In my line of work and during my quest/ eternal search for the $1 million dollar answer to 'curing' dog aggression over the many years, here it was I know to be actual facts when rehabilitating a DA dog so far:

Good post written by someone who understands the difference between "suppressing some superficial symptoms" and "helping the dog actually feel safe around other dogs" and how to get there.

ETA: I will make one small addition, from my understanding of the neuroscience, nothing is ever unlearned. What appears to change is that the fear is actively inhibited by a process of learned safety. Some dogs have deficiencies in learning this (as do some people, and rats, and most other species that have been studied), and will take much longer than others who may have just had some really bad experiences, but otherwise don't have any trouble learning when things are innocuous.

Edited December 6, 2010 by Aidan

[Kelpie-i]

Awwww shucks Aiden, thanks for that...

It's a topic very close to my heart and one that I have been trying to find answers to for a long. long time. What I've written are my findings only (so far because just like every other trainer, I'm always learning) on the process of rehabilitating a DA dog.

[Kelpie-i]

ETA: I will make one small addition, from my understanding of the neuroscience, nothing is ever unlearned. What appears to change is that the fear is actively inhibited by a process of learned safety. Some dogs have deficiencies in learning this (as do some people, and rats, and most other species that have been studied), and will take much longer than others who may have just had some really bad experiences, but otherwise don't have any trouble learning when things are innocuous.

Good point Aidan....certainly something that I am noticing more and more of. Also, I am not sure of the scientific terminology for this, but have noticed that once a breakthrough has been made with the dog, it just seems to keep going in leaps and bounds...almost as if the brain, once achieving the breakthrough, continues to mass-produce the neurotransmitters required to promote that particular learning....make sense?? During this time, the dog can still have minor set backs but I notice that these are short lived and the dog seems to reactive through habit rather than through emotion most times.

[raineth]

ETA: I will make one small addition, from my understanding of the neuroscience, nothing is ever unlearned. What appears to change is that the fear is actively inhibited by a process of learned safety. Some dogs have deficiencies in learning this (as do some people, and rats, and most other species that have been studied), and will take much longer than others who may have just had some really bad experiences, but otherwise don't have any trouble learning when things are innocuous.

Good point Aidan....certainly something that I am noticing more and more of. Also, I am not sure of the scientific terminology for this, but have noticed that once a breakthrough has been made with the dog, it just seems to keep going in leaps and bounds...almost as if the brain, once achieving the breakthrough, continues to mass-produce the neurotransmitters required to promote that particular learning....make sense?? During this time, the dog can still have minor set backs but I notice that these are short lived and the dog seems to reactive through habit rather than through emotion most times.

I really enjoyed your post too Kelpie-i

from my understanding, I think rather than the focus being on greater production of certain neurotransmitters; what would be occurring is a strengthening of the connections between certain neurons.

With every repetition of the dog learning to have a different emotional reaction to dogs certain connections between neurons are strengthened.

what can also occur is that the other connections that were resulting in a negative emotional (and behavioural response) can become weaker. As Aidan mentioned though it is not unlearned. But the connection can be weakened.

Some research has found a certain number of repetitions (or really certain neurons always firing before other neurons) will always produce a strong connection (known as long-term potentiation).

I guess this is why you can often see little progress, then suddenly its almost like a switch goes on in their head and you get much better progress

[m-j]

LAT, BAT

What are these?

"suppressing some superficial symptoms" and "helping the dog actually feel safe around other dogs"

How does an owner determine the difference?

[Aidan3]

Also, I am not sure of the scientific terminology for this, but have noticed that once a breakthrough has been made with the dog, it just seems to keep going in leaps and bounds...almost as if the brain, once achieving the breakthrough, continues to mass-produce the neurotransmitters required to promote that particular learning....make sense??

Yes, definitely. I'm not a neuropsych so I couldn't speak with any authority but my understanding is that once a safety signal is learned (it could be virtually anything) fear is actively inhibited in the brain. I won't risk embarrassment by guessing which neurotransmitters in which part of the brain, but there has been some very good research on this recently and a picture is definitely emerging.

How robust this is isn't clear from the research. It's something I'd like to play a part in researching myself when the time comes. Anxiety is so often treated with drugs becase drugs increase the effects of certain neurotransmitters in the brain, and they do this more or less on demand. It has been demonstrated (in rodents so far) that deliberately conditioned safety can be at least as powerful as drugs, if not more so.

But getting back on topic, if a trainer or behaviourist is paying attention when what Kelpie-i has described happens, things can move ahead in leaps and bounds. I use Look at That type exercises because we can get to that point very efficiently, all of a sudden the ball is rolling so you have to be prepared to tick off a lot of those goals or even skip a few steps. It's never been linear for me.

[Kelpie-i]

I really enjoyed your post too Kelpie-i

from my understanding, I think rather than the focus being on greater production of certain neurotransmitters; what would be occurring is a strengthening of the connections between certain neurons.

With every repetition of the dog learning to have a different emotional reaction to dogs certain connections between neurons are strengthened.

what can also occur is that the other connections that were resulting in a negative emotional (and behavioural response) can become weaker. As Aidan mentioned though it is not unlearned. But the connection can be weakened.

Some research has found a certain number of repetitions (or really certain neurons always firing before other neurons) will always produce a strong connection (known as long-term potentiation).

I guess this is why you can often see little progress, then suddenly its almost like a switch goes on in their head and you get much better progress

Wow, thanks for that explanation raineth and Aidan...raineth I hope you don't mind if I cut/paste it for future reference

When you say the "connection can be weakened", this would be the dog regressing due to lack of regular exposure...because the brain no longer needs to fire the necessary neurons....is this correct? Would it be the same as the critical socialisation period of the puppy where the denditric branching occurs with every new experience during the first 16 weeks? Would sound similar...

m-j, they are merely exercises to assist both dog and handler during the desensitisation processes...again, they are NOT cures merely creating coping strategies.

Here is BAT (which is simply Behaviour Adjustment Training)

BAT

And LAT (which is a Look At that Exercise)

LAT

Edited December 6, 2010 by Kelpie-i

[Cosmolo]

I agree with Kelpie i and Aidan too. I used to think aggression could be cured and i used to think using physical aversives was almost essential at some point in the process. Experience has changed my views significantly and while i still believe that in some cases application of a correction can be helpful, i know it is a simple behaviour block at a point in time- sometimes i believe this is helpful so that the other desensitisation processes can take place more easily, in other cases it is not needed.

There is no cure for aggression- but you can raise thresholds to a point where the aggression does not present in the practical situations the dog is placed in with many dogs. Owner committment to the process is huge- i sometimes have difficulty initially getting people to do enough of something like the LAT- once they start and see snowballing good results- they tend to be more willing to do more repetitions!

[m-j]

Here is BAT (which is simply Behaviour Adjustment Training)

BAT

And LAT (which is a Look At that Exercise)

LAT

Oh of course Thanks Kelpie-i.

[Jigsaw]

Some great posts from Kelpie-i and others!!