Anxiety and aggression on walks

[luv mini schnauzers]

I have an near eight year old mini schnauzer that has progressively become difficult to walk.  He starts crying when harness goes on and by the time we are at the front gate he is squealing and carrying on. For a good ten mins on our walk he screams and the starts to calm down but when he sees another dog it’s off again.  Nothing I do can get his focus off the other dog.  Some days are worse than others . I’ve tried walking our 6 month pup with him , on a connected lead , a separate lead and then walking totally seperate walks. Seperate walks a slightly better .  Anyone have some ideas ?  He is gorgeous at home. Very well behaved when home, in the car , vets and family and friends homes.  Walks are woeful.

[Papillon Kisses]

Hi!

 

I have an anxious and reactive dog myself, though he’s much much better since we got help from a Behaviour Vet (aka Veterinary Behaviourist) and a positive reinforcement trainer. Getting his underlying anxiety disorder diagnosed and treated was key.

 

The first thing to do is get a thorough vet exam. I always recommend getting a blood panel too. Something to check for is pain, as it could help explain everything from the harness woes, to the walking, to the dog issues. For this you may want to see a rehab vet or physio as sometimes their keen eye picks up on things that GP vets miss. This is a factor with my dog.

 

It sounds like your 8 year old does better without the pup, and you also don’t want pup learning that dogs are to be feared. So don’t walk them together, but more than this, I would actually STOP walking your 8 year old for now. Yes, that’s right: stop walking. This may seem radical, but if your dog feels like he’s walking in a war zone (which he does), that’s not good for his mental or physical health. Chronic stress does a number on the body, and every time he gets that burst of cortisol and reacts, his behaviour becomes more entrenched. Instead, increase his mental enrichment at home while you wait for help, and work on some foundation behaviours so they’re ready to roll out when you walk again. This podcast gives a number of ideas for enrichment: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1185767/4649111-emily-strong-cdbc-cpbt-ka-sba-and-allie-bender-cdbc-cpdt-ka-sba

 

 

So what are some of these foundation behaviours/cues?

- hand targets, for redirecting your dog and checking in with how they’re going mentally.

- “let’s go” aka u-turns, for increasing distance from other dogs, and teaching them that moving away from the dog is an option instead of doing barky-lungy (or other) behaviour to try to make the other dog go away. This is a personal favourite of mine.

- go behind me, for body blocking other dogs from your dog when needed

- go sniff, another alternate behaviour to reacting, that has the bonus of calming your dog down and potentially the other dog as well (calming signal). Super simple, just toss food and cue them to sniff it (I point). Another favourite of mine.

- Look At That is another we do but that fell into place when we did controlled setups with other dogs.

 

Once you’ve got the all clear from your vet, or any problems treated, then we can start working on his behaviour. For that, check the Pet Professional Guild website for a positive reinforcement trainer: https://www.ppgaustralia.net.au/find-a-professional. I see you’re in Melbourne. A number of force free trainers are offering video consults, and then you can work in person when things open up. You might also need to consult Behaviour Vet. There are a few options in Melbourne: https://www.k9events.com/behaviour-vets.html#vic

 

If you’re on Facebook look up these two groups: Canine Enrichment, and Anxious Dogs of Australia Support Group. 
 

Hope this helps, and remember the golden rule: keep your dog feeling safe!

Edited September 26, 2020 by Papillon Kisses

[luv mini schnauzers]

Thankyou. Lots to think about but yes we are now walking pup on her own .