Behaviour Adjustment Training (Reactive Dogs)

[sassbu]

Emma it was reading THIS thread a few weeks ago that encouraged me to try again with food distractions for Noel. He would never take food from me when there was something more interesting and I gave up a long time ago on that but it was reading about your success made me think to give it another go

Whilst I haven't adopted the entire BAT training I did pick out some things from your thread and armed with sausages we have had amazing results

So Noel says thanks Emma and Seamus, tummy stuffed with sossies and reduced stress all round We are still very much a work in progress too ofcourse

You've done so well with him, keep us posted

Sarah x

[emmajane]

That's brilliant Sarah - I did read your thread the other day and was proper chuffed for you and Noel x
The way I see it is that the dogs give us feedback by doing (or not doing) what we ask and it is up to us to take that information and use it, sometimes it only takes a slight tweek in what we are doing to have completely different results. Sometimes a break from training makes us and them far more focussed when we come back to it.

[jodav]

Emma - so impressed by everything you've done with the lovely Shay, especially the reflectiveness in thinking about what part of the technique you were favouring - a lot of people give up too easily, thinking that the technique has stopped working or they're just not giving it their full concentration any more! One question if I may?

In the first post you mentioned "calling your other dogs in to heel." I wonder whether you've noticed that Seamus gives off worry vibes to the others which causes them to bark or is it just him that barks? My two are far less reactive when walked on their own - maybe I'm just more tense and change what I do when I walk them together but I don't think I do ;D I'm also quite good at reading other dog's body language now and like you (I expect) make decisions about coping distances based on that (the tiny dog on the flexi-lead being the ever-present nemesis ;D)

Jo x

[emmajane]

Hi Jo

The other dogs certainly react differently when Shay is with us - particularly the boys, they try to block strange dogs from getting too close or distract them off to play but they rarely react badly. They are well used to foster dogs with all kinds of issues staying with us and thankfully they have brilliant dog manners and I can trust them to be calm and confident no matter what situation I put them in (most of the time!!). I don't think I could cope otherwise because if they all kick off there is a hell of a lot of muscle on the end of the leads lol It is only because they are all so easy to have around that we can do the fostering that we do and in-between fosters I work really hard on any little issues that may have crept in.

I have to call them all in and normally put them in a down if we are stationary or to heel if we are passing other dogs so that I can concentrate on Shay rather than wondering what they are all up to. It is very frustrating for Seamus if the others are all hooning round with other dogs having a fabulous time while he has to do his lessons
If I am intending on doing a structured training session then I would normally only take the dog I am working with, so I try have one walk a day where Shay is walked on his own then he gets 1-1 time and our own dogs get the chance to socialise more without the strain of having to look after him, and then I do a longer walk with all of them.

Regarding reflecting on what has been happening, I try to review every training session (I would take notes if I was a better trainer/person). Whether I put what I see into practice is another matter because essentially I'm pretty lazy I find that if I break a big training issue down into the smallest components I can and then train those individual bits I keep motivated because I can see success (ha ha positive training for me)

Ooops rattled on a bit there haven't I - sorreee x

[jodav]

Thanks so much for that great reply - and you haven't rattled on! I am interested in all aspects of dog interaction, mainly because I have one and a half vocal dogs ;D ;D but also because I'm doing a dog behaviour course at the moment and the theory of it all fascinates me. Sorry I'm gonna prattle a bit ... but I spend a lot of time trying to understand the barriers to student learning at school and I think there are parallels in the dog world - it's all about confidence and when we talking about walking ... dogs and humans ;D Once again thank you so much for expanding - I'm trying, in a tentative way, to emulate your example! Having the other dogs to take the heat off a bit must give you a little added back up which is nice but as you say, they can't always be the body-guards! Please keep posting, it is so inspiring.

Jo xx

[julies]

Hi Emma Glad you're finding TTouch useful ... I'd also suggest you put a bodywrap on Shay (Mekuti sell them and send instructions ) which should help reduce his tension so make your training easier and him be less reactive

Good luck, sounds like you're doing really well

Julie x

[emmajane]

From the current threads in Advice (and a reminder about this one) I thought I might buckle down and update you all on Shay's progress.

Reading back (what seems to be turning into a diary on Shay ) it has made me feel a little sick remembering just how scared and utterly overwhelmed he used to be outside of his comfort zone. He didn't interact with his environment in any way - no sniffings, no rollings in dead things, not even bothered about bunnies or deer - all he was concerned about was the Bogey Man/Dog that was going to come over the hill or around the corner. Fast forward to today and he is sniffing everything, eating sheep poo, peeing up every blade of grass and has promoted himself to Chief Small-Furry-Thing-That-Needs-To-Die Spotter. His coping distance with strange dogs has gone from doing back flips at the sight of what "might" be a dog on the horizon over a mile away, to being calm and relaxed at a distance of about 10 meters (on a good day, with a calm quiet dog that doesn't look at him!)

I'm still managing any situations that may possibly scare him (which is nearly everything) He doesn't go off lead unless I can guarantee there is no-one about, I still remove him from any situations that include strange people or dogs to a distance he can cope with - which changes depending on Shay's state of mind, what has happened previously on our walk, and if dogs are on/off lead/barking/reactive themselves etc etc etc.  I try to allow him to make decisions himself on if he wants to move away (as long as the situation is appropriate ie loads of space and the scary thing is predictable in its movements) and he's getting much better at having the confidence to keep himself a happy distance away while still being able to have a good look at the scary-thing. If in any doubt I move as far away with him as possible and just keep feeding him as fast as I can shove sossige down his neck until the "danger" has passed.

What I think has helped loads is gradually upping his exercise - we now run him with the bike for a few miles everyday which he loves as he can run super fast and also have a job to do, and we also have a day a week where he has the chance to relax totally (he is confined to the house and garden and we play games instead).  You wouldn't believe how much that rest day changes his state of mind.  We also play loads of games that involve ramping Shay's excitement levels up as high possible and then asking him to do simple tricks/show self control and I think this has been key in him learning to manage himself in real life situations when his emotions start to get heightened.  Proof of this was last week when we were out running early one morning, (Shay is attached by a line to my running belt and the rest of the dogs are off lead) Eric very kindly decided to flush a rabbit out of the scrub and onto the path under Shays nose.  As it was downhill and a VERY muddy track and Shay set off like a train I ended up half running, half sliding after him uttering every expletive known to modern man until my pea sized brain got into gear and I spluttered out his stop cue.  Shay stopped and bunny escaped free from harm and I didn't break my neck - can't get much more exciting than that 


While he is very much a work in progress he has been able to take a few new people into his inner-circle of trusted pals and has also lived for a few days with my nephews young beagle when he came to stay in an emergency situation, so we are confident that the future for him is bright. He's pretty much stopped redirecting onto our other dogs in frustration, he's stopped trying to nail the ferrets (although his interactions with them are extremely short) and he's stopped his wonderful trick of trying to take off your face if he thought you wanted his stolen booty (although that's a separate issue)

If I could offer any advice with dogs like Seamus it would be to do as much as you can to give them a choice in dealing with issues themselves (and stopping them when their way might be get themselves in trouble lol) and giving them every chance possible to learn how to deal with stress - whether that be fear, excitement, frustration etc.   I've also found that as one fear issue is resolved another one surfaces, for example his is now mostly ok with strange people passing him, but if they speak then it all becomes to much - so how, when and what I reward changes with his fears, so don't panic if this happens - the new ones will be lesser problems and "should" be easier to resolve.

He's now been here over 3 years and we haven't strangled him yet totally adore him (especially now I don't cry after every walk ha ha) I promise to post some pics when I get home this evening.

Emma

PS Gin (lots of gin) helps too

[julies]

PS Something I've been using with one particular kennel dog and others from class is using a Clicker to mark a good, non-reactive behaviour ... one of our kennel dogs was extremely aggressive with greyhounds and we were very worried for him I conditioned him to the clicker and just clicked when he looked at another grey with a nice soft eye ..... first we had the other dog a good distance and we worked to the grey being closer, standing there and being very close ... obviously at first he was rewarded for a very short glance but as his confidence grew he was rewarded for longer and longer soft looks If his eye hardened or he reacted all we did was move them further apart.

He got the idea very very quickly and the volunteers did a little 're-freshing' work with him plus play with the clicker- get him touching toys, hands etc etc and he loved the stimulation, he's now been successfully rehomed

I love training

J xxx

[barkyhound]

Have been reading this thread with interest. This is so encouraging! Thank you for the update, too.

[futuramafan]

I'm a BAT newbie and so far so good but I also agree that A clicker is a great tool too. I started it at home - so a good behaviour meant a treat immediately preceded by a click. I now take it out on walks and the dogs get a click and a treat for good behaviour. It is a great cheap and cheerful training aid.