Dog Reactivity

Dog Reactivity comes in many forms. Hector is not an extreme case by any measure. He displays some nervousness, some excitement, and some frustration. He becomes highly aroused around some dogs in some situations and can react. Hector doesn't fall nicely into one single category. Like most dogs, there are several emotions occurring at the same time. We use a combination of counter conditioning to change how the dog feels and differential reinforcement to help him find a more productive purpose. Counter conditioning targets the way the dog feels and is useful for fear related behaviours. If the dog is in prey drive, frustrated, or just excited, then counter conditioning has no function. Therefore, we need other tools. That's where differential reinforcement comes into play. Differential reinforcement is about reinforcing behaviours that the dog can not perform while in the behaviour we dont want. It can be quite successful. However, it won't completely eradicate behaviours that are intrinsically rewarding. We'll come back to that. Differential reinforcement can work well when used correctly. For it to be successful, the dog must become engrossed in the desired behaviour and forget about the undesired behaviour. Using this technique is not about distracting the dog with a toy or treat. That won't work. The dog will most likely find that annoying or reinforcing of the undesired behaviours. The dog needs to find the other option more reinforcing. Many try and shove a toy or treat in a reactive dogs face, and of course, this will only make things worse. There needs to be some love, some passion, for the alternate, incompatible, or other behaviour. Here, Hector becomes engrossed in the play and starts to forget about the undesired behaviour. We then ask for some obedience, and finally, can he relax in the presence of the other dog, having devalued any related behaviours to the other dogs presence. We have changed the way the dog feels about this interaction. As mentioned earlier, if the undesired behaviour is intrinsically rewarding, such as aggression, tail chasing, car chasing, barking, etc, and the dog loves it, and the other reasons why have been addressed, then some punishments may be needed to eradicate the undesired behaviour. This thinking will upset some. Please, before you share your thoughts, gather them well. As I have done prior to writing this. Think about the bully. He first starts through nervousness and insecurity. One day, he explodes. It scares people, and they give him space. He realises that aggression is a good idea. It solves my problem. He practices aggression and becomes quite good at it. It's very successful. Then he starts looking for targets. He loves the feeling of power and control he gets. He becomes a successful CEO. He runs a billion dollar business and has wealth, cars, money, etc. He is now supremely confident. Cocky even. Does he now stop being a bully? Nope. He loves the feeling and will never stop until someone punishes him. Until someone or something teaches him that behaviour is not acceptable. The major problem now is that he's so damn good at it, and so damn sure it works that the punishment needs to be extreme to have any chance of working. In my experience, it is the same for dogs. Addressing confidence is important, addressing nervousness, also important. However, if he already loves the undesired behaviour, then it'll never be truly addressed without some form of punishment. And as with our successful CEO, we are better off punishing it earlier than later because once it becomes ingrained in the dog it will always be far more difficult to eradicate later and thus early intervention reduces stress and is done with an animal welfare mindset. In our opinion, using punishment is an option. And not necessarily the last option because, in some cases, earlier use is in the best interest of the dog and / or owner. However, there is always a however. We dont consider punishment without considering numerous factors and asking some questions. Can we administer the punishment in a timely manner? If we can't, then the dog has no chance of making a desired association. Is it needed? Will using punishment improve the dogs life. Will it be contingent? Will the dog understand why he was punished? This is more challenging to achieve than many think. Lastly, can we apply the punishment in an effective way? We know that if punishments aren't effective the aversive used will most likely intensify the behaviour. It will most likely be perceived as negative reinforcment of the undesired behaviour. Or simply just a dose of hectic energy to an already hectic situation. Here we dont need punishment. Hector quickly disengages from the dog and engages with his handler. She does a great job to play with the dog in a fulfilling way. And she doesn't rely on pure suppression. The dog is learning other dogs are no big deal. But my handler is! Perfect!