Preventing Lead Reactivity

The problem

Whilst many newly rescued dogs adjust brilliantly to their new environment, during the course of my dealings with the rescue, I have noticed a theme developing with some of the dogs, who arrived off transport with no discernible dog to dog issues, but then approximately 2-3 months after arriving in the UK, suddenly start barking and lunging at other dogs on their walks. The onset of this reactivity seems to relate to being walked on the lead.

I wrote my thesis on this subject, to outline why severe dog reactivity can develop and make recommendations for future adopters, in how to best manage their initial walks so as to prevent this issue from developing. So I am sharing the content with you here.

Why would our newly rescued dogs suddenly start barking and lunging at other dogs?

Many of our Romanian dogs are rescued from shelters and because their history is usually unknown, we have no idea about their puppyhood, their early social encounters, the environment in which they were living on the streets or whether they have ever been attacked, abused or had bad experiences with other dogs or humans.

What we do know, is that they have lived successfully alongside other dogs in communal shelters or in their Romanian foster homes. We also know that on arrival in the UK, most of these dogs were fostered in homes with other resident dogs and displayed no discernible issues during the initial greetings nor whilst they were co-habiting in their foster homes. They may also have been subsequently adopted by families with other resident dogs and similarly showed no significant signs of tension with their new canine siblings.

They work through the usual settling in issues, adjusting to home life with all its new sounds, smells, and rules. They are doing so well at learning boundaries and manners and how to behave like a good pet. Everything seems to be going really well, so some of our adopters are really quite shocked, when 2 or 3 months after settling into their new home, the dogs suddenly start barking and lunging at other dogs on their walks.

Reasons for barking and lunging

In my experience there are multiple reasons that rescue dogs may start barking and lunging at other dogs on their walks but in most cases, this behaviour occurs because the dog is overwhelmed and feeling anxious about greeting another dog in that environment.

Once the fear is established, it wells up every time they see their trigger. Fear and anxiety reactions happen in the amygdala, the part of the brain which reacts first and asks questions later, so the reactivity can be quite explosive and very shocking.

We can learn from the mistakes others have made

In the cases of the rescues that I have worked with, the dogs did not arrive in the UK with severe dog reactivity. These behavioural issues have subsequently developed, because the adopters were not aware of the precautions they should take, when walking their newly rescued dogs on the lead.

It is my hope, that future adopters can learn from our mistakes and by following these guidelines they can help their dogs to love and relax on their walks and enjoy making new canine friends along the way.

How does it feel to have a reactive dog?

I distinctly remember the first time my own dog, Dhala lunged at another dog and how shocked (and embarrassed) I was. She was always a happy, friendly dog who had never showed any real anxiety or issues around people or other dogs. Then one day she was attacked out of the blue by an off-lead Labrador, and this single traumatic event had huge consequences for Dhala. She subsequently lost all trust in “large chested” dogs, even if they were friendly, and she would bark and lunge at them all, even from across the other side of the road.

Once a dog has become fear reactive, it is hard to come back from this and it is very stressful to walk a dog that might bark or lunge at others. As well as the obvious risk of an injury to a person or another dog which could end up in a legal battle, there are big emotional challenges to overcome for the dog and the carer.

Whilst it is possible to gradually shift a dog’s conditioned emotional response to a fear, it takes time and patience and you can expect to need some professional input from a behaviourist to help to counter condition the fear they are experiencing.

I have consulted with many of our adopters whose dogs have developed reactivity issues. They describe the lengths they go to, choosing only to walk at night, or going to the “ankle deep in mud type places” just to avoid other dogs and difficult confrontations.

Since it is easier to prevent a fear from developing, rather than try to recover from it, here are my guidelines that new adopters may wish to consider when walking new rescues. They are based on the latest research from dog behaviourists (which is referenced where relevant), combined with the lessons learned from some of the cases that I have been involved with.

Quotes from carers of reactive dogs

“I apologise before people even get in hearing distance”

“I felt very disheartened and as if it were my fault. I found myself saying N was a rescue and a little anxious, but it sadly fell on deaf ears. I think most of the time it makes me feel quite sad and embarrassed when these meetings happen”

‘You can have loads of good days but the bad days can be bad!!”

“My emotions were a mixture of anger at the other owner for not controlling her off leash dog, and then shame that my dog was behaving so badly.”

Practice with equipment such as leads and harnesses at home first

Its is highly unlikely that a new Romanian rescue has ever walked on a lead before, so it is critical that adopters take the time to introduce and practice with new equipment such as collars, leads and harnesses in the safety of their own home before venturing out on a walk. Equipment must be well fitted and safe to ensure that a) the dog can’t escape, and b) the dog is not put off from walking outside, due to fear or anxiety over the physical equipment being used to restrain the dog.

Well fitted harnesses that are appropriate to the dog’s breed type are recommended to ease any discomfort around the dogs neck that they may feel from pulling. The aim is to avoid making a negative association between seeing other dogs and feeling pain which is very likely if they strain to pull forward on their collar.

In some cases with fearful dogs, it can take days or even weeks before the dog is desensitised to new equipment and trusts and feels relaxed enough to let their carer put on a harness. Here is a useful video to show how to desensitise your dog to putting on a harness. Lots of practice and positive reinforcement will be needed in the garden before venturing outside into the big wide world.

If a dog leaves the home already feeling anxious about the equipment he is wearing, then then the walk is not likely to be a positive experience for the dog. If this is the case, stay in the garden or hire a secure field and let your dog have fun socialising off the lead until he is feeling more confident about being restrained on a lead.

Ensure the environment is not too overwhelming for the dog

Rescued dogs that are not familiar with traffic, bikes, prams and are then taken to busy places for a walk, will undoubtedly feel uncomfortable. If they do not have adequate trust in their carer to keep them safe and their carers continue to expose them to things they fear, then they will probably start reacting by barking and lunging at every scary thing. Most rescues will encourage their adopters to go slowly, to take time to bond with their dog before exposing them to the outside world, but inevitably there will be some that did not anticipate just how fearful their dogs would become.

Before going out for walks, I recommend that adopters just practice standing on the front door step with a bag of treats and watching the world go by. Allow the dog time to look without having to venture out. Give the dog a treat every time a person, dog, car, pushchair goes by.

To encourage positive early experiences, try to avoid busy places. If possible get out to the countryside for some good, calm, stress free sniffing. If home isn’t in the right environment, then drive to somewhere that is. Either way, take it slowly and do not put the dog in an uncomfortable or stressful situation.

Only let your new rescue dog greet others, if you are sure it will be positive

Rescued dogs may have anxiety due to poor early socialisation with other dogs. This is often the case when puppies are removed too early from their mother and their siblings, and failed to learn how to interact appropriately with other dogs. I see this particularly in the case of dogs rescued from puppy farms, or where a puppy was separated from its parent and put in a shelter.

I have also seen carers take their new puppy to the park and let them greet every dog that passes and when they get snapped at by a senior dog, I hear them say “its ok, he’s got to learn.” This approach can be very risky as not all experiences will be positive and a puppy can soon become very fearful around other dogs.

Laura VanArendonk Baugh’s brilliant book called Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out, suggests “A good socialization session introduces a dog to something new, maybe even challenges them a little, and leaves them with a good experience. If the puppy does not leave the challenge feeling more confident and happy than when he met it, he did not have a good socialization experience. Thus, sometimes what they intend as socialization in fact creates far more problems than it prevents.”

Be aware of dog greeting etiquette

When 2 dogs greet for the first time, carers often fail to notice the silent conversations that are happening in front of them. Most dogs will naturally curve their direction on the path or curve their body by turning away their shoulders to give a polite greeting to another dog. They may also sniff the ground or look away to avoid direct eye contact. A head on approach where the shoulders are square and front on may come across as confrontational or too direct, creating tension for the greeting.

Martha Knowles describes this on her very useful website about the silent communications of dogs. She explains “When two dogs get close enough to greet and sniff each other’s rears, they will do so by curving their bodies and walking around each other in a curve. Normally they will take a quick sniff of each other’s rear ends and move on afterwards. Some dogs choose not to approach each other at all, but they will walk in a curve past each other as a negotiation signal, giving each other space and passing one another politely”.

When we walk our rescued dogs on a lead, it is important to allow our dogs their own choice in how to approach. If you use equipment such as a short leash or a head halter, or if you walk on narrow pavements or paths where there is not sufficient room to curve, you risk interfering with the dogs communication and increase the chance of a tense greeting.

This is particularly important for our street dogs who would have always been able to use their own natural body language to make polite introductions. Suddenly they can find themselves faced with multiple head-on greetings, which they will find very confrontational and unable to escape from because they are restrained on a short leash. UK dogs that have been lead trained from puppies do not know any different and have become used to head-on greetings, also they don't always display body language/social skills that is recognisable to our foreign rescues.

If we cannot give our dogs the space they need to communicate appropriately, then we should avoid head on meetings altogether. I recommend practicing an emergency u-turn to get out of trouble, or encouraging the dog to the side of the path and scattering some treats to distract them from the oncoming dog or other trigger such as a bike, pram, jogger etc. Our dogs can easily lose their confidence and become fearful if these early walks are not managed appropriately.

Often adopters report that their dog shows no signs of aggression when off-lead, only when being restrained. If this is the case, then it rather suggests that the lead mechanics are not working for the dog. I recommend investing in a longer lead and allowing the dog more room to manage his own polite greetings, rather than restricting their movement.

Don’t let your dog become a frustrated greeter

Dogs with high arousal can easily get into trouble and develop over-excited barking and lunging habits around other dogs. Often referred to as frustrated greeters, these dogs are so enthusiastic about everything that they seem to forget their manners.

Laura VanArendonk Baugh says “Picture an overeager friendly dog, pulling hard, panting or gasping, eyes intent on the new dog it wants to befriend — and on the receiving end, it can look very aggressive or very predatory, and it often prompts a very defensive reaction. Even if your over-excited dog is basically friendly, putting him in a scenario where other dogs are likely to be angry at him isn’t going to help him socialize”.

If a dog is behaving like this, keep a safe distance from other dogs and reward him for calm behaviour. Only let him approach when he can stay calm and greet other dogs politely.

Practice improving his impulse control with training and games at home and work extensively on loose lead training. Leslie McDevitt’s excellent book called Control Unleashed: Reactive To Relaxed teaches carers how to use pattern games to help their dog build confidence and be able to communicate when they are ready to further engage with their trigger.

Watch your dog’s body language

Dogs talk to us all the time about how they are feeling, if we want to listen, then we just have learn how to watch and interpret their body language. There are lots of resources available to help, including Rosie Lowry’s excellent book Understanding the Silent Communication of Dogs Or for those who prefer something more visual there are excellent pictorial examples from Lili Chen, and even a dog decoder app.

If a dog starts staring, his body goes stiff, ears go back and down and his face goes tight, then you can pretty much guarantee the greeting will be tense. But if the dogs start to give off some calming signals such as sniffing the ground, looking away and they have a relaxed stance then this is a good indication that a greeting is more likely to be relaxed.

As Rosie Lowry observes it is important to watch your dog “Very often we will walk head on towards dog and owner, having full eye contact (with the dog) whilst saying “hello” to the owner then put our hand out towards their dog, staring at him as we reach to make contact. Stop and think how rude and threatening this is for a dog. Humans rarely greet strangers in so informal a way. How would you feel if a stranger did this to you?”

Adopters should look out for early warning signs that their dog is feeling uncomfortable such as lip licks, yawns, tail tucked under or hiding behind their owners and take all reasonable endeavours to protect their new dog from unwanted attention.

Quote from an adopter who now regrets not listening to her dog on walks

“I'd be standing talking to another dog owner and their dog would be trying to get M to play even though she didn't want to and was hiding behind me, and I'd stand and continue talking, and the dog would continue to pester her - the correct thing to do would have been to ask the other owner if they could pop their dog on the lead as M is actually frightened of other dogs, or else walk away from that situation.

The problem is, we only start listening to our dogs when their behaviours become a problem to *us*. M’s behaviours from the start were so obviously telling me she wasn't comfortable, but it wasn't a problem for me, so I wasn't paying attention.

Then because I'm not listening to her she realises that I won't protect her and keep that dog away from her so she has to do it by acting scary and barking and growling and lunging. Then she has started showing behaviours that are a problem to me so I have no option but to start listening.”

Grow your confidence with loose lead training

As they start to bond with us in our homes, our dogs will almost certainly tune into our emotional state and will respond to our mood, stress levels and start to recognise when we are feeling relaxed or tense. When we walk a dog, messages travel straight down the lead to the dog and it is easy to transmit your level of enjoyment of the walk, as well as your confidence or nervousness about an oncoming person or dog in the distance that may trigger a reaction from your dog.

Loose lead training, is about communicating and building a relationship with your dog, so that you can walk together without either of you pulling or jerking the lead. It is also about building confidence and trust in each other. I recommend you invest the time and patience to learn this how to do this with your dog. Find a well respected local trainer who only uses calm and positive training methods, or use one of the many online training guides now available through excellent websites such as Absolute Dogs or Spirit Dog training.

Be wary of some “old school” trainers who will teach you that in order for your dog to behave nicely, you need to dominate your dog, to show him who is the boss and intimidate him into submission, so that he obeys your commands. These trainers may also support the use of aversive equipment such as choke chains, prong collars, e-collars, anti bark devices etc.

As Sally Gutteridge points out “Sometimes we see the hyper-aroused dog forced into perceived calmness via threats or punishment; by someone that may be considered a strong trainer showing their dominance. This unacceptable behaviour hasn’t dealt with the dog’s feelings, it has made the dog too intimidated to show them, but the internal turmoil will show in another way at some point. The only true way to help a stressed dog is to help them to decompress by ensuring their needs are met, teaching them to be calm, empowering them via positive behaviour modification and building their natural personal resilience in the long term."

Be aware of Trigger Stacking

If we imagine each dog has a finite capacity for stress and each tense incident adds up, then unless we give them time out to de-stress, eventually the dog will erupt. New adopters can often be very shocked, when 2 months after arriving in their home, their dog suddenly erupts at a small yappy dog. They say, “I don’t understand it, as he’s always been fine with other dogs.”

But when we delve a little deeper… it turns out that the adopters just bought a new harness and it took a while to put it on; then whilst in the car a fire engine went by with its sirens on; then the dog was pulling on the lead and so it received a couple of lead jerks and a telling off; finally a small dog stood yapping in the middle of the path and BOOM!

Stress can easily build up and suddenly the dog erupts over its threshold into a frenzy of barking and lunging over something which had previously not been an issue at all. So it is important to be aware of trigger stacking and give the dog time out to calm down after stressful incidents.

Chewing, licking and sniffing are excellent calming activities for a dog and it is important to ensure your dog has the opportunity to do plenty of these every day. Filled kongs, bones, licky mats and snuffle mats are highly recommended as an antidote for stressful meetings and will help a dog to wind down. If the dog erupted on a walk, take a few days off to allow him to decompress before going out again.

Sally Gutteridge’s book Inspiring Resilience in Fearful and Reactive Dogs suggests that trigger stacking is more common place than we might realise “When a dog is susceptible to stress on walks, he is likely to be trigger stacking throughout. Even if he doesn’t react on that walk, his triggers (his arousal level) may have been raised a few times and he may return home more aroused than he was when he woke up that morning. In some cases, stress levels can rise every day when the dog is walked, then without stress relief exercises, the dog spends the rest of the day recovering.

My own fear reactivity to spiders

I am frightened of spiders. I know it is not rational and I have never been harmed by a spider, but I am scared none the less.

If I know a spider is sitting in the corner of the ceiling and it is not moving, then I can comfortably go about my business in that room, provided I can keep an eye on it. But if that spider runs, especially if it is unexpected or runs in my direction, then my reaction is very likely to be to screech and run out of the room. If the spider ran across the floor towards me, then I would most likely stamp on it as well as screeching!

So I totally understand why dogs bark and lunge if their trigger comes too close. It is fundamentally the same as my reaction to a moving spider.

What to do if your dog is already reactive?

If your dog is starting to show early warning signs that it is anxious on walks, please do consider whether you need to adjust your walking habits, in line with these guidelines. If you are reading this thinking, “I wish I had known this before” because your dog already has an established barking and lunging behaviour, then you will most likely need the help of a professional behaviourist to work through these problem behaviours.

But do not expect a magic solution, or an overnight cure for your dog’s fear. It will take time and patience to help your dog to start to feel calmer around the things he currently fears (we call this counter conditioning).

Firstly never tell a dog off for barking and lunging and try not to yank the lead to punish him. This will most likely add to his fear and risk making an even worse association of “see another dog” and “always get told off.”
Please ignore unhelpful and outdated advice about over exposing a dog to its trigger so that “he will get used to it”. We call this flooding. I cannot imagine how upset I would feel, if I was locked in a room full of spiders, just so that I would get used to them.🕷

Be cautious too about any trainer that “guarantees immediate results” as they will most probably be using force or “dominance” to make the dogs submit and obey by using choke chains, or shock collars to inflict leash corrections and pain on the dog each time they disobey. This approach may stop them barking and lunging but it does not take away their fear, it just stops them from displaying it in front of their handler. In my spider example, this would be the equivalent of giving me an electric shock every time I showed discomfort around the spider. I might stop screaming because I don’t want to get shocked, but now I have a fear of spiders AND a fear of you.

However, if a dog receives a big juicy treat every time he stays calm in the presence of his trigger, we can start to change their emotions about it. In my spider example, if every time I saw even a tiny spider, someone rewarded me with a lump of chocolate, then perhaps I might just start to feel a bit better about seeing a spider.
It is really important to build up exposure to the dogs trigger slowly, working on either distance, duration or additional distraction, but not all at once. For example, I might be tempted to calmly approach a tiny spider if I thought I might be rewarded with a lump of chocolate, but if someone were to rush in with a giant spider and try to make me touch it, then no amount of chocolate is going to keep me from freaking out!

My best practical advice to help a reactive dog is:

Stop putting the dog in situations where he is unable to cope and give the dog some time off to calm down. Change daily walking habits and introduce more calming activities and brain games at home to help the dog come down a notch or two.
Be aware of what triggers the dogs anxiety and help put some distance from it, so that they don’t constantly explode over their threshold and practice their barking and lunging behaviour. Avoid head on confrontation with other dogs and practice emergency u-turns to get them away of oncoming trouble.
Find a well recommended behaviourist, experienced in helping reactive dogs and ideally Romanian rescues. Ensure they will only use positive methods to help you change the dog’s emotional response to its triggers. They will demonstrate ways to encourage and reward calm behaviour and how dogs can start to make a positive association with the triggers they currently fear.

In a nutshell...

My advice to new adopters is to be their dog’s protector. Only take them out wearing equipment that they feel comfortable in and to environments where they will feel safe and can build confidence.

Keep a safe distance from anything that may scare the dog and build up slowly when the dog’s body language shows they are relaxed.

Be their advocate and prevent them participating in greetings that may not be positive. In some cases, carers may even need to tell someone not to touch their cute dog, if they do not think their dog will enjoy it, or ask the carer of an off lead dog to call their dog away.

References

https://www.doggiedrawings.net
https://www.doglaw.co.uk
https://youtu.be/YWfVzv_Y5sI
VanArendonk Baugh, Laura. Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out: Training Crazy Dogs from Over the Top to Under Control (Training Great Dogs) (p. 136). Aeclipse Press. Kindle Edition.
https://www.silentconversations.com/dog-communication-stories/
VanArendonk Baugh, Laura. Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out: Training Crazy Dogs from Over the Top to Under Control (Training Great Dogs) (pp. 140-141). Aeclipse Press. Kindle Edition.
MCDEVITT, L., 2019. CONTROL UNLEASHED REACTIVE TO RELAXED. FIRST STONE Publishing.
Lowry, Rosie. Understanding the Silent Communication of Dogs . Lowry Industries Ltd. Kindle Edition
https://images.app.goo.gl/gCicEG6TiPxDhGC76
https://www.dogdecoder.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRQZfHcg6Hk&feature=youtu.be
spiritdogtraining.com
Gutteridge, Sally. Inspiring Resilience in Fearful and Reactive Dogs (p. 35). Kindle Edition.
https://www.thedogclinic.com/signs-of-stress
Gutteridge, Sally. Inspiring Resilience in Fearful and Reactive Dogs (pp. 170-171). Kindle Edition.
Steinker, A and Tudge, N. (2012). Choke and Prong Collars: Health Concerns Call for Equipment Change in Dog Training. The Pet Professional Guild, Barks From The Guild, Autumn 2012

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