I can’t take my dog on a walk?!

That was the exclamation of a recent client whose dog was barking and lunging at other dogs on walks.  The first step in the behavior modification plan we created for her dog was to stop taking the dog for a walk.  This advice is usually surprising to our clients.  All of us are flooded with the message that we have to take our dogs out for walks every day.  That is generally great advice.  We want dogs to get out and explore the world through walks.  Most dogs love sniffing all the wonderful scents they come across on a walk.  So why did we make this radical recommendation for this client?

Accidental Learning

For any training plan to be successful, we first must have a way to prevent a dog from "practicing" the behavior we want to change.  In the case of leash reactivity toward other dogs, this means we have to start with a way to exercise a dog without getting into situations where the dog will bark, growl or lunge at other dogs.  If we didn’t find a way to do this, the dog would continue to get accidental reinforcement for barking and lunging.  Imagine being inside Fido’s head.  He sees another dog and is worried the dog will approach so he starts barking “go away” “don’t come any closer.”  The other dog and handler simply keep moving along on their own walk, completely oblivious to Fido’s barking.  But from Fido’s perspective, his barking worked to keep that dog away.  Afterall, there the dog goes down the street.  We want to avoid this type of accidental learning on Fido’s part.

Walking the Gauntlet

Walks can be uncomfortable for dogs that may have been traumatized on walks, either by a dog attack or a loud, clanging garbage truck that came barreling down the road.  These dogs are not having fun if they are so stressed they are constantly on the watch for the next scary monster.  There is a common myth about dog training that encourages owners to “make the dog face his fears” so he can get over it.  This outdated idea easily backfires which is why no credentialed training professional would recommend it.  The dog can become increasingly fearful.  It also doesn’t feel good to most owners we know to deliberately put their dogs’ in a frightening situation.  Modern training will gradually build a dog’s confidence rather than force the dog to face fears.  Training will teach them to enjoy walks again, but at first we will give them a break from this scary situation.  

Take a Break!

It can be a break for our clients!  It gives the client and their dog a breather.  It’s not fun to go out for walks if you know your dog may embarrass you by barking and lunging and carrying on until you drag him away, sheepishly apologizing to your neighbor.  You won’t have a pleasant stroll if you are worried your dog will pull so hard you’ll get hurt or he will choke himself.  You probably won’t enjoy watching a dog that looks like he’s avoiding a stalker around every corner or trembling and panicking when something unexpected happens.  Avoiding walks takes off all that pressure for clients so they can re-set as they embark on a training plan.

Avoiding walks is only needed as a temporary measure until the dog has the skills that will be needed to take walks without stress.  For the dog who is barking and lunging at other dogs or people, it will mean a break until the dog has the skills to relax around unfamiliar dogs and strangers.  For the dog who is terrified that something scary may happen outside, it’s a break from the gauntlet of fear that a walk becomes for a dog like this.  They get a break, their owners get a break.  Then training can start them on a new journey.  

Check back for our next article on what you can do instead of walks to keep a dog entertained and exercised.