Most carers believe that a training course will solve all the problems. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth.
Almost half of my clients who came to therapy came to me after completing (or during) an obedience course. None of them linked the occurrence of problems with training. They couldn’t believe it when I explained the cause-and-effect relationships between training and a change in the approach to the dog (at the urging of the trainer) and the appearance of problem behaviour.
Most of these dog behaviours that we consider problematic are due to the dog’s stress.
Many factors can cause stress. These can be, for example:
– poor living conditions (hunger, thirst, cold),
– isolation (after all, the dog is a herd animal, social contacts are its NEED),
– lack of stimulation (boring life in the garden),
– illness, pain, health diseases,
– improper relationship with the carer (here, the problems can be diverse. These can be, e.g. “traditional” training methods / excessive control of the dog / addiction to a ball, training or owner / lack of consent of the handler to free exploration or social relationships of the dog / ignorance of the basics of dog body language, leading to mutual misunderstanding and many resulting problems.
If you have a dog that exhibits aggressive behaviour, it does NOT mean that the dog is aggressive. We should look at situations in which he reacts in a way we humans used to call aggression. Is barking aggressive behaviour? I believe not. This is a precious piece of information: “Don’t approach.” It’s up to us to act responsibly and help the dog or ignore his warning and push him into a situation that may overwhelm him.
We should be aware that FEAR causes the vast majority of the so-called aggressive behaviours. Barking at other dogs, the German Shepherd most likely tries to chase them away because he feels unconfident in such a situation. Let’s not be surprised. Aren’t there huge guys who feel embarrassed in a larger group or women’s presence? Many people avoid social contact because they don’t feel comfortable in a group of people. A dog on a leash has no way to avoid an unwanted encounter… He informs about his discomfort as best he can.
If “aggressive behaviour” is a request to increase the distance and results from the dog’s fear, then what is the real problem?
The problem for the owner is that the dog barks and pounces on other dogs. A dog’s problem is discomfort/fear/uncertainty when in contact with other pets.
Suppose the handler goes to training to solve his problem. In that case, he will probably be given instructions on better control of his dog (e.g., scold him for unwanted behaviour, force him to walk by his leg, concentrate more on him, and not allow him to contact or even look at other dogs).
Will this solve the problem? At first glance, the human problem seems to disappear while the dog’s stress will remain. However, even this is a highly optimistic assumption.
As long as the handler achieves all the goals suggested by the trainer, he may think he has succeeded. But is a walk during which you have to control your dog all the time a success? During which you can’t relax? Let’s add that inhibiting aggressive behaviour does not mean the dog has stopped being afraid. He was only forced not to show fear. So his problem has not been solved in the slightest! And this means that it is a ticking time bomb. Stress continues to accumulate in him. The dog will find a way to relieve his emotions (e.g. start demolishing the apartment. As I have already mentioned, hardly anyone associates the appearance of this behaviour with poorly conducted training), or he will begin to somatize (i.e. he will develop stress-relieving diseases, just like it happens in humans), or one day he will not be able to control himself and will explode. Then, the bites are likely to be very serious. The human will say that “the dog rushed without warning,” ignoring that the owner put a lot of work into making the dog stop ☹ warning.
If you have problems with your dog’s behaviour, I encourage you to contact a behaviourist.
Remember that treats are for training. They help develop certain behaviours, but they will not help solve the problem. If they are the primary work tool, we are discussing training, not therapy. Think about what you need: training or therapy. If you have any doubts, write to me. I will help you diagnose the cause of your problems and tell you how to proceed.
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