The Answer to Having Better Behaved Dogs & in the UK?
There are a number of reason that lead to badly behaved, reactive dogs including dogs that are pre disposed to anxiety through their genes, incorrect socialisation from 0-16 weeks, lack of on going socialisation from 16 weeks to 1.5 years, insufficient or incorrect exercise and enrichment, trauma, lack of training and pain.
So what can we do to fix it?
If breeding; dogs must be bred for temperament not looks.
So always get your dog from a responsible breeder. Always meet the Mum and Ideally Dad. Try and consult a professional when choosing what dog from what litter.
2. Ensure your breeder understands the importance of early socialisation 0-8 weeks and what that means.
You can give them this guide to help.
3. NEVER buy from a Puppy farm.
For the reasons in the link above you will have health and behaviour problems if you do. They are also illegal so you should write to your MP to ensure they are getting the police to crack down on them or contact the police if you are suspicious of one.
4. Socialisation 8-16 weeks
This is known as the sensitive or critical window of socialisation. The sort of things that dogs have not had gradual positive exposure to by the close of this window they will likely be fearful of when they are older and thus could be reactive to. Common mistakes in this period are keeping your dog indoors till 14 weeks due to vaccines or over socialising your dog so they are sensitised not desensitised. Book an appointment to help get it right from the start and campaign your council to allow dogs to enjoy as many locations as possible.
5. Trauma, Predictability and Consistency
Dogs have various fear imprint periods for example 10.5 weeks old is a renowned one. A traumatising event like being scared by a child at that time of development can have a long lasting impact. It’s another reason socialisation is so important. For example if your dog has had 100 good experiences with children and one bad it will be less likely to effect them.
Also bear in mind if you praise your dog for jumping up at them one day and the next day someone scolds them for this same behaviour, it means the dog cannot work out how to avoid this punishment which can lead to anxiety, depression reactivity etc. This is one of the many reasons to avoid punitive methods, especially as a puppy and ensure your interactions with your dog are consistent and predictable.
6. Exercise
It is critical dogs get the right amount and right kind of exercise. Behaviour problems are so often due to an under worked dog who is too often frustrated at the end of a lead. It is critical dogs get to run off lead with their own kind and sniff each day! Enclosed dog pens also often breed behaviour problems. Therefore make sure you choose a breed that is right for your lifestyle and campaign your local council for large, safe off leash parks in your borough, free of a high density of distractions like sports games, cafes and buggies. Campaign for multiple dog pens so all the wrong dogs are not enclosed in one space. Ensure councils are not making it so hard for dog walkers to earn that only bad, inexperienced ones are willing to walk dog’s. For more info click here.
7. Pain
If you have a dog who is reactive you should always consult your vet first for any health reasons as pain so often is the initial cause. Problems in the gut is a big one for this so make sure your dog is on the correct diet and not in any discomfort.
8. Training
Training is important to give your dog the freedom to safely explore the environment and get them away from people and things that are going to scare them. Though whilst I would prioritise the above, it is much harder to train later and no matter what you teach your dog when they are young, the fact you are teaching something helps build neural pathways so they can learn better in the future. The predictability of training also installs confidence and gives your dog control over positive outcomes in their environment whilst building a bond with you meaning they can trust you to make decisions so they don’t make the wrong ones themselves.
9. Educating the Public
It’s not like dogs are running around trying to scare or harm people. If it happens, the chances are a human has created a scenario they cannot cope with.
So I know this is super hard, however I strongly suggest you share these thoughts with your council as other people need to be educated in playing their part to help dogs not be fearful and therefore not be ‘aggressive’ too.
A dogs brain is on par with a 2-3 year old child and like them, they will get scared and need us to help and support them. If a child looks different or can’t communicate verbally it doesn’t give them any less rights does it? So why should a dog deserve any less compassion, understanding and forgiveness as it learns to cope with the world we domesticated them into?
Therefore we need people to be told things like:
Please don’t appear from nowhere eg suddenly walking up behind a dog.
Yes it will scare the dog and they will either flee or tell you to back off in the only way they can.
Please don’t touch or grab them without the dogs permission- i.e let them come to you.
Yes it will scare the dog and they will either flee or tell you to back off in the only way they can.
Please don’t rush up to them being weird or let your children do so.
Yes it will scare the dog and they will either flee or tell you to back off in the only way they can.
Don’t shout at them, try and kick them etc.
You may be scared but making them more scared its not going to help.
Understand when a dog is barking at you or bearing teeth it saying please, please get back.
With great power comes great responsibility. You can understand this, so you have the power. So listen, calmly give space and help them and you feel more comfortable.
Don’t yell Dogs should be kept on leads.
Should your three year old child never have their hand released? For all the reasons above to be a happy content well behaved dog they must have the ability to roam and sniff and run.
Be Compassionate. Give Space. Be Kind!
Dogs need time to learn and our help to build their confidence. Whilst they are learning they won’t get it right every time but please help them to get there in the end.
For more help and advice get in touch.