[Dailydrool] Intimidation tactics

[Pamela McQuade via Dailydrool]

In my experience, some dogs will up the intimidation, others not. But, 
like Bev, I would err on the side of caution here.

Whenever a vet wants to muzzle one of my dogs, I'm OK with it. I'd 
rather not have anyone bitten, even a professional, who may have to take 
time off work if my dog does bite. Usually vets or the staff can get a 
muzzle on without any trouble--after all, they get lots of practice on 
this.

To make your dog more amenable to muzzling, you may suggest that they 
offer a tiny treat at the hole of muzzle (assuming it's one of the 
fabric ones) or put a larger treat inside a cage muzzle, to make Mariah 
think it's a good idea.

The only hound we had who was aggressive was our Abner. In those days, 
the idea of gentle training was not as common, or maybe I'd just missed 
out on it. I tried to use some Cesar Milan methods and ended up being 
bitten. From this, I have a theory: Aggression encourages an aggressive 
response in dogs; gentleness will encourage more gentle responses. This 
may not be a problem for you. It is more likely to be one for your 
husband. Men always want to respond with machismo to a dog who is not 
behaving well. If he wants to get bitten, tell him to continue the way 
he is. The dog will likely do him that "favor." But once a dog learns 
that biting works, you can never go back; it will always be a risk.


To my mind, it is better to "bribe" a dog than have an aggressive one. 
Since you are not teaching moral lessons to your dog, bribing does not 
matter. You will probably only bribe for a short time, then begin to 
stop it as the behavior eradicates, anyway. I am not sure why people 
refuse what they call bribing when it can be so helpful in training a 
dog who might otherwise get in more serious trouble. As long as your dog 
does not go out and bribe someone else to get something, it's fine.

Gentle treatment is not ineffective. It's kind. A fearful hound will 
definitely respond better to it, and it sounds to me as if Mariah may be 
fearful, not truly aggressive. Positive training techniques can keep 
aggression from happening. You may need to be patient, but the methods 
should work, if you get the right ones. And Mariah will not be made more 
fearful by rough tactics.

Only after Abner had bitten me did I discovered that he was truly the 
most wussy hound I've ever had. He was unfailingly sweet until his back 
trouble came along. He simply was not a dog who had physical courage, 
and the pain that came with the back trouble made him utterly crazy. How 
I wish I'd understood that earlier. Mariah may also be fearful of pain, 
which makes her fear the vets.

Our Horton is very fearful of people. Whenever someone comes along with 
dogs, he wants to visit the dogs, I think, but is afraid of the human. 
Hort began his time with us by barking loudly at any "dog" who was 
across the street. I learned the following method, probably from 
Victoria Stillwell, which has stopped the barking except when Hort is 
"protecting" our house (I have to do some fine-tuning on his training). 
Keep really good treats at hand when Mariah is out with you. If you see 
a dog coming, take the treat and put it up by your eyes. Say, "Watch 
me!" When she watches you, instead of the dog, and does not bark, you 
can give the treat once the dog is past. Barking loses her the treat.

For other good ideas on dog-dog reactivity, I highly recommend the video 
by Patricia B. McConnell, "Treating Dog-Dog Reactivity." When you can 
see how to do these things (and I think she has the method I just 
described in the video), it is easier to do it. Her video has a bundle 
of ideas for dealing with even more aggressive dogs, so I'm pretty sure 
she'll have an answer for you. Google Patricia's name, and you will find 
her Web site. Sometimes she has sales on her books and videos. I believe 
every person who fosters or otherwise has contact with rescue dogs 
should see this video at least once, since we never know when we may 
need these techniques.

Also helpful are the following books: "Help for Your Shy Dog," by 
Deborah Wood; "A Guide to Living with and Training a Fearful  Dog," by 
Debbie Jacobs; and another Patricia McConnell booklet, "The Cautious 
Canine: How to Help Dogs Conquer Their Fears." There are other books out 
there; these are just the ones I've read. The Debbie Wood book is not 
really only for shy dogs--shy dogs are fearful, so this is very good for 
those fearful hounds.

If these things do not work, I would certainly connect up with a 
behaviorist or trainer for some help.

Pam, food slave to the Dashing Bassets