How do I take my pattern games and training, and use them in real life?
Will my reactive dog be able to go on walks with my friends' dogs?
Brody is here to demo a potential answer to both of those questions! Your mileage may vary 😉
Brody is in the 'maintenance' phase of his training. When he first joined the family in 2019, he was a mixture between being a frustrated greeter and being afraid of other dogs. He would want to say "hi" to some dogs, then get close and get scared. With others, he'd immediately yell at them to 'stay away!'.
At this stage of his training, he's really mostly "Dog Tolerant". He doesn't care to have dog friends, but he's happy to coexist with them as long as everyone is cool and minding their own business. He doesn't mind bumping against his new buddies but generally doesn't initiate play with them. He is also 9 years old, which may be a factor.
Brody has never met Arlo before. But he DOES have a lot of history using Up/Down, 1-2-3, and Look at That to cope with seeing new dogs and helping me work with other reactive dogs. He has even gone on walks with a handful of client dogs, after using this protocol to introduce him.
The whole video of our initial introduction (Up/Down to 1-2-3 to wandering nearby) took under 4 minutes, which is a record for Brody! He was really interested in Arlo, but maintained his composure, and his trust in the system. He knows that when we start these games, mom is in control and she won't let him get in over his head.
Here is the introduction protocol:
1. We start with decompressing from the ride over. He can potty, sniff around, do whatever he wants within reason. I try to give him 5 to 10 minutes.
2. When I think he's ready, we start at a distance where I know he's seen the dog (he has looked at them, perked his ears, but gone back to ignoring them). We do Up/Down several times, ensuring he can eat the treat and immediately look back up at me.
3. After 10 or so Up/Down, we switch to Voluntary 1-2-3. (treat on ground, eye contact, start the pattern, end the pattern with treat on the ground, which starts it over again!)
4. As long as Brody is looking back up at me almost immediately, I will keep moving him closer to the other dog, usually at an angle or a curve. If he slows down on looking back at me, we will not move closer, but just parallel. If he is really struggling, we'll move back.
5. Once we're within 10 feet or so and he's still essentially ignoring the dog, I start to let him lead the way (within reason), sniffing where the other dog has walked or peed, meandering around, and still controlling distance. Sometimes we do this in parallel lines, sometimes we do loop-de-loops with each other.
6. When Brody is still nice and calm and we've walked together within 6 feet, we walk on the trail together!
I still keep careful control at first, guide the dogs to sniff where each other has marked, and take turns with who is in front. At this stage, with Brody at least, he is pretty comfortable and won't be worried about the other dog. He has had a chance to sniff the other dog from a distance and gather all the information he needs, and now doesn't really care they are there!