Something that comes up a fair bit when talking about dog reactivity / aggression is the issue around what part the leash plays.
As most people have heard, when a dog (or a lot of creatures) comes across another creature or a situation they are not sure about, they make a decision as to fight of flight. This decision is often very quick and is based on a lot of factors, that given the timeframe the dog may not have fully considered of played out in their heads.
One thing that you may not be aware of is that when you have a dog on a leash, the Dog knows that the “flight” option has been taken away, so in many circumstances there is a tendency to lean towards the “fight” option. It’s important to keep this in mind and is often why I hear that the dog is ok when off leash but it’s a different story when on leash.
The main point to remember is that you are not going to get a natural or true reaction from a dog on a leash.
Not to confuse or contradict, but dogs that have learnt to listen and behave, may well be “good” on the leash, but again take a different tack when off leash. So to re-iterate, the dog on a leash won’t give you a true reaction to a situation.
Of course there is another option for the dog. That option is to remain calm, whether they are on a leash or not. This is something that a good dog training program should include, teaching the dog to relax and remain calm. The “Drop” command is very good for helping with this, but is not a cure all and should be used with some thought.
It should be emphasised that at all times you are advocating and protecting the dog. So be careful with the use of any command in a chaotic situation.
After having a bit of a discussion around these points this often leads to the questions, “then how can I get the dogs to meet ? ” or “what can I do to help ?”
Remember that the dog should be taking cues from yourself as the leader and if there is an ongoing problem with the dog showing aggression, then is should be addressed, as any form of aggression tends to get worse not better. Through training, good behaviour modification, the showing of leadership and possibly most important aspect; a well developed relationship, leash issues and meeting other animals becomes less of a problem.
To reiterate, the dog should be looking to you for direction and guidance…. not the other way around.
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