Leash Agression

I've done the research and must correct a wrong accusation. I think I implied in an earlier post that Swarley and Lola learned their bad leash behavior while at Grandma Lila's house. It turns out that Lila had nothing to do at all with our doggies acting the way they do when they're out on walks on the leash. Turns out it was all probably Neil and I. After doing a lot of reading of internet websites, I found that our doggies are suffering from leash agression. Basically, dogs are super social animals that want to check out each other and meet each other. When they see each other in the park, they are anxious and excited to get to each other so they start pulling on their leash. You start yanking on the leash and yelling at them, and they get really frustrated and then eventually, angry. It's like road rage - you're so anxious to get where you need to go, but you hit traffic and it makes you crazy. Once you've experienced this situation, the next time you pass a dog, you start tensing up, pulling on the leash early and warning them away from the other dog, which then signals to them that they should be fearful of the situation, which stimulates the barking and growling. Vicious cycle. And it all sounds eerily familiar.

We both definitely get very very tense when passing other dogs. We both definitely have yanked on their leashes and yelled at them. And apparently we have done this enough to reinforce that their reaction is the correct one. Lila did not really take the dogs out on leashes - she always went off-leash and ran them down a deserted road. So it really has nothing to do with her, and everything to do with us.

So now we go out every day with bundles and bundles of little cheese snacks and we're trying to learn that passing other dogs results in treats and passing them quietly and calmly results in LOTS of treats. I usually start treating them right when we walk out the door, every time they look up at me. Then, they constantly look up at me to check in and see if I'm giving them treats. When we walk past a dog, I just call their name quietly and give them treats as we pass. In theory, a great idea. Every now and then, though, they start lunging before I can anticipate it and they get a few barks and lunges in before I can call them to get the treats. Or an off-leash dog comes racing up to them, in which case I don't blame them for going crazy. One website said it best - how would you like it if a complete stranger ran up to you and started hugging you? Not much...

And the other challenging thing is that there is two of them, so if I have one of them under control, it doesn't mean that the other one is under control as well. Swarley can be behaving perfectly, and Lola is being a bad girl, and vice versa. It's hard to handle two at once. And also, because they're so tiny, I have to bend down to give them the treats which means, usually, that we have to come to a complete stop. I think when the books say to treat them as you walk past the other dog, they are thinking of a large dog who's mouth is already right at your hand level. Easy to walk and treat. Not so with the little dogs.

So, we're slowly learning - all of us. But, it is supposed to take months to shape the behavior that you want, even though it only took a few days to create the bad behavior in the first place. I am going to have a session with a professional trainer to get some extra help and tips. She specializes in on-leash agression and I think it will be really useful to get a little help from a professional. I want to be able to actually enjoy my walks with the doggies someday.

So that's been the most major thing on my mind lately. Besides that, life just keeps on tickin...
Oh, and on the other, much less meaningful front, both doggies appear to be slimming down. Swarley has a waist and Lola has a hint of one. Beautiful.