There are a number of basic rules
when it comes to creating an emotionally stable dog. Two of the
most important are:
- Don't reinforce the dog when it's anxious, upset, or
fearful.
- Treat growling as a positive thing, because you always
want to know a dog is getting defensive or aggressive, rather than
being surprised later on because you've trained out the dog's
warning signals. Remember, growling is a warning intended
to reduce the likelihood of physical aggression, and is evidence
that the dog would rather find a peaceful way to resolve the
issue.
The problem is that, sometimes, growling can be inherently
self-reinforcing. The trick is knowing when this is the case, and
then figuring out what to do about it.
Glindy is an amazingly stable dog. However, several times over the
past few weeks, she's been a little growly with other dogs.
Typically, this happens when a strange dog gets well inside the
six-foot zone I expect a well-trained dog like Glindy to tolerate,
but I'm still unsure of the reasons behind it since the dogs didn't
seem particularly aggressive.
Now, part of the problem is that even experts in dog behavior
aren't dogs. Humans can't smell all the scent-based communication
that passes between dogs, and aren't hard-wired to understand
canine body language on the same instinctive level that other dogs
can. So, when dogs raise the DefCon level, how do you determine
which dog started it? After all, the one who growls first may
simply be responding to a non-vocal threat of some sort--one which
is too subtle for casual observation by a mere human.
The dilemma is this: if you ignore the growling, the dog may learn
that growling is an effective way to warn off another dog--or maybe
even a person. This is generally a good thing (warnings are very
desirable!), but can become a problem if a dog begins using this as
a technique to extend its zone of control further and further out.
On the other hand, if you punish the growling, you simply teach a
dog that warnings go unheeded, and may even bring negative
consequences upon oneself. This often leads to dogs that bite
without vocal signals when the fight-or-flight mentality kicks
in.
Obviously, the second option is unacceptable; no one wants to be
bitten. I've decided that the first is a problem if, and only if,
the growling is unpredictable or becomes increasingly common as a
routine coping skill.
In Glindy's case, her growling is both predictable (e.g. a strange
dog is
way too close for her comfort level), and used only
in circumstances that indicate to me that she's not using it as a
generic status-seeking tool. She's just vocalizing her discomfort,
and giving me time to rectify the situation by standing off the
other dog or simply moving us both away.
I'm very lucky to have such an emotionally stable dog, who trusts
me to deal with the occasional canine intruder. I hope I can always
live up to her expectations.