Have you ever been on a walk with your dog and come across something that made you uncomfortable? Maybe your dog doesn't like other dogs, people on bikes, or anything that moves; so what do you do? If you're like the vast majority of the people I have worked with, chances are you cross the street or walk the other way. I'm here to tell you there is a better way, and it is probably the most valuable lesson I teach every single one of my clients. When faced with an obstacle, look at it as an opportunity for you and your dog to grow and overcome something together as a team. It's human nature to trust our survival instinct that tells us to run away from potentially hazardous situations, so we will delve into why it's the wrong course of action. Then, I will explain the correct protocol to handle these situations, as well as why it works so well.
When you're on a walk with your dog and another dog (or any undesirable stimulus) is heading down the sidewalk in your direction, there are a million reasons why your dog may begin to react, but only a couple things really matter in this situation. What does your dog want? They want the other dog to go away. What did your dog do? Reacted negatively by barking, jumping, pulling, fur standing up, etc... What was your reaction? You walked away from the other dog. What did your dog learn? Whenever an unsettling stimulus is too close for comfort, all they need to do is react negatively and they will get exactly what they want. This will only become worse as time goes on, and it is both not the dogs fault and easily avoidable.
Instead of shying away from these undesirable situations, look at them as golden training opportunities. To help your dog grow out of this issue, you will need to know a few basic commands like "sit" "stay" "leave it" and "look at me". Another key to success is having a reward your dog really wants to work for, regular treats won't cut it in a high intensity situation, I generally suggest things like turkey, chicken, and cheese. When out on a walk and a dog is heading toward you; calmly and confidently walk your dog about 10 ft off the path you were on, tell them "sit" "stay" and "look at me". Don't wait for your dog to start reacting, be preemptive and tell them to "leave it" and get their focus back on you with a "look at me". When first starting this training use lots of treats to keep your dog focused on you, for some dogs constant interaction will be necessary, which can feel very unnatural for someone who isn't used to that kind of training. Making sure you are always moving the treat around their face and drawing their eyes up toward your eyes, constantly engaging so they have no reason to focus on this thing that normally drives them mad. If you're dog is completely unable to focus even with your highest value treat, slowly continue adding space until you can regain their eye contact. The exercise is not finished until you can ask your dog for a "sit" "stay" and "look at me" without them losing focus by trying to see where the other dog went. Make sure you are not rewarding while your dog exhibits any negative behaviors, and use your location to your advantage (i.e. staying on the outside of a dog park because there is a variety of dogs with different appearances and temperaments, and you have the fence as a safe barrier).
This training works so well because we are essentially rewiring our dog's brain to believe what was once a negative stimulus is now an extremely positive one. In the past your dog saw these other stimuli as a potential threat, and was doing what it thought was necessary to protect themselves and their family. We are teaching them that we are in control of the situation, and the correct response when they are uncertain is to sit by you and give you eye contact to see what you want. It will become an instinctual response after you have consistently trained the behavior for a while, which still allows your dog to protect you when you feel threatened because they will be able to read that body language as clearly as they can see when you are calm. This same training works just as well for doorbells, knocking, things your dog sees through windows, or any other stimuli that cause your dog to react.
The world is a strange and unfamiliar place to our dogs, and it is our responsibility to socialize them with the world in a positive way. Running away from their fears or using negative training methods like physical punishment through the use of a choke, prong, or shock collar will only create more fear and never teach the dog the correct response to this thing that makes them uncomfortable. When in doubt, don't walk away, "sit" "stay" and get your dog to look away using basic training methods, so that every subsequent walk is more enjoyable than the last. Using positive methods will make your dog associate something that scares them with good things, eventually allowing them to relax and focus on you for body language cues on how they should feel about something unfamiliar approaching them. This training is something everyone should do from the first day they get a dog to help them become a happy, well balanced, and well trained member of the family and community.
