Growling is Good!

I am often contacted by people who have a dog that is fearful or aggressive towards something.  The dog will growl, bark, and/or bare teeth and the conversation reveals what methods the owner has tried to get the behavior to stop.

  

 

They’ve tried yelling at the dog, smacking the dog, hired trainers that put a choke chain, prong collar, or shock collar on the dog all to get it to stop being “aggressive”.

Choke Chain

                   

A Prong Collar

Prong Collar

A Remote Training Collar- Also called a Shock Collar or E-Collar

Sometimes the dog eventually does stop growling, barking, and baring teeth when it’s uncomfortable and the owner thinks problem solved, their dog is no longer aggressive.  Down the road however the dog may be again presented with that uncomfortable stimuli, a young child tugging on their fur for example.  Then all of a sudden the dog just “snaps” and the child is bitten.  The family of course is horrified, the child traumatized, and the owners are wondering how a good dog turned bad.  Many cases the dog is euthanized because they've become so "unpredictable".  I hear this all the time.

But the problem isn't the dog, it’s what the dog was taught.  When aversive methods are used on dogs to stop an unwanted behavior it never really stops that behavior; it turns off the warning signal.  It teaches the dog that growling, barking, and baring teeth are bad and therefore not acceptable.  But it doesn't stop the emotion behind that growl.  So now you have a dog that won’t warn someone when they are uncomfortable.  They get more and more tense as that negative stimuli is presented until eventually the dog does the only thing it knows to get out of that situation… biting.  Would you rather have you car’s check engine light come on before a problem becomes serious or simply have the vehicle breakdown on the highway?

 

So in reality growling is good.  It’s the dog giving you feedback that something is making them uncomfortable.  So what do you do about it?

It’s important to get down to the root of the problem; why is the dog uncomfortable?  We’ll use the young child tugging on their fur as an example.  First, was the dog ever introduced to the child appropriately or did the parents simply give the child free reign expecting the dog to handle the abuse?  A trainer that believes in positive reinforcement will slowly introduce the dog to the child always remaining under threshold.  Threshold is the point at which the dog says, “I've had enough.  I can’t take this anymore.”  By working a dog under threshold so much more can be accomplished because the dog doesn't shut down or panic.  They are never pushed too far too fast.  In the case of the young child we would work on teaching the dog from a distance that the presence of the child equals a yummy reward slowly moving closer to that child as the dog is comfortable.  With time the dog realizes that one, children equal yummy food, and two, you, their owner, won’t put them into harms way and “got their back”.

  

There are ways to curb your dogs insecurities without shutting off their warning system.  This can be accomplished in a kind and respectful way.  Please don’t punish your dog the next time they growl, bark, or bare teeth but work with a true professional to get to the root of the problem; their emotions. 

If you have any questions or would like to schedule a consultation please check out my website at www.HighlandSpringsPetServices.com or email me at: info@HighlandSpringsPetServices.com 

Let’s turn this:

 

Into This!

What’s a Service Dog? And What’s the Difference Between an Emotional Support Animal and Therapy Animal?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Defines a Service Dog (SD) as "any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability."  The ADA only recognizes dogs and in certain situations miniature horses as Service Animals. 

 

Service Dog Cali

Service Dogs are allowed to accompany their handler anywhere that the general public is allowed to go including; restaurants, grocery stores, movie theaters, department stores, zoos, planes, buses, trains, cruises, taxi cabs, etc.  Service Dogs provide a huge assistance to their disabled handler and it’s important to follow etiquette when around a Service Dog Team. 

· NEVER pet, call, talk to, feed, whistle, bark, or otherwise distract a Service Dog or dog in training. It is against the law! To do so can potentially injure a disabled handler and earn the dog a correction.  

· If you feel you must pet a Service Dog or puppy in training, ASK first. And do not feel offended if the handler says no. Remember, a Service Dog is as vital to a disabled person as a wheelchair or cane.  

· Train children to NEVER pet a strange dog -- ANY dog -- without first asking permission.  

· Keep in mind that NOT ALL disabilities are visible. Just because someone looks healthy doesn't mean that they don't have a disability; and all of the challenges that come with it.  

· Service Dogs can be any breed or size. A Chihuahua can be a Medical Alert Dog and do their job just fine.  

· Remember, a Service Dog is not a pet, but it has a far better, more rewarding and more enjoyable life than any pet dog could ever wish for. It's with the person it loves all day long, it gets to go everywhere it's owner goes, and because it's a working dog it usually gets more exercise, better food, and medical care than most pet dogs do because a disabled person can't afford for their assistant to be in ill-health! Plus, Service Dogs LOVE what they do; it’s in their blood!  

Service Dog In-Training Kenzie

Service Dog In-Training Skye Alerting to a Low Blood Sugar 

http://www.petside.com/article/miniature-service-horses-small-statures-huge-hearts

What’s the difference between a Service Dog, Emotional Support Animal and Therapy Animal?

• An Emotional Support Animal is any animal which provides comfort to their disabled or elderly handler simply by their presence.  Emotional Support Animal Handlers do have some legal protections in housing and in air travel.

• Therapy Animals can generally be any species including; dogs, cats, birds, horses, and more.  Delta Society defines a Therapy Animal as being “trained along with their handler to provide specific human populations with appropriate contact with animals. They are usually the personal pets of the handlers and accompany their handlers to the sites they visit, but therapy animals may also reside at a facility. Animals must meet specific criteria for health, grooming and behavior. While managed by their handlers, their work is not handler-focused and instead provides benefits to others.”

         * http://www.petpartners.org/page.aspx?pid=267#ServiceTherapy 

Federal law, which protects the rights of qualified individuals with disabilities, has no provision for people to be accompanied by therapy animals or emotional support animals in places of public accommodation such as restaurants, grocery stores, or other places that have a "no pets" policies.

Therapy Animals:

https://www.ncmedical.com/animal-assisted-therapy

http://www.hscalumet.org/pet-therapy.asp

All of these animals have important jobs to do but it’s important to know the difference.  If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to check out my website or contact me: www.HighlandSpringsPetServices.c