Walking with the pack

We finally made it out to Well Balanced Dogs this morning. Unfortunately this is a pictureless post because it was rainy and not a good day for picture taking. I hope to make it out to WBD frequently so I'm sure I'll be able to show some pictures soon.

Ardella went out for an evaluation and we will start walking with the pack on a regular basis when we go out in the future. Lisa wanted to see how Ardella reacted to dogs that were sensitive to new dogs. We walked around in a large field and had Ardella on a long lead. Lyn and I were walking Ardella and Lisa let out about 4 dogs that all approached Ardella and sniffed and greeted and then went on their merry way. Ardella was fine with those dogs and she does greet dogs appropriately. Ardella started showing a little more anxiety when more interactive dogs were let out in the field. She kept her distance and stayed on the periphery of the pack, but towards the end started doing a little bit of play. Mostly she was cautious, and she didn't have the stress reactions she had on the guide dog campus.

We talked about dog body language, stress signals, how Lyn and I should react in a stressful situation. I asked about walking Ardella in suburban neighborhoods since we have to have her on a leash, and was told that I needed to project calm and assurance and control so that if a dog approached barking I just keep on walking. If I tighten up on the leash (because my insecurity is read by Ardella through tightening up on the leash) then the dog reads that I'm not in control. Most dogs approach another with an intent to play or to tell another dog that they control the territory of their homes. If Ardella shows fear, the dog senses she is weak or something is wrong with her and might attack. Also, not making eye contact with the dog and looking in another direction tells the dog I think he's an idiot and the "aggressive" dog will back off. So much of this is about body language and I'm determined more than ever to learn as much as I can about this.

One of the more playful puppies (about 10 months old) wanted to play with Ardella. She came up to Ardella and Ardella tucked her tail under her and was leaning away from the dog. Lisa started walking again and told us that the puppy was sensing Ardella was nervous and that the situation could have escalated into more aggressive activity if she hadn't moved on. Keeping the dogs moving helped diffuse a tense situation.

We talked a little about guide dogs being attacked - that it happened sometimes - and Lisa said that is a whole different dynamic. A guide dog leads and dogs interpret that as a weird situation. Dogs are used to people leading dogs so that when a dog who is loose in public sees a guide dog team they sense the handler is weak and not in control. I'm really curious what guide dog schools teach handlers about aggressive dog situations and how they teach dogs to handle situations like this. Do they teach dogs to go to the handler's side?

Obviously, it is any dog owner's responsibility to not let their dog loose, but since it happens - dogs escape, people are idiots about dog interactions, or any number of reasons that a dog is out and about unleashed in public - I think that I could be a much better puppy trainer if I know dog body language and if something about other dog aggression is covered in training. I really hope that students are taught something about this in class, too!

So, my lesson now is to not tense up when I see other dogs coming and if Ardella starts to tense up to keep walking and not give her any reassurance by stopping and soothing her. I'm to project calm and leadership. We'll also continue to walk with Lisa's pack and to give Ardella as many positive experiences with other dogs that we can. Agility starts next week and I think we're well on our way to helping Ardella with dogs in public settings.

It's yucky outside, so I'm going to spend the rest of the day knitting and being with Titan who is leaving us tonight or in the morning. I'm going to miss him, but I think he's ready to go home. He kept looking expectantly at cars that looked like his owners' car as we were walking down the street this morning. Tomorrow evening we get Gizmo for a couple of days and then Saul is going to come stay with us for a few days starting Friday. It's like a revolving door of dogs around here!