The Human Toll From Dog-Dog Aggression
The July/August issue of the APDT Chronicle hits subscribers’ mailboxes the last week in June. Our article “Safety and Ethics in Working with Dog-to-Dog Aggression Problems” will appear in that issue. It is the first in a series the Chronicle will be running on intraspecific, or dog-dog aggression.
We were on the receiving end of an attack on our dogs from a loose American bulldog in our neighborhood last summer. We’ve written about this previously, but both our dogs were injured, Suzanne broke her hand attempting to stop the attack, and all of us were emotionally traumatized to the point we later sought counseling for anxiety reactions. We were forced to file a civil lawsuit in order to recoup our expenses and damages.
We’ve found that dog-dog aggression problems are taken less seriously than aggression directed at people. While many would argue that a person is more important than a dog (and before we get tons of nasty comments, we recognize some people would also vehemently disagree) based on our experience, the effect that dog-dog aggression has on the people involved is under recognized.
Because we continue to maintain our same walking route in our neighborhood (it’s difficult to get to our little park any other way), we still relive the attack to some degree every day, as we pass the dog owner’s house and the yard where the attack occurred. All but the smallest loose dog still causes us to tense up and we do not trust other dogs to come up and greet our dogs. Interestingly, our reaction is confined to when we are with our dogs. Given our profession we are thankful it hasn’t generalized to other situations!
Trainers and behavior consultants who work with these problems must remember that asking a client to allow their dog to approach another, in a controlled circumstance, is likely to trigger the sort of anxiety we continue to experience almost a year later. Telling the owner in an accusatory way that their behavior could be affecting that of their dog is neither helpful nor kind, and reflects a lack of understanding of the effects of anxiety.
We needed to learn specific skills that are allowing us to manage our anxiety when we are out with our dogs and another dog approaches. Expecting someone to do this through an act of will is not realistic. And if a so called “training session” is NOT well controlled, it can result in terrible incidents that cause further emotional and physical trauma to both dogs and people.
That is the primary point of our Chronicle article. If you are seeking help for this sort of problem or if you are a professional who works with them, dogs and people cannot be put further at risk during training or behavior modification. Professionals MUST know their limits, and be able to recognize if they are not sufficiently experienced, knowledgeable and prepared to take on these problems. There MUST for example be more than one set of safety system in place (e.g. muzzles, steel tethers you KNOW won’t fail) and the emotional and behavioral wellbeing of any dog being used as a “helper” to elicit the aggression from the “problem dog” cannot be compromised.
To learn more about what we feel is required to be qualified to work with these sorts of problems, read our article in the July/August 2010 issue of the APDT Chronicle. AND also look for our ad for our BehaviorEducationNetwork. Join this weekend, before subscription rates increase!
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11 Responses to “The Human Toll From Dog-Dog Aggression”
Suz and Dan
Dear Lori – we’re sorry to hear about your bad experience with your neighbor’s loose dog. We can certainly identify with much of what you are feeling. We did seek counseling for the sort of anxiety and nervous reactions you describe. If the dog is continuing to get out, we’d recommend calling your local animal control agency EACH AND EVERY TIME it happens.
We also have to walk past the house where the owner of the dog that attacked us lives, and to some degree we re-live the attack each time we pass the house. We are always on the look out now for loose dogs and have also armed ourselves with a baton type device that we have already been forced to use several times to keep loose dogs away from us. We are still embroiled in a civil suit, which unfortunately tends to continue to keep the whole incident in the forefront of our minds.
We agree – it’s not a healthy way to live, and it’s certainly given us a much better appreciation for what people go through who have experienced far more trauma than we did. Compassion and responsibility are keys.
The use and definition of the term “pathological” as it applies to problem behaviors is a whole other discussion, and perhaps one we will take up in another article, but regardless we’re glad you found the help you need.
Suzanne and Dan
Lori K
As the owner of a fearful dog, whose reactivity is predominantly directed towards other dogs, your article in The Chronicle resonated with me. We worked privately with a trainer for a time and made some progress. After doing much reading, I began to suspect that my dog's behavior was pathological, so I self-referred to a DVM behaviorist, who medicated my dog and gave me the tools needed to address her behavior. Although my dog will always have to be managed and probably will never compete in agility, I'm happy to report that she can now go out into the world and do normal dog stuff and probably appears normal to most people. Based on my experiences, at least some trainers are in need of education on the behaviors that cross the line to pathological–and there seems to be a reluctance among trainers (and owners) to get these dogs the chemical help that they really need.
As the owner of a reactive dog and a second, very powerful, but fortunately non reactive dog, the loose dog scenerio has always been my biggest fear. Three weeks ago, while walking both my dogs on a public sidewalk, we were attacked by a neighbor's dog that escaped thru an open gate. I found myself in the middle of a 3 dog scuffle and there wasn't a thing that I could do about it until the owner of the third dog retrieved her beast. I'm haunted by what ifs: What if my 2 dogs had seriously injured or killed the attacking dog?; what if the owner of the attacking dog had been bitten by one of my dogs while retrieving her darling from the scuffle?; what if my dogs experienced lasting pyschological effects from the incident? For a time, I think that I had PTSD and had considered seeking counseling. Not withstanding, I have been forced to modify my behavior: I no longer walk my dogs together, I no longer walk either dog on my side of the street, and I am now forced to carry weapons while walking my dogs in daylight in my own neighborhood. And I am constantly reminded of the incident because my neighbors are still allowing their darling to blast out of their front door and aggress at inadequate fencing that runs along a public sidewalk; unfortunatly I must walk past that house.
Rather than being relaxing, walking my dogs is now a source of tension and anxiety. In addition to the psychological toll on the victims, these situations also pit neighbors vs neighbors. It's just not a healthy way to live.
Suz and Dan
We really appreciate the support from our friend and colleague Dr. Patricia McConnell and highly recommend her blog. We look forward to Dr. McConnell’s article in the dog-dog aggression series in the APDT Chronicle.
Suzanne and Dan
Great Article on Dog-Dog Aggression » TheOtherEndoftheLeash
[...] And yet, we all know of people who are willing to work with dog-dog aggression cases, but not cases in which humans are the targets (at least not directly.) However, aggression toward any species can result in serious injury, even death, and needs to be taken seriously before someone takes on the task of trying to help with it. The article in The Chronicle does a great job of listing what is needed to be able to ethically and responsibly work with dog-dog aggression cases. If you can’t get a hold of a copy of the magazine (July/August 2010), they summarize it on their website, Animal Behavior Associates. [...]
Suz and Dan
Diane – postive reinforcment should happen not just for dogs but for people too. Unfortunately there are some trainers out there who tend to treat the dogs better than they do their owners. That’s sad. Experiencing a situation in which you fear for the safety of yourself or your loved ones (including our dogs!) changes you I think permanently. My own experience is that I don’t think the “concern” when another dog approaches will ever entirely go away, but it’s important to get it to a manageable level. Concern is often quite healthy – it’s the panic that gets in the way of responding rationally that is the issue – keep working and hopefully you can find a trainer that is sensitive to You as awell as your dog!
Suzanne and Dan
Suz and Dan
HI Alyssa – we agree the realistic looking “fake”/stuffed dog can be a very helpful starting point – especially for intial work at a distance so that the ‘problem’ dog can’t figure out through close contact that it’s not real. You’ll see from another comment from Diane below that some owners aren’t as lucky as your clients to find someone who is sympathetic to their fears rather than playing the blame game. Keep up the good work!
Suzanne and Dan
Alyssa Bennett Ward, MS, CPDT
Thank you so much for writing an article on this subject and your experience (I get the APDT chronicle as well)! So many dog owners will benefit from your advice and sympathy about their experience. I often have to manage expectations with my reactive-dog-owning clients because they are eager to go out and work in their neighborhood (with good reason- that is often where their own dog was attacked and, like you, they must walk there daily), but that will not allow us to set the dog up for success in a controlled situation. I explain how much I understand the fear they carry from the incident and how reasonable it is for them and their dog to feel that way. My own friendly American Bulldog has been lunged at by a few small dogs so now I have to work through my fears around small dogs
Working with fake dogs (life sized stuffed ones that most dogs truly believe are real) in the beginning allows my clients to feel more confident and learn how to reinforce relaxed, friendly behavior in their dog without the fear of a "real dog" encounter just yet. It gets lots of funny looks from the neighbors and a few laughs, but it also gets dog and handler off to a good start and then we can move on to real-life friendly dogs. I have often caught myself tearing up at the sight of a reactive dog and handler pair that have broken through their fear when they have a positive experience with a friendly dog. I have the greatest respect for all the dogs and owners out there that must confront these fears and try their hardest to learn to trust again. I feel very lucky to be a part of that process!
Suz and Dan
Susie,
Sounds like the interaction went well. That’s the kind of thing that can change a dog’s behavior if he has enough good experiences.
Thanks for the comment,
Dan & Suzanne
Diane Helfer
Thank you, thank you, thank you for acknowedging this issue from the handler's perspective as well as the traumatized canine attack victim. We were walking our highly trained, friendly shepherd between the two of us one evening when he was attacked from the rear by a golden retriever! Our shepherd is now very reactive and potentially aggressive to ANY dog we encounter. Can't tell you how many times I have been told that I am the problem because of my tension, reaction, change in voice tone, body language and concern, etc., etc., etc., even from positive reinforcment trainers I have reached out to for help. To further the problem, I have never found a training class situation for the purpose of resocialization of my dog that will accept a 'reactive' 110 lb. German Shepherd without some level of trepidation. Very frustrating and sad. I wonder if I will ever again see the day that I can walk my dear boy without concern or thoughts of fear.
B Calkins
Thank you. Very well put. I'm so sorry for what happened to you and your dogs. Congrats for making it an experience that you can share and help everyone learn from. I have always been overly cautious about what cases I take and how they are handled…thanks for affirming my caution and not making me feel like a wimp!
Susie
I've dealt with our dog Molly who is aggressive towards other dogs for 4 years. We've coped and although she can't have any "dog friends" she's leading a pretty good life. In the past I've always gotten very anxious, nervous, etc. when other dogs approached her. Telling owners she not friendly with other dogs (great with people). A couple weeks ago we were out running very early in the morning when another dog approached us. They were sniffing neck and neck and remembering what I've read from you in the past I remained calm and faked a happy voice. Telling Molly good dog and lets go! Low and behold after about 10 seconds and me slowly moving away (just incase something started) she followed wagging her tail. I was so relieved, proud of her, the other dog for staying there, and proud of myself too! We ran home pretty fast as inside I was a bottle of nerves, I'm happy but don't really want to test my theory anytime soon…….