Overcoming Flight
Since we are talking alot about Kai Flight I thought it might be useful to have a discussion on techniques we are using to overcome our dogs responses especially for new owners. What methods do you use to settle your dogs and refocus them? What are their triggers?
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So...preparing for the huge flight thing is difficult, beyond just the obvious general socialization. One thing I have done, though, is to be very aware of his (known) triggers and to watch him very carefully. So I'm aware that his first reaction to new spaces, if there are a lot of strangers or strange dogs, is to try to escape. If he's loose (say at play group or his agility class), he'll start pacing the perimeter, looking for an escape. (Once at a friend's house, he did this, and when I saw him gauging the height of her fence--six feet, but it was clear he was thinking of jumping--I knew it was time to take him home, and I would never leave him in unsupervised in a strange place). I know, then, that's he overwhelmed, so I leash him back him, and take him out of the situation til he calms down. I've been able to either put him in the car for a few minutes (so he's not so overstimulated) or sometimes just take him where he can't see the other dogs/people that are stressing him out, and do a few easy exercises with him....Look at me, sit, whatever, so he's focused on me.
I know he needs time outs when he gets overstimulated and nervous, so I watch him. If he's on a leash (as in one training class) and he starts to not respond to me at all, I'll do a time out with just us, too, outside the class or in the car, til he's refocused. (Poor Leo: a couple of times in dog class he got so overwhelmed he turned his head to the wall and just stood there!) I'm hyperaware of his body language and when he's relaxed and not, and when his nervousness is ok--he's stressed, but still with us--or when it is heading towards absolutely can't focus at all, and I try to give him a "time out" before he's totally over threshhold.
And, of course, because I see that he reaches he a point where he can't focus, I don't take him off leash unless the situation is very secure.
For me, bottom line is know your dog, and watch his reactions very carefully. I don't think I could train Leo to be absolutely rock solid off leash, because I've seen, now, how strong his instinct to flee is when he's very frightened. So instead of assuming I can some how train that out of him, I accept it, and act accordingly, and am careful with him.
In your case for some of the most reactive dogs a blanket or hood can help if it is dire. That too has to be acclimated to as well. When you are road side in an emergency or in case of horse and the visual is just too stimulating you can take a coat to throw over and pick up if dog is on lead. Too bad this happened to you, Here on trail usually we warn by yelling "dog" so horse people know and usually horse people yell out on a narrow trail they are "coming through" out of respect for local hikers.
Cdenney writes : What methods do you use to settle your dogs and refocus them?
Oh goodness this is a multilevel answer since there are so many integrated steps to developing a dog that eventually learns to calm and collect itself. I’d say it is about taking a default behavior and using it to work acclimation at various locations and building to accept surrounding activity.
Each dog is somewhat different and any given scenario might differ in any location of course. There are soooo many small steps to working it. Ideally you start indoors, later gradually taking it out of doors to small area before working larger areas. Again time with a lot of proofing of small behaviors!
Working through steps really to support the dog does depend what the dog finds value in and what you provide to build value up. It could be human, toy, food or other dog or combo. Combo of techniques such as whistle. Also tricks to keep minds occupied while things go on around. It’s a mix of things and no one recipe works for each dog.
Cdenney writes: "What are their triggers?"
It varies from dog to dog. Mainly it’s about the three senses that over load when they come together and dog does not know how to deal with all of it at once mentally. Sounds and smells and people etc the animal feels are in the wrong space or territory the dog currently is in. We have had to parse it down to one sense at a time to help overcome an obstacle. We try to build on one sense and then add small steps to build on the next, never overwhelming/flooding with too much stuff at once or trying to ask the dog to do something too complex when it isn’t in the frame of mind to do so, or does not feel safe to do so.
Snf
To settle her and refocus, I have taught her to sit when she becomes mildly uncomfortable and this allows me to pet her and reassure her until she feels comfortable enough to resume her normal activity. I don't force her into uncomfortable situations. If someone comes to my house, I make sure she is in another room until that person sits down. I then let her out and tell her "friends". She normally stays across the room, but does not act out or flee. She plays and does whatever she normally does, including nap. She is free to do as she pleases, and will normally walk up to people in her own time and let them pet her.
A story to accompany this... my dad helped me drive back to Wyoming from baton rouge. Shelby hasn't seen him in a year, so he was like a stranger to her. When we got to my house, my husband left the back door open, so Shelby could run into the yard. She barked and ran outside when she heard my dad. I walked outside and called her name. She ran to me and we said hello. I went back inside and she followed. After a few minutes, she was sitting beside my dad on the couch, sniffing his shirt and licking his hands. I then decided to close the back door. She still had the opportunity to go into another room if she felt uncomfortable, but she never did.
I think giving her a minute to collect herself really helps and goes a long way with teaching her that people aren't scary. I don't know where this fear came from, everyone loves Shelby and nobody has ever been mean to her. We just work with her and introduce people slowly... that gets the least amount of fear reaction from her.
Mya is my really complex dog... We should take Kona and Mya to therapy and find out what makes them tick! Lol!
I just thought of some examples that may describe better what I mentioned way above.
In the case of my dog I find there are issues and unease if there are discrepancies and mental conflicts with odors, scents that don’t match what the dog is seeing visually or completely unfamiliar in any context they may have to work through or maybe don't remember how to address.
One example, husband smells like fish guts after fishing trip (looks like him but smells way different). In the dogs mind there are some conflicted thoughts… hummm….talks like hudad, but just maybe he’s a fish zombie now (lol). Although she has smelled and even ingested fish parts before it isn’t the same mixed with human. In such a case, allowing “treat retreat” method is helpful. Same with Chemo odors or medical odors on individuals, the reaction is much like Shelby (Myabee09). I also wonder if fish give off panic odors from their glands and that’s what the problem is as a residual scent. I wish she could tell me.
One other example, menacing sounds associated with directional movement toward or directly coming up on the dog, for example such as mower men/equip moving toward my dog when loose in an enclosed field/yard. The technique for mower equip situation we used to prevent escalated problems…. we proofed with sound only first by working in a shed with door partly open when mowing men came and mowed behind it. Then later, much later, allowed visual when mowers were on the move away. We always build on one sense and then add small steps to build on the next part of that. It takes timing and some quick back up.
Final example: enraged dog owners who verbally scold their dogs that poop in the wrong places, very upsetting for my dog. I acknowledge my dog and get the heck away. (It’s an interesting concept, in that I really feel my dog may have a smidge of empathy toward the other dog. Not sure and there is no way of really proving that.)
We avoid having the dog “suck it up” so to speak in forced encounter or allow too much leeway to randomly run about if they are nervous or unsure. Think baby steps and braking stress into tiny levels and keeping it low key to prevent over processing overload meltdown has helped us.
In regard to generalizing, what the dog understands in one location can be squat zero in different area region depending on how the dog thinks and what the default behaviors are. Each day is a new day for many, even if they have been over the same path before. So again the proofing has to start over or be rotated when you work on habituation in new regions for some animals. Making familiar odors and routines part of that is really helpful.
Snf
@StaticNfuzz interesting take...maybe she is sensing things i can't sense (which makes sense to me)! Familiar odors is a new concept, but cool
@StaticNfuzz I never thought of the smells. It might explain a lot. Shelby had been around a lot of people, but they were all quiet and playful with her. The night everything changed, my neighbor was having a bachelor party for his friend. Shelby was familiar with my neighbor, but he had never been loud or had loud friends over. So, she may have smelled someone who was familiar, but the noise and the other smells didn't add up and it scared her. Like he had a bad alter ego that was terrifying to her. I brought her inside when I saw that she was scared, but her fears only got worse with time. Maybe because she was afraid all new people would turn into loud, scary monsters like the neighbor did? I dunno.
She is much better now... hasn't tried to run off since we really started working hard core on the anxiety and tends to ignore most people if they aren't in my house.