By Karen Baxter, Dipl.CBST, CPDT-KA, L-CCC, ABCDT

I recently had a client contact me because their dog started exhibiting some aggressive behavior towards them when they “disciplined" him. They had contacted another trainer who used more traditional methods when working with tougher dogs. The trainer told them “You just have to make the dog respect you”.

Make the dog respect you... Those words make me shudder every time I hear them. The usual methods prescribed in order to “make” the dog respect you often involve the use of coercive and aversive techniques. For me the question is, have I really accomplished the goal of “making” the dog respect me? I do not believe so. In my opinion, by using coercion and punishment etc. Your only accomplishment is making that dog afraid of what the next consequences may be and also afraid of the person who is administering these techniques. Can you get a dog to comply? Maybe. But the relationship between you and the dog may forever be marred by distrust.

The evidence of this was never clearer to me then when I started working with Toby, a dog that was once free living and had very little exposure to people. The local shelter contacted me and asked me if I would be willing to try and help Toby over his fear of people at least to the point that he would have a good quality of life.

Of course, I said yes!

Toby came to me for rehabilitation at the age of four months and he was virtually wild! While he was in the shelter they had to use blankets to transfer him from one location to another. The mere attempt of putting a leash on him resulted in screams of fear from this feral puppy. At that point the shelter realized they would not be able to place him in in an average pet home. Toby needed rehabilitation.

When he first came to my house, I could not touch him. I could not get a leash on him or a collar or pet him. He did not trust any people. I had to begin building trust with him before I could attempt anything else. I spent several days allowing him to acclimate to his new environment. In doing so I fed him, I gave him enrichment toys, but most importantly I gave him space. Once I saw that he was less wary of me I began the slow and systematic process of gaining his trust.

My initial behaviour change plan for Toby included using the typical tools and methodologies of a positive reinforcement trainer. I tried to teach Toby some basic skills using food a lure initially. However, just holding a piece of food in my hand and offering it to him did not work. I quickly discovered that using a lure caused him to be suspicious of me. The only methods that seemed to work were far more organic in nature and not so mechanical.

I used deep breathing exercises done while I sat on the floor in his room. I sang soft lullabies that resulted in Toby calming down and falling asleep (A technique I used often to help him recover from trauma).

Behaviours such as a hand target, a basic sit and down cues were accomplished with shaping and capturing. By removing the pressure and allowing the dog to have choice on whether he wanted to comply with what I was asking or not and reinforcing the behaviors that he did willingly offer me helped Toby to progress. Within the next few months, he overcame his distrust of me (for the most part) and will allow me to put a collar on him, leash him, touch him all over, check his teeth his eyes etc. I've been able to get him into a car and have started to take him out to continue building a positive association with new people in the environment. When I enter a house he runs to the door, tail wagging, happy to see me!

Toby has grown into quite a large dog topping out at 85 lbs. I now think “what if I had of made him respect me?” The first time I tried to put a leash on him he screamed and urinated everywhere. It took every calming routine (including singing his favourite lullaby) to regain the trust I had worked so hard to build up with him. What if I had of used force? There is no doubt in my mind I would have completely destroyed any trust I had built up and I may have even pushed this dog to the point of having to become aggressive in order to protect himself. I have worked very hard to avoid that at all costs.

I've now been working with him for seven months. If you see Toby with me, you cannot tell that he was a feral puppy born in the wild with no exposure to people. He looks happy! He listens when i speak. He follows the house rules. And at no time did I attempt to overpower or suppress any of his behavior. I am certain that if I had of used any aversive techniques the outcome for this puppy would have been dramatically different.

You cannot force “respect”. Respect is a two-way street and must be earned. Working with dogs that were once free living and helping them learn how to co-exist with humans in a captive environment has taught me that using various methods and thinking outside the box to build trust rather than forcing compliance results in the richest of canine-human relationships and worth all the effort!

Karen Baxter, CPDT-KA, L-CCC, ABC-DT

Owner of Unified K9 Behaviour Centre in Newmarket, Ontario Canada.

www.unifiedk9.ca