Behavior modification protocol:

 Rules (eating, sleeping, playing, walks, doorways)

 Handling (before training starts)
 Leash training with human body language
 Always be aware of your dog’s point of view
 Which type of aggression? (Leash, at home, stranger?)
 Important cues first: in controlled environment, calm, no party at the end of session
 Controlling walks

First cues and steps:

 Leash training
 Sit, stay, down
 Muzzle
 Recall
 Body block
 Marker
 Relaxation (Zen down)
 Relationship work
 Schmetterlingsführung

Techniques:

STOP MANO

LAT (Leslie McDevitt – Unleash reactive)

 Counterconditioning
 Look at the person/dog
 When dog looks at you YES or Clicker
 Reward

BAT (Behavior Adjustment training) Grisha Steward

 During this process, the dog tells you that she is heading towards her threshold by her stress
signals, or by what are sometimes called calming signals.
 When you see the signals, you allow her to retreat, thus reducing her stress.
 Generally, this technique doesn’t use treats, although it can. It does require superb observational
skills and knowledge of body language. At the least, it helps people learn to watch their dogs

CAT Developed by Dr. Jesus Rosales-Ruiz and Kellie Snider

• Essentially the opposite of BAT. Tester presents a second dog to a reactive (subject) dog at a distance

• When the subject dog stops reacting, the tester dog leaves.

• The process is repeated until the subject dog can get close to the reactive dog

C-A-M Cognitive (Creative) Anthropomorphism Behavior Modification (!!)

•Assess the mood of the dog and help him change it

• Turn fear into fun

• Understand what motivates the dog when he or she is relaxed and comfortable – practice at home and in
safe locations until muscle memory is strong

• Work outside the dog’s threshold until you are sure he or she is ready for the next step

• If you are working with a fear aggressive dog and he will not willingly look back at you, you are too close,
or you have been working too long

• Handler must appear relaxed and in control or the dog will read your energy and your efforts will be in
vain

“Find it”

•is my favorite because it uses a dog’s natural inclination, and helps turn fear into fun

•We all know that dogs can get frustrating because they want to sniff everything. They also tend to use the
behavior when they’re feeling stressed or somewhat fearful

•Encourage the behavior by giving the dog something real to do, and gradually the stress lessens as the dog
has an alternative behavior he is supposed to do.

Treat-Retreat

•Teaches the dog he doesn’t have to face his fear – he can escape

•Begin a bit below threshold, then toss a treat behind the dog.

•The dog will turn to get the treat, then turn back to its origin (the human).

•Each time the dog turns back, she will tend to get a bit closer.

• When she finally comes close to the person of her own accord, she received a treat from the person’s
hand.

Fear=Fun

 Find it
 Touch it
 Catch
 Tricks

The Owner Should…

• Control or appear to control strange territory – enter first, then invite dog in

• Control or appear to control all situations

• Set firm, fair rules

• Elicit respect
Training Exercises Equipment

Before you do anything else, you need to have the right equipment – equipment you trust. Your basic leash
should be four to six feet in length and fit very comfortably in your hand. Leather is often best, since it
tends to soften with age.

Release Word

The release word tells the dog that you have ended the exercise. It’s a very important cue, because
otherwise your dog is likely to do the requested exercise and then go on to something else. A common
example of this is the dog that will “sit” on cue but will not stay. Once you have chosen the release word, it
should stay consistent throughout the dog's life.

We suggest you use a word that has no other connotations to it – “Release” is a very good one. Others are
– “Dismissed,” “Go Play,” “At Ease,” “That’ll do.” “OK” is difficult -‐-‐ you should say the name first, to get
the dog's attention and to differentiate that word from all the other times you say the word OK in
conversation. Don't use "Good Dog," since you'll be using that phrase to praise the dog. Use the release
word to literally release a dog from an exercise. Whether she's watching you or on a sit or down, it works
the same way. When you've decided the exercise is at an end, say the release word you have chosen, then
step away from the dog and invite her to take a break.

Teach your dog what the release word means.

Cue your dog to do something she knows how to do (maybe “sit”). When she’s sitting, say your release
word, move backwards just a tad, and give her a treat. Do that about five times, and she will begin to
understand.

Marker Word

The marker word or “bridge” lets you "mark" the instant your dog has done something that you like. After
marking a behavior, you deliver a special reward – generally food treats! We suggest you use the verbal
"yes!" or try using a clicker.

Relax with your dog in a comfortable spot without many distractions. Don’t ask your dog to do any
behaviors; your dog should just be with you. Make your marker sound, and then immediately deliver a
treat. Repeat that sequence 20 or 30 times during the session. Repeat the session at least two or three
times over the next day or so.

You'll know your dog has learned the meaning of the marker if you make the sound ("yes!" or "click") at
some random moment, and your dog immediately looks at you (or comes running!) for her reward.

Head Snap

It’s very important to teach your dog to look at you and begin coming to you when you just say his name.

Begin at home with a bowl of various kinds of treats and few distractions. Call your dog's name, and when
his head turns to look at you, smile and give him a treat. Do this even if his reaction to your call is slow.
We're trying to speed it up. Do it several times; his response should get faster, and he should begin trotting
to you after just a few repetitions. End the session after three minutes or so by just getting up and ignoring
him. Wait a couple of hours and begin the process again. It's important that when you end the session, you
don't pay attention to him. We're trying to make sure your dog feels it's his responsibility to watch you, not
the other way around.
Auto Watch or Look Away

This is an extension of the head snap, and it can be extremely useful. Essentially the goal is for your dog to
look at whatever challenges or threatens him, and then immediately look back at you. You would present
something that the dog wants to look at – like a steak? – and then wait for him to look back at you. When
he does so, mark the behavior (yes) and reward him. There is NO VERBAL CUE to this behavior. He should
look at something, turn back look at you and be rewarded. Stuffed dogs are an especially good proofing
tool for this behavior, which can then be used when he sees another dog.

Watch or Focus

You might want your dog to learn to sustain eye contact with you. This is more appropriate for confident
than fearful dogs. For this, you might add another cue, “Watch,” “Look,” or “Focus” just after you say her
name. An easy way to get sustained focus is to use a lure. Place a treat just in front of her nose, say her
name and “watch” and draw the treat from her nose to the bridge of your nose. When you get eye contact,
say “yes.” After several repetitions, wait for a second or so before you mark the behavior, thus extending
the period of eye contact. You can work up to several seconds – and remember to smile while you’re gazing
into her eyes.

Find It

This is a wonderful exercise to teach -‐ fun for the dog and for the owner. At its most useful, it distracts the
dog away from another dog or human. It engages the prey/play drive and teaches her to give calming
signals to other dogs

To teach the exercise, say “Find it” just before you put a treat on the ground. This should be pretty easy to
for him to do! After he has eaten the treat, wait for him to look back at you, then praise and give him
another treat. The goal is to have him look for the food on the ground, and then back up to you.

After a few minutes of doing this, make it a bit harder, by saying “find it,” then tossing the treat on the
ground (not far away from you! That’s not the goal of this behavior. Just as he has eaten the treat, walk
away. He'll get the treat and hurry to catch up to you. As he does, give him a voice signal to walk with you
("close," "heel," "with me," whatever you like to use!) Do that again and again. The dog is either looking for
the treat or looking at you. As he becomes more practiced, the behavior gets easier. This gives him no
opportunity to bark or pick a fight! I like to do this with the dog on leash, taking great care NOT to pull
the leash. The dog should learn to watch you -‐ you should not be pulling him after you.

• When you use the “find it” game, there are several things to keep in mind.

o The dog should see the treat before you say ‘find it’ and toss it

o Try not to toss the treat too far

o Try to keep as slack a leash as possible – the more tension the more possible problems

o Whenever possible, the dog should ‘find’ the treat, then look up to you….so that he or she is always
searching for something

Wait

“Wait” is an easy behavior to teach. When you tell the dog Wait, it should be as though a wall has suddenly
dropped down in front of the dog. Wait is different from Stay, in that your dog can move behind the
invisible wall, just not go beyond it. In a Stay, your dog should freeze in position for as long as you wish her
to. We begin teaching in doorways, which often are very important to dogs. As you progress, you can ask
your dog to Wait anywhere, and she should stop where she is.

Begin with the dog sitting or standing in front of a closed door. Stand between the door and the dog,
holding onto the leash and the door handle. Before the door is opened, give the cue, "Wait", and a hand
signal -‐ we recommend an upside-down windshield wiper effect, with the palm towards the dog’s face.
Your dog does not have to be sitting – although if you wish that behavior to accompany the Wait, that’s just
fine.

Now open the door a crack. Your dog will probably begin to charge through the door in delight! As she
does, bar the door with your body and/or gently close the door in the dog's face. Repeat the sequence until
your dog does not try to barge through the door. If she tries again, use your negative marker “Uh uh” and
bar her way again. Often, no treat is required in this exercise -‐-‐ just going through the door is enough
reward for most dogs!

Once your dog is waiting at the door, you step through.If she tries to follow, body block the entrance again,
or close the door gently in her face. Put her back, and tell her, “Wait again.” There is no need to put her
back in the exact spot.

Go through the door. When the dog is on one side and you are on the other, count to five slowly to
yourself. Then release the dog by turning sideways and allowing her through.

The U-‐turn

A quick way to turn the dog away from an "attraction," whether it's another dog or anything else is to do a
quick U-‐Turn. The advantage of this kind of turn is that you don’t pull on the leash, and there is no need for
the dog to pull back (opposition reflex). Leash aggressive dogs often respond to the pull by lunging, and
we'd rather avoid that! The dog follows your hand around

the outside of your body and ends up facing away from the attraction. If you’re using a Sense-‐ Ation™
harness or a Gentle Leader™, the effect is even better.

It's quite easy to do: if the dog is on your left side, use a lure (a treat) in your right hand. Say the dog's
name, and a cue ("This way") as you put the treat in front of your dog’s nose, and move it in an arc towards
your right side as you turn to the right. When the dog is walking beside you once more, you give the dog
the treat. Reverse this if your dog walks on your right. It's more effective when teaching to bend your knees
slightly as you make the turn -‐ it's another cue to the dog.

The opposite of the U-‐Turn is a Body Block turn – or a turn INTO the dog. This accomplishes two things – it
turns the dog, and it moves them back beside you.

Come Fore

This involves moving your dog away from an oncoming attraction and off to the side of a road or path. The
dog ends up sitting in front of you, looking at you.

Start by walking forward with your dog. After just a few steps, say his name and the word “Come,” and step
backwards. Don’t turn around, just reverse directions. He should turn and trot back to you. Stop and lean
forward just a tad so he comes close to you and then sits. Reward the behavior. This is a great way to work
on the recall as well as the getting him into the position you want – away from the other attraction (dog,
person, whatever).

A variation of this is the L-‐Turn. Again, if the dog is on your left, then use a lure in your right hand. As you
are walking forward, say your dog’s name and a cue (“this way” is perfectly fine), lure the dog to the side as
you back away several steps and then say “sit. The dog should sit in front of you. If he doesn’t, you can take
tiny step forward into him, or just lean into him to cause him to sit. Once he has sat, you can reward him.
This is a wonderful exercise for getting a dog off to the side of a road when there are several dogs coming.
You – as the leader – should end up facing the oncoming people or dogs and your dog should be facing you.

Zen Down or Settle

Most dogs that show aggression have a hard time calming themselves down. Indeed, the brain chemistry
involved in play and aggression is the same, which is why energetic play can turn into a fight in an instant.
Many of these dogs bark or lunge at other dogs (or people) while in their cars, or in their yards or houses. In
these cases, we always try to control the environment, so that your dog doesn’t get a chance to practice.
Closing curtains in houses, bringing dogs out of yards, or using a crate in a car are all good choices.

In addition, your dog should learn to calm down when you instruct him to. To do this, we help the dog
physically to move into a comfortable, resting position – even though at first, most dogs have no intention
of doing so.

First, have your dog lie down. If he responds to a “down” cue, that’s great. If you need to kneel beside him,
and help him down, using pressure on his shoulders or gently lifting his legs out from under him, that’s okay
too. At any rate, once he’s down, you should be kneeling beside him. Now, gently roll him onto his side –
it’s often helpful to press him back into your body, but it’s not necessary. When he’s on his side, place one
of your hands on his neck and shoulder, the other on his rump, and apply just enough pressure to keep him
down. When you feel his muscles relax, you can release him quietly. At first, he may only lie on his side for
a second or so – or he may fight it intensely. Stick with it, and he’ll learn to relax all the way, and probably
enjoy it.

You can use this exercise whenever you wish, but it’s especially handy if your dog becomes aroused by the
sight of another dog, a cat or a “scary” person.

CLASSICAL DESENSITIZATION AND COUNTER CONDITIONING

Desensitization and counter conditioning (D&C) are tools that we use to help your dog accept the presence
of whatever he doesn’t like – whether it’s another dog, children, or ‘strange’ looking people. When you
begin a Desensitization program, you slowly expose your dog to the stimulus that causes his aggressive
response. The exposure is always at the dog’s threshold, not over it.

Counter Conditioning teaches the dog that when he sees the feared ‘object’ he gets something good, thus
creating an association in his mind.

These exercises are usually best when done with an experienced trainer, especially the first few times.

Here’s an example of D&C used on a dog who doesn’t like other dogs:

• Have the difficult dog, Fido, in a safe location, tied by a very slack leash to an immovable object.
Fido should feel comfortable in the location, his owner close by, but not actively soothing him. A little play
or obedience work before the session is advisable.

• The owner begins feeding Fido just before he sees another dog -‐ a wonderful, delicious superb
treat every few seconds. We want him engaged! While he’s being fed, another person introduces a calm,
tolerant dog into Fido's field of vision, close enough for Fido to see her, but far enough away that Fido
doesn't go into a fit of barking. This can be difficult, since some dogs "tolerance area" is quite large.
• The control dog is walked towards Fido, coming as close as Fido can handle. The owner continues
feeding Fido, dropping the food on the floor, if necessary. The food keeps coming, even if he doesn’t eat it
and the owner talks pleasantly to Fido at the same time.

• When the control dog walks away, the owner stop feeding Fido, and turns away.

More Desensitization and Counter Conditioning

To desensitize a dog to humans, you start with a human who is just slightly scary. For instance, if the dog is
scared of men with beards, you desensitize first to a boy, then to a teenage boy, then to a man, then to a
man with a beard, and maybe to a man with a beard who's wearing a hat… and then to many men! Counter
condition in the same way you would with a dog – whenever your dog sees what he fears, he should get
something good.

Combining Techniques to Take Your Training Outside

When you’re practicing, the environment is under your control. In the real world, the environment is out of
control, and you must keep alert and prepared for the unexpected. Make sure when you do walk your dog,
that he is hungry and that you have some delicious treats. He should be on a slack, not tight leash.

When your dog sees another dog, say your dog’s name, and begin to work on what you have practiced. By
now you should have found one or two that work best for you. Perhaps your dog has responded well to
Find It and can be distracted by some treats on the ground.

You can prepare your dog for the exercise by having him do a few just as a game. As we mentioned before,
Find It encourages your dog to use inoffensive body language around other dogs -‐ presenting a non-‐
threatening body posture with little or no eye contact.

If an oncoming dog is too close for to do that game, then a U-‐Turn, Come For or L-‐Turn might be in order.
Use the U-‐Turn to turn away from the dog, then turn back after he's calmed down a bit.Some dogs are
much more comfortable if they’re moving – others feel better if they are placed in a stationary position,
with you taking care of things. Remember to reward good behavior, no matter which tool you use.

If you must walk by the other dog, walk in an arc, and when you get past the other dog, heap praise and
food on your dog. Your goal is to keep your dog's attention predominantly on you while walking past
another dog. He is rewarded before, during and after the process. If he begins to aggress, move rapidly
away, but don't yell -‐ it usually makes things worse.

Always carry wonderful treats with you and vary the number and times you give him a reward for good
behavior. He should look upon you as a god or goddess, who dispenses various types of praise and goodies
at different rates.

Here’s a trick you can use to get your dog to learn to pay attention to you whenever anyone goes by. Select
a word of greeting you tend to use with people – for example, “Good morning” or “Hello.” Every time you
pass a person – with or without a dog – use that greeting, and immediately reward your dog. Your dog will
learn that passersby are an invitation from you to come to you and to get a treat. Passersby will think you
are quite polite. This little behavior is a wonderful one to use – even with dogs who just like to greet
strangers.
Replace the aggressive behaviors with alternate behaviors

If during training, you can develop a ball or toy addiction in your dog, go for it! Some dogs are more object-‐
oriented than others. At any rate, using counter conditioning (as above) should develop an association
between the sight of another dog (or scary person) and whatever her reward is -‐ treat/ball/goodie. Your
aim is to have the dog see another dog, and look at you with an expectant, "where's my ?"

Generalize the appropriate behaviors to the world

Dogs are place-‐learners. That is, they will associate a certain area with a certain behavior. This trait allows
us to counter condition, but it can backfire if you only train your dog in one location. Do remember to vary
your location as the behavior becomes more reliable.

Meeting off leash dogs on the road unexpectedly

Do try to avoid meeting unknown off-‐leash dogs while you're re-‐training your dog. However, should you
do so, here are some things to try:

• If the dog looks friendly, loosen your leash to the point where the dog doesn't feel it, move away
from your dog, while giving a command (again "Find it" might be appropriate, or "Let's go"), arc away from
the oncoming dog and walk confidently past.

• OR… throw some treats away from you and either at the other dog or in the path you would like
the other dog to take. Call out "Cookies," or “Treats," and move away.

• If the other dog does NOT appear willing to ignore your dog, hold your hand out, palm facing the
dog in the age-‐old signal for halt! In an assertive manner, say "STOP, SIT" to the other dog, or use an
umbrella you have conveniently brought along, open it in the other

• dog's face (you will have already desensitized your dog to the umbrella opening in its face), say
STOP or NO, and leave.

• If your dog loses all her training and starts to aggress, use your collar grab, and walk calmly away.

It is not a crime to have your dog on a muzzle when you are walking, and it often allows your dog to learn
when you are less stressed. If you do, however, be sure he can breathe and pant. Dogs don't sweat; they
lose excess heat through panting.