Ask The Dog Trainer: How can I get Pluto to relax on walks?

I, like everyone who has been writing to you, have a dog who has inspired me to reach out for your advice.

Pluto is smart, loyal and fun-loving, but he has a tendency to go after other dogs during our walks. I don’t know if he would hurt a dog if I let him say hi, but obviously have never taken the risk to find out. The barking and growling is so loud and he pulls so hard that my wife is scared to walk him. The weather is becoming nice, but I’m having to walk him later and later in the evening to avoid running into other people and their dogs.

Is this a fixable problem or do we need to live the rest of Pluto’s life running back down the street whenever we see another dog?

-Mark

Dear Mark,

What you are describing is the dilemma that drives many people to become “midnight dog walkers.” You are absolutely right, it’s difficult to reassure folks that Pluto is friendly if he is vocal and energetic during the approach, and it’s easy for yourself and Pluto to become defensive, tense and overwhelmed when walks begin to feel like combat patrols.

Start by writing down all of the situations that trigger Pluto. Be detailed and precise. A video is a great way to objectively observe body language, distance and other factors that you may miss in the heat of the moment. This allows you to know his triggers which tell you when to become alert.

Remember the goal of your walk is not to just have a frantic, uncontrolled release of energy but to afford your dogs the immense benefits of calm, structured mental stimulation as well as physical exercise. Before I step out my door, I do 10 minutes of obedience training with my dog to take the edge off before I introduce outside distractions. As an example, ask for a sit, a down, a stand, a down from the standing position, a sit back up and a down. You can work on outdoor skills by putting Pluto on leash and walking calmly throughout your house, practicing automatic sits and not pulling in order to show Pluto the expectations while on leash.

Once you are outside, remember it’s not a race. Often we walk as quickly as possible, intent upon completing our circuit and returning home to our own relaxation. However, I encourage you to be very present during your walks with Pluto and to view the activity as less of a physical release and more of a mental enrichment activity. Encourage Pluto to sniff and explore with his nose. Walk at various speeds, in different directions, encouraging Pluto to mimic you. Go on different routes, or do your route backward. Carry tasty treats with you and reward whenever Pluto checks in with you. The goal is to change the feeling of dread and anticipation behind the walks to one of calm exploration and refocusing you as the center of Pluto’s world.

Now, when you see another dog, the goal is to find the distance at which Pluto can observe the other dog without barking or lunging. It may be quite far. When you see a dog approaching, sit still and observe Pluto as they approach. When Pluto begins to tense turn and walk calmly away, either back inside your house, or back the way you came. Reward Pluto when he looks at you instead of the other dog, then turn into a driveway or down a side street and let the other dog pass. Resume your walk with the same goal. This demonstrates to Pluto that if he remains calm and focuses on you instead of the dog he will be rewarded. If you must pass another dog, cross the street, keep your pace slow and rapidly reward, with an extremely high value treat, for Pluto looking at you. If Pluto barks and lunges then stop walking, try to keep your leash loose, wait for him to calm down, and reward when he looks at you.

The goal is to find Pluto’s “yellow”, the point at which he becomes focused on the stimulus and becomes agitated, wait until he tolerates the stimuli, by calming and looking back at you, and reward this preferred behavior. This means you will be zigzagging, retracing your steps, and maybe even only walking back and forth in your driveway at the beginning of this journey. The more successes you gather, the faster Pluto will learn to ignore the other dogs, focus on you, and feel more relaxed.

You may want to explore this training style and others like it, including Behavioral Adjustment Training and Constructional Aggression Treatment, with the help of a professional dog trainer, as this was a very brief summary, but in the meantime, begin and end your walks with structured obedience training, focus on finding the fun when there are no distractions, and when dogs appear on the horizon, focus on helping Pluto to find the right answer.

Kendall and Chandler Brown are owners of Custom K-9 Service Dogs, a dog training business serving Minden/Gardnerville, Carson and Reno. For information go to customk9servicedogs.com or email customk9servicedogs@gmail.com.