Common behaviour patterns that add to reactivity
Over excited
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Normal excitement that does not go on for too long is a normal part of
behaviour.
Over-excited behaviours can be an extreme reaction to a situation that
the dog does not know what to do.
This is one behaviour pattern that many people get wrong, as they
assume all excited dogs want to play and they are enjoying the
interaction. The person therefore winds the dog up even further into a
frenzy of abnormal and extreme behaviours.
People also assume an excited dog wants to meet another dog, but
possibly the excited dog just doesn’t know how to respond to the other
dog and therefore goes into a display of appeasement behaviour in the
hope the other dog means no harm.
Aggressive
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Aggression is first used because of feeling a need to defend oneself.
Aggression is then used because it has worked.
Aggression and dominance are not the same and do not work
together.
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It’s not that the dog doesn’t listen – it’s probably that they can’t while
they feel unsafe.
When a dog stops listening to us, the chances are that the other
reactive behaviours will follow.
We need to start to improve this in a place that the dog can focus on
the owner – comfortably and easily – not forced.
Doesn’t listen
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Intense
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A calm stand can actually be a calming signal. Stillness is a difficult one
for humans to decide what to do – if we move the dog, he may not
have finished communicating with the use of the calm stand. If we
don’t move the dog they may be stuck and about to explode.
Dogs that become fixated and freeze are stuck – they do not know
what to do.
The stress builds up in these dogs like a fire burning inside.
They may finally explode if they are not helped out of the situation and
become over-excited or volatile.
Volatile
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Explosive behaviour relieves pent up emotions.
It can relieve the pressure that builds up by being in a stressful
situation.
This is not a good way to relieve stress and doesn’t help the dog learn
anything about calmness and good decisions.
Many people wrongly assume the dog is over excited or aggressive.
Both are not good emotional states.
The dog quickly learns that explosive behaviour is the only way he/she
can get you to listen and do something to help.
Sensitive
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Stress can cause the dog to become sensitive to things that we think
the dog should be able to deal with because they are normal things.
Dogs can become sensitive to anything that happens in their life, such
as your touch, the weather, light or dark, food etc. when they can
associate it to the other things they perceive as stressful.
Submissive
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Puppies will display puppy behaviour by being submissive, especially if
they are unsure.
If adult dogs display puppy submissiveness, they are unbalanced and
find the situation stressful.
An adult dog displaying puppy style submissiveness is acting
abnormally to other dogs and is at risk of attack by them.
Losing control of the bladder is a fear response.
An excitable dog that toilets is probably more fearful than excited.
Dominant
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Dogs tend to only dominate certain areas of their life – such as when
they want to move away from something and they can’t. They are then
forced to try other behaviours.
They will not be dominant in all areas of their life, sometimes they will
be fearful, unconfident, excited, playful, and even gentle. Dominance is
only a very small part of any dog’s life.
Dogs do not try to control us, they try to control a situation, in a way
that helps them feel better.
A dominant role at times is very useful and normal if it helps other
members of the family deal with something.
Destructive
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Destructive behaviours can be expressed for many reasons – none of
them are personal.
If a dogs innate need to chew something is not being met.
Playfulness – encouraged by the owner – then scolded when the dog
plays with the wrong thing, the dog does not know the difference!
Stress – like someone smoking – the need to just be doing something.
Boredom.
Displacement behaviour. A way of coping with other stressors.
Destructiveness can actually be a way of a dog dealing with the
unpredictable or overbearing nature of humans.
Short Fuse
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Anger, irritation, grumpy, moody, are all signs that the dog is not
balanced.
We need to find out what is causing the problem for the dog before
their short fuse causes them to make a mistake we can’t forgive them
for – such as biting – the last straw when your needs are being
overlooked.
A dog with a short fuse may actually be feeling vulnerable due to
illness or pain. For example. It’s the dogs’ way of fending others off.
Unpredictable
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The dog is probably not unpredictable, but we have probably missed
the more subtle signs of what happened to cause the bigger reaction.
Jekyll and Hyde behaviour is often a learnt response to the response
you actually make to the situation – if you tense up the dog tenses up,
but you only see the dog tensing up.
Out of the blue or unprovoked behaviour is very rare – if ever – there is
usually a subtle and unnoticed build up until the dogs response
becomes so extreme that you take notice of it.