Integration: Rules of the Game Part 2

Lucia enjoying a sunbeam at a friend's place. 

Previously I mentioned two principles I follow when practicing integration with Lucia. Here are two more principles that guide integration with the girls! 

Rule #3: It is better to have no integration than to have a battle

It does no good to push integration just to have a battle break out. Dogs can develop very strong, negative associations from a single bad interaction. I may only make marginal progress by having short, infrequent integration sessions but at least I won't be setting myself backwards as I will if battles break out.  

We get a lot of these side-glances and "sniffs from afar," which is a great way for dogs to check each other out in a relaxed, non-confrontational manner.

That isn't to say I haven't had battles. I've had two, both of which were my mistake and lessons I have hopefully learned enough to avoid repeats. The first time I didn't interrupt a hard stare quick enough, and the second time I wasn't paying enough attention (which was very irresponsible of me and which I am not proud to admit!)

Rule #4) Interrupt, redirect, and above all remain calm.  

Sometimes Lucia gets "stuck" on Maya or Sappho. For whatever reason she can't take her eyes off the dog. This may be because the other dog moved quickly, is wandering around and came close enough to concern Lucia, because she is in a higher state of anxiety and more sensitive to the presence of other dogs, or something else I may miss entirely. 

For these cases I help Lucia out by using an "interrupt prompt" or "interrupt cue." Ideally all I have to do is say her name to redirect her attention back to me, at which point I mark and reward (clicker and treats if I have them, praise and pets if I don't.) If I think that won't work I gently touch her, usually on her hindquarters to interrupt her concentration.  

Drive by sniffing. This could be dangerous if Lucia gets too close and provokes Sappho into turning around, and then we'd have a face to face interaction.

If I think neither of those will work, OR both Sappho and Lucia are stuck on each other and about to battle, I can use other methods of interrupting. I can make a trilling noise, kissing sounds, or sometimes I will even step in between them and tell them to move away. Sometimes I combine them using a noise to distract them long enough for me to step in between and redirect both dogs. 

There are a few caveats to this. I trust Lucia that she knows I am there and if I touch her she won't be startled. I wouldn't do this with a dog who is already over threshold, or who has a strong startle response because they may redirect to me bite me (this is known as redirected aggression.)

Above all, even if a fight breaks out, remain calm. Break up the fight immediately, pick up a dog if you need to, and separate the dogs. Don’t get angry. Dogs don’t fight for fun, they do it out of a strong emotional need and getting angry does nothing but reinforce the negative emotion they currently feel towards the other dog. If we get angry, frantic, start sobbing, hit the dog, yell, etc what we are telling the dog is “that other dog not only caused a fight but it made Mom yell/hit/get frantic…..that other dog is even worse than I thought!” and we are setting them up to be even more reactive to the other dog. 

Taking a break from interacting.

Integration is a mission. You have a plan, and sometimes it doesn’t work. But you don’t scrap the entire mission due to a slip up or a set back. Determine what causes the issue, how to prevent it in the future, and continue on. All of us (our dogs included) are in this together, and we all seek peace. Don’t lose sight of your end goal, and remember, it is ALWAYS ok to put your dogs away in a safe place (another room, a kennel, etc), pour yourself a drink, and take a break.