Merrick

Cody is a little nervous around big dogs. This had caused him to be labeled "reactive," but in fact he isn't reactive at all. He enjoys other dogs and wants to get to know them, but when he gets close he experiences ambiguity because he feels nervous.

While Cody is not reactive, he and other dogs who experience this ambiguity due to insecurity can become reactive if put into situations that teach them that big dogs (or people, or small dogs, or horses, etc) are scary and dangerous. It is vital then that we control Cody's environment and greetings to make sure we don't create a reactive dog. 

The TTouch seminar created a perfect time to practice socialization with a big dog. Merrick is a pitbull/Catahoula Leopard Dog mix, who is soft as cotton candy and just as sweet. She is the perfect dog for socializing nervous or even reactive dogs as she is very neutral-to-submissive.

We started with both Cody and Merrick on leash. At first I started with a double attachment on Cody but this didn't give me enough lead so I then switched to a single attachment. I asked Merrick's Mom to stand still and give Merrick a couple feet of leash and let her move naturally. Cody had the choice to go up to Merrick or to keep his distance.

Cody decided he wanted to approach Merrick, so up we went. You can see the tension in Cody's body - he's leaning back slightly into his hips, indicating he's unsure about Merrick. The tail is flagged in an assertive display, but his head and ears are more neutral. Merrick is being fantastic about staying relaxed and ignoring this conflicted little guy.

After an intial sniff, we both started walking together. Movement can cause dogs to feel more insecure so I wanted to do a greeting first before throwing in motion. For some dogs however, being able to walk behind a dog and sniff from a distance is easier than coming up together on leash. It all depends on the dog and their own comfort level. The change in Cody's language is noticable - he's learning forward through his body, neck, and head trying to sniff at Merrick. His tail is flagged and his ears are perked forward - he feels quite confident walking behind her!

After a short walk, we left Merrick on her leash but took Cody off of his leash, and eventually we took the leash off of Merrick as well. Cody made the interaction choices but I rewarded him anytime he turned away from Merrick, encouraging him to disengage when he felt uncomfortable.