Dear Faith,
We have two rescued dogs, one six years old and the other around nine years old. We have always had a problem with their behavior around other dogs while leashed (barking, snarling, etc.). When they are off-leash at dog parks, their behavior is fine toward other dogs. How do we change their seemingly aggressive behavior while on leash?
~ Wishing for calmer pups
Dear Wishing,
It’s not uncommon for dogs who are friendly with other dogs off-leash to become frustrated when thwarted by the leash, causing them to overreact. To help a dog overcome leash reactivity, we reward non-reactive behavior (e.g., sniffing the ground or checking in with the handler) while helping her feel more relaxed in the presence of other dogs. The exercise we use for this training is called LAT (Look At That). Here are the steps: 1. Decide on a word or visual marker that you’ll use to indicate to your dog that she’s doing something great and a treat will follow. Clickers and a verbal “yes” or “good” are popular markers.
2. To teach your dog that the marker always means a treat is coming, click the clicker or say the word and then give her a treat immediately. Do this repeatedly, until she looks expectantly at you whenever you use the marker.
3. Next, with the dog on leash, stand at a distance from the trigger (in your case, other dogs). You should be far enough away that your dog sees the trigger but isn’t reacting. As soon as she looks at the trigger, use your marker. She should turn toward you in anticipation of the treat.
When she does, give her the treat. Repeat 10-15 times.
4. When she consistently looks at her trigger without reacting, test to see if she’ll look back at you in anticipation of the marker and treat after she looks at her trigger. If so, mark and then treat. If not, repeat the previous step.
5. Gradually, one foot at a time, decrease the distance between your dog and the trigger. Continue using your marker and treats if she doesn’t react. You may have to shift between steps 3 and 4 as the distance decreases.
For more details about the training plan, go to bestfriends.org/resources and search for “Look At That.” You’ll need to go through the steps with each dog separately and repeatedly before taking them out together. It might take a while to teach LAT to your dogs, but it is well worth the effort.