Raising a Well Mannered Mutt

By Sallie Palmer
Certified Dog Trainer

C.A.T. for DOGS

There is something very exciting happening in the world of dog training. It is a treatment program to help dogs with aggression issues. This treatment addresses aggression displayed by dogs that react in a hostile manner towards humans or other dogs. It can be for dogs that show aggression when someone approaches them on a walk, in their home or even a parked car. The program is called Constructional Aggression Treatment (CAT) – shaping away canine aggression. It was developed by Jesus Rosales-Ruiz, PHD and Kellie Snider, MS.

The treatment seems very simple in design; however it does take some finesse and timing on the part of the human/dog decoys. This is where a trainer who has been through the training procedure is helpful. The principle goes like this, most aggressive dogs want ‘distance’ between themselves and the dog/person they are aggressive towards. So the dog is fine until a person or dog gets within certain proximity and then this explosion of ugly behavior such as barking, lunging, snarling, etc. happens. If you back off or run away creating more distance between you and the dog then the dog stops aggressing because you have left his area. The dog has rewarded himself by making you increase the distance away from him. This reinforces the dog’s aggressive behavior.

The CAT procedure uses distancing as a form of reward for the aggressive dog. But there is a twist. The dog must show friendlier behavior before you move away. Here is an example of how the CAT program would be used. If you have a dog that hates any people approaching when he’s out on a walk, you would find a location where the owner would stand or sit with the dog securely fastened on a leash and stationed on a path where they commonly walk. You would have a decoy far off in the distance from the person/dog team. The owner’s job is to just calmly stay in place and securely hold the leash (it might be necessary to tether the dog to an object if the owner isn’t able to hold him). The decoy will start to approach the team from a long distance away. The decoy continues to approach until he sees the slightest hint of behavior leading to an aggressive explosion. The signs could be a hard stare, solid stance, low growl, etc. What the decoy doesn’t want is an out and out explosion of aggression. When the decoy sees the slight reaction, he stops where he is and marks the spot. He stays in that location until the dog gives a slightly better behavior. The behavior might be turning his head away, blinking his eyes, letting his tongue flop out of his mouth. When the dog has given this new behavior, the decoy turns around and walks back to where he started. This moving away reinforces the dog for the change of behavior. The decoy stays away for approximately fifteen seconds and then starts his approach again. The decoy stops at the marked location and observes the dog’s behavior. If the dog is relaxed then the decoy waits one or two seconds and then leaves, rewarding the dog by the distance away. If the dog shows slight aggression responses then the decoy waits again for a more favorable behavior and then leaves. This is repeated until the dog discontinues showing a slight aggression behavior and starts to show a slight friendly or accepting behavior. Eventually the decoy will move one foot closer and repeat the process. Eventually over time the decoy is able to get much closer to the dog without an explosion of aggressive behavior. The decoy also starts to wait for ever increasing signs of friendly behavior. At the point where the decoy has been able to get close to the dog usually treats are offered to see if the dog is accepting of the person. At this point the dogs generally display a friendly and accepting behavior towards the decoy. It is not uncommon for the dog to playfully interact with the decoy. Caution must be taken and the decoy must be careful to not accidentally punish the dog by moving too close before the dog has accepted the person. This treatment can not be rushed. Patience is an absolute must.

This is just the first step of many. The dog most likely will need to have the procedure repeated in different locations or even by different decoys in the original location. We want the dog to generalize the experience.

The case studies have been amazing. Some dogs, which had a life time of aggression displays, showed remarkable changes in behavior within a forty-five minutes treatment. For others, it took several days for a change to occur. But change for the better did occur.

The CAT program is still a work in progress and the studies are continuing. This is exciting because aggression in dogs has been an ever growing problem. The acceptable treatments that are commonly used have a limited success record. This gives dog trainers a new tool to use to make life for our clients and dogs a little better.

For more information about the CAT program go to www.animalbehavioranswers.com or Rosales@pac.unt.edu .

 

For more information about Sallie Palmer or services offered by Well Mannered Mutts, go to www.wellmanneredmutts.com or wellmanneredmutts@gmail.com

 

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