Advice on how to control an aggressive dog on walks

[Biker John]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

JudyN, I have long thought that a lot of problems with dogs are because of the owners thoughts. I am sure that dogs sense how the human is feeling, and you can get a feedback efect. For example if the dog has a reaction to meeting a dog, the next time they come across one the owner tenses, the dog picks this up and reacts stronger. So yes it is possible that the lead stroking relaxes the human and this relaxes the dog a bit.

 

[PWDmum]

It was while walking - and I was a bit sceptical too but she is actually quite a well respected behaviouist in the UK and the tv programme was well made - not one of those that has me wanting to scream at the tv after two minutes. And there have been plenty of these.

I would guess and it’s only a guess is that the TT technique would be helping the owner to relax and In turn will transfare the “calm “affect to the dog... as we know if you are tense your dog will be too, so if you are in a good zone, it’s going to go down the lead to the dog....just my take on it

 

[JoanneF]

I don't know how it might work but it certainly doesn't seem aversive so on that basis it could be worth a shot. Who knows! It appeared to help (albeit with other more conventional techniques) so if it was me, I'd probably give it a try.

 

[leashedForLife]

.

I've used T-touch with wildlife, & believe me, the injured or poisoned crow who wants NOTHING more on this Earth than for U to leave them the bl**dy H*** alone, will not be "persuaded" to calm just b/c U are calm.
That crow doesn't give a damn if U're calm, concerned, empathic, compassionate, & speak fluent Corvid in 5 dialects - s/he just wants U to bu**er off, right now.

So i have no problem with T-touch; if it works on a wild animal who's totally unhabituated & scared out of their minds, it can work on domestic species who've been born & reared around humans. // T-touch is an adaptation for nonhumans that's based on Feldenkreis method, which began in the 1920s & has been used ever since by actors, dancers, & Olympic athletes; it's been around for decades.

Feldenkrais Method - Wikipedia

T-touch similarly began as Linda Tellington-Jones trying to get Olympic & international eventing horses to relax & extend for range of motion, & ease the contracture that comes with extreme physical stress. // She herself was a world-class rider, & was trying to do for her horses & for other riders' mounts, what Feldenkreis did for her own body - & for that matter, for her mind, emotionally & mentally.

I've also used body-compression as a way to relax animals who are highly reactive, fearful, or have a low threshold for stimuli; U can use a T-shirt with at least 10% lycra in the cotton fabric, a T-touch body-wrap of 4 or 6-inch wide Ace bandage, an Anxiety Wrap, whatever U choose.
It needs to be HABITUATED 1st, U can't just put it on & use it! - it's got to be firmly associated with calm, content, safe environs, & *then* worn in stressful settings, plus U must "refresh" the association at least once a week, possibly more: for every 3 or 4 uses of body-compression under stress, U need to have one 30-minute wearing at home, with zero yelling & minimal stress; no screaming pillow-fights, the toddler isn't chasing the dog in slow-motion from room to room or bed to hidey-hole, & the TV isn't blaring with buildings exploding, police chasing cars that fire machine-guns at the cops, or other insane, loud fare... & U aren't quarreling with yer spouse, either.

They all work, & there's no reason not to use them all. // Who gives a tinker's dam "which one worked the best"?
It's trivial; just use everything, & be happy it works.

- terry

.

 

[JudyN]

It's more the 'to reduce fear, massage clockwise on the hips in 450-degree circles, to stimulate appetite work along the jawline in an anticlockwise direction with the middle finger' thing I doubt, LfL (I just made these up so don't correct me on the details!). But yes, if it works, it doesn't matter if it relaxes the dog directly or relaxes you which relaxes the dog, or if massaging in the other direction would work equally well.