"Abandonment training"?

[Amelie]

Hello--

I am new at this forum but have found the various posts/questions so useful! Now I have a question of my own regarding "abandonment training." I did a search and don't think it has been discussed before; my apologies if it has.

First, here is some background: We have a 2.5 y/o female (spayed) Rottweiler named Reese. We have had Reese for a year now; we got her from a local rescue group. She spent the first 1.5 years of her life with a family with two small kids. The parents were divorcing, Reese was caught in the middle, and now she is with us and our three cats and aquarium of fish. Since coming to live with us, Reese has been in constant obedience training and has been progressing pretty well; we're working towards taking the Canine Good Citizen Test. For example, we are now working at off-leash and distance commands. She has come a long way since she first came to us, but I feel she has more to go!

However much she has improved, there is one issue that still lingers: Reese's dominant behavior towards other dogs. Similar issues have been posted before, so I'll keep it brief. On-leash, and if permitted to greet another dog, Reese will sniff him/her and then try to put her head over him/her and in general start acting like she is the dominant one. If she isn't permitted to greet the other dog, I'll keep her in a "heel" position as we walk by. This has been sinking in more and more, but she will still sometimes lunge at the other dog and start barking. Off-leash (we take her to a dog park--controversial, I know--and we've stopped going because of this) she will race up to a dog and do the same thing, generally acting in a dominant fashion. Our trainer says this is "rude" behavior in the dog world. Reese has never bitten another dog or anything close to that--she just acts like the tough one and sometimes the "bully" at the playground.

We took Reese to a behaviorist (for an additional issue that I'll post under "behavior") who recommended we practice "come" with her in order to pull her out of those situations. We've been doing this and have had one opportunity to practice it--it took maybe seven "come" commands to make her return to us. Not good....

Finally, to the question: Our trainer also suggested we try something called "abandonment training" to deal with this issue. Here is a link:

http://www.apdt.com/documents/2002-07-newsletter.pdf

Has anyone tried this approach to training? Any feedback on it?

Many thanks,
Amelie (and Reese)

[DNeff]

We do abandonment training with the rowdy rover group I help teach at my club. I actually have had the pleasure of watching Trish in action several times and she is a fantastic. The abandonment training technique I use is based on her work. I highly recommend it.

The real key to the technique is having someone who is good at reading any subtle cues to see when the dog is starting to react and cueing the owner to react accordingly. It takes a good eye and good timing, but with the right dog it can be very effective. If your dog looks to be a good candidate, I would say go for it!

Let me also say if you have a bully it is very important not to let them practice this behavior. I would not bring a bully dog to the dog park. This allows her to practice her behavior again and again. And remember, practice makes perfect. Dog parks are NOT the place to help teach a dog how to give and read dog cues and signals. Instead I would find some good dogs that you can pair her with that will offer good signals, tell her off appropriately, and not be intimidated by her tactics.

Good luck!

Dawn + Osa
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[Amelie]

Thank you, DNeff!

We will start the training in a week, and our trainer says she thinks Reese is a good candidate. I read a similar thread about this issue under "behavior"--Reese could be called dog aggressive, or at least somewhat so. I have hopes that abandonment training will work for us!

In the meantime, I will make some playdates with other dogs that we know. I worry that without other dog contact Reese will lose her socialization skills (what she has, anyway).

Thank you!
Amelie (and Reese)