Constructional Aggression Treatment

Aw, thank you, Sizzle.



Doc, please post any info you get from Kelly.

I know I haven't hurt Ella any worse, but I really want this to work for her.
Since she's of a breed that easily can become DA, my biggest hope is that this will cause her just to behave on leash and not react to other dogs.
But, I mean, if she learns that other dogs are ok and she doesn't have to harm them, that'd be great, too.
I am trying not to have expectations at all. That may sound bad, but when you're dealing with a dog as DA as Ella, you're willing to try just about anything (barring it doesn't HURT your dog), in hopes that it *might* work.

Oh, also I should mention that AFTER our session, my trainer had her dog in a downstay out of Ella's view. Well, my trainer came over to us to talk about the session.
I gave Ella to my husband to hold onto because my hands were tired, and my trainer's dog broke her downstay (she's a very well behaved dog and obedient, but no dog is a saint ALL THE TIME) and she came bouncing over to us.
Ella didn't pull, lunge, bark or react. She looked at her, but no negative reaction.
I can't believe I forgot to mention that. After training sessions, I'm exhausted and overwhelmed with new info.

And this CAT stuff is not a walk in the park by any means. I wanted to come home and go to bed, I was SO tired.


ETA: I don't know if my trainer is a member of the 5th quadrant. I know she's part of some list serv for this that Kelly (and Jesus? maybe?) are a member of, but I don't know if it's that same yahoo group.

Constructional Aggression Treatment. CAT?

Owner - I have a DA dog.

Trainer - I have a treatment that might work, it's called CAT.

Owner - Oh no, my dog already LURVES cats!

hahahahahaha!!!

Doc,
Did you catch my thread in general about our encounter with an off leash lab this morning on our walk?

Could have turned out worse, but Ella's reactivity wasn't pleasant.

AND, no, the way she reacted to my trainer's dog last night is NOT the typical way she responds to dogs approaching us.
It was VERY different.

But I don't know what this encounter will do to ANY progress we MIGHT HAVE made last night.

But I don't know what this encounter will do to ANY progress we MIGHT HAVE made last night.

Be sure to tell the trainer about it so she can be prepared for any setback that might be there.

Oh, also I should mention that AFTER our session, my trainer had her dog in a downstay out of Ella's view. Well, my trainer came over to us to talk about the session.
I gave Ella to my husband to hold onto because my hands were tired, and my trainer's dog broke her downstay (she's a very well behaved dog and obedient, but no dog is a saint ALL THE TIME) and she came bouncing over to us.

Am I the only one here that is outraged about this story? I'm interested in this thread- the DA is a serious problem, and this training seems like it could work well, but only if it is handled expertly. How can the person in charge of the training create this disaster? A trainer should know whether or not their own dog will hold a down stay. If they don't, I'm already questioning their competence. And, they should also understand how important it is that nothing goes wrong during these sessions. So, either this trainer did not understand the importance of perfection in this technique, or she did not understand the training on her own dog.

I don't want to be the naysayer, but if you are serious about using this method to fix Ella's DA, I would look around and find someone who takes the training more seriously or is more competent or BOTH. The trainer should be the expert here and should not be making major blunders in the work. I won't even get into the part where the lesson wasn't planned with enough time to finish the session correctly. I'm really pleased that Ella handled this situation better than expected, thrilled that it didn't seem to set her back, but do realize that this is blind luck. The next stupid mistake may end very differently.

That is really great news! Did all the lunging when she retreated stop too?

So, throw a little party, you all did good!

But, then get ready to do this with dozens more dogs to get a real change in her behavior. Anyone on here who is familiar with CAT and has an estimate of how many different dogs you generally need to do it with? And, the big final test, what do you do when she meets a dog on the street who is not neutral, ie, play soliciting or DA?

If we meet a DA, loose dog on the streets, it doesn't matter HOW her behavior has changed/not changed towards dogs, she's screwed anyway.