Sophia Yin, DVM, MS  October 18, 2009

What’s up with the dog that eyes people who approach his food bowl or stiffens and even growls, snaps or bites if others interrupt his meal? Don’t they understand that you’re the provider of the things they want and not a threat to them?

Like many dogs that are otherwise easygoing, this type of Fido has a food fetish, and he feels it’s his duty to guard each bowl as if it holds his last meal. While this behavior may seem odd for owners who provide plentiful amounts of food for their pooches, anyone who’s watched free-roaming and stray dogs in developing countries such as Bali or Costa Rica knows that this type of behavior is common. These street or village dogs have to search for their food and never know if they’ll have enough. As a result they may defend food with the vigor of a dog whose life depends on it. This food defense behavior may then just become a habit whether the dog’s hungry or not. Pet dogs can develop the same behavior starting in puppyhood, especially if they experienced strong competition for food.

Often in cases of food bowl aggression, our instinct is to show Fido who’s the boss. For instance some trainers recommend that you force the dog into submission by holding the dog down on its side. After all, they say, that’s what a higher ranked dog would do. What they neglect to point out is that in many cases where a higher ranked dog tries to take food away from a lower ranked one, fight can and often does occur. The fight may only involve loud growling, spit, and drool, orr it may include an actual bite.

Similarly, the problem with humans trying to force dogs into submission in an attempt to show the dog who’s boss is that the boss may turn out to be Fido. If so, the showdown could be ugly, and dangerous as well. Even if it ends quickly and you’re injury-free, the situation may not be resolved. Rather, you may be in for multiple rematches, because now your dog knows each mealtime means a fight.

What’s even trickier is that sometimes after one all-out battle, everything looks okay on the outside, but get into Fido’s head, and you might see trouble waiting for your guard to drop. Instead of learning goodwill around the food bowl, Fido has just learned to hide his inner anxiety. He smiles on the outside but he simmers and seethes on the inside when you’re in his feeding space. Then, when he can’t take it anymore, rather than warn you with stiff posture or growls and nips as before, he breaks out in a full-blown bite.

For those who battle this bad behavior with brawn, a third scenario is that while Fido may decide you are top dog when it comes to the food bowl, all other humans have to fend for themselves. Fido may even behave nicely around the bowl when you’re there to back guests and other family members up, but if you’re out of sight, he may tell them how it is.

So what can you do? Instead of teaching Fido that mealtimes will be a fight and that his fear of having food taken away will come true, train him to associate the presence of people around his food with even better things happening to him.

Method One for Easy Dogs

At every meal, while Fido’s eating his plain dog food, stand a safe distance away and toss a steady stream (10-30) of bite-sized treats that he loves. Then, when he’s finished and has nothing left to guard, move closer and toss more treats to him or into his bowl. Note that you’ll have to cut back on his regular food so that he gets his normal daily caloric alottment of food. After a few meals using this method, move a bit closer each day, always staying outside Fido’s defensive range. If Fido tenses up or even growls, then you’ve moved too close, too quickly, so watch his body language closely. The key is that he stays relaxed at all times around the bowl and learns to expect even better treats from you. If this method takes you any more than a week, or Fido looks tense, or you’re in any doubt about your ability to safely read Fido’s mood, then you should go to method 2.

Method Two-For More difficult Dogs

A variation on this method is to teach Fido to sit for special treats when he’s eating his meal. Start by teaching Fido to perform say please by automatically sitting during non-meal times. Don’t yell, “Sit, Sit, SIT,” while he’s jumping up to get your attention or a treat; instead, just ignore him by standing as still as a tree. When he happens to sit on his own, quickly deliver the tasty bite-sized treat so that it gets to him within a split second. In fact, since this is only a practice session you can actually use his regular kibble. Next deliver several more sequentially to reward him for remaining seated patiently. Repeat the exercise by briskly walking several steps away as if you’re playing a game and want to get him to follow. Then wait for him to follow you and sit again. Repeat this until he clearly get’s the game and thinks it’s fun. Then randomly practice this throughout the day. If you train him when he’s hungry or motivated for the food reward, he should be an ace at this behavior in just a day or two.

Leave-it, food on the ground: Now apply this automatic “say please by sitting” game to getting other things he wants. We’ll start with the leave-it exercise. This leave-it exercise will teach Fido that he will get what he wants if he just exhibits some self control, so he has no need to be possessive. It also teaches him he gets a lot of things he likes when he’s calmly sitting and looking at you.

Place Fido on leash and hold it at a constant 4-5 foot length. Then toss a treat greater than 4-5 feet away. Fido will run to get it. Don’t say anything. Just hold the leash firmly at the given length as if the leash is tied to a tree. When he gets to the end let him figure out that no matter how hard and long pulls he’s not going to get any closer. Eventually he’ll realize he’s not going to accidentally get rewarded for the rude, uncontrolled pulling behavior and then like magic, he will turn to you and sit. When he does, get a treat to him within 0.5 seconds! Fast!

Continue to give him a string of treats every 2-5 seconds for sitting and looking at you. They should come fast enough so that he just wants to focus on you. Continue until his gaze is stably fixed on you so its clear he’s no longer thinking about running to get the treat on the floor, tell him “ok” or use some other release word. Then point and simultaneously walk towards the treat on the floor making sure that you get their fast enough so that he’s on a loose leash. If you’re too slow and he pulls you, then you’ve just negated part of what you trained. That is he gets to pull, then now instead of learning that leash tension means he should stop and look at you because he’s going nowhere unless he does, he’s learning it means pull and you’ll get there faster.

For cases where the dog is really possessive about dropped food, especially in cases where you have kids in the house, you may decide that you never want him to pick up dropped food off the ground. In that case you can continue giving him treats for remaining seated and looking at you during this exercise while you walk over to the treat on the floor, pick it up, and give it to him.

Once Fido good at immediately sitting and looking at you when treats are tossed out of range, you can also teach him the cue word “leave-it” by saying it in a happy voice, as if it’s a game, right as or after you toss the treat out of his range. In training, only use the cue word if you’re sure he’ll sit within a second or two, otherwise it will take a long time for him to learn to associate the word with the actual behavior.

Work on this game a lot so that it becomes a habit within just a day or two.

Go for the full-bore Learn to Earn Program if You Think Fido’s Really Difficult: Note that if you feel your dog is an extremely difficult or dangerous case, you should also put him through the full bore learn to earn program where he actually learns he has to control his impulse to get everything he wants. That is, he has to automatically say please by sitting to earn every single kibble when you’re home with him, to get his leash on, to go out the door, to get petted, during the leave-it game, to have his toy tossed, and for everything he wants. In essence you’re using everything he wants to your advantage to teach him that he can have what he wants but only if he controls himself and looks to you for permission. So it’s not about the human trying to be the boss, it’s about the dog learning that politely asking permission gets him what he wants when it’s ok with you.

Too see the photo-illustrated version of the learn to earn program for puppies read “Perfect Puppy in 7 days” at www.AskDrYin.com/dog_articles.php.” Also stay tuned for the online learning course of the same name. Videos illustrating the learn to earn exercise will also be up on the online education center under the MannersMinder course in November.

Specific Food Bowl Training

When he’s good at the above exercises, expect Fido to sit to receive his meals, too. If he’s a particularly difficult or aggressive dog, tether him on leash away from where you will place his bowl so that he can’t lunge and injure you.

Hold his food bowl, which contains his boring kibble, and wait for him to sit. Put the food bowl down outside of his leash range and tell him “leave-it,” just once. If he gets up, that’s okay because he’s on leash and can’t get to the food. Just wait for him to sit. When he’s sitting, give him a few treats and then unhook his leash and give the release word and let him get his meal.

Make sure your standing outside his defensive/protective zone (the zone he guards around his food bowl) when you release him so he doesn’t feel threatened. Just let him eat his meal in peace. When he finishes the meal, slowly approach with a mouth-watering morsel and stand right outside his food-bowl protection zone. When he says “please” by sitting, give him a tasty treat. Note that to make this treat special, it has to be one that he only gets during these practice sessions. Peanut butter on a dog biscuit or a piece of real meat are good choices for the early sessions.

Now make this your new daily feeding routine. When Fido regularly sits every time you approach after he’s finished his meal, you can up the ante by approaching during mealtimes-but just to the edge of his feeding space at first so that you don’t cause him to feel defensive. Then give him a treat or two when he sits and then walk away. We want your approach to mean something good to him and your walking away to signal he can resume eating his meal. Again, if he consistently sits immediately upon seeing you approach, you can move closer the next time.

Always wait until he sits to go all the way up to give him his treat. The benefit to this “say please by sitting” technique is that you can better judge what Fido’s thinking. If he sits and looks expectantly to you for treats as you approach, then he sees your approach as something good. Conversely, because you’re only allowed to approach him when he sits and looks expectantly to you for something better than his meal, you’re not likely to mistakenly approach him when he’s feeling he has to protect his bowl.

Speeding up the Progress: To speed your progress, during the first several sessions you can start with one-fourth of your dog’s meal in the bowl so that you can get four practice trials each meal. Once Fido gets the idea that he should sit when you approach you can go back to putting the entire meal in his bowl and then practice approaching him with something better during his meal 1-4 times during his meal.

Later you’ll want to practice having other family members go through the same routine. He should generalize to them almost immediately unless he has some underlying fear of them. The goal of the training is that Fido learns that people approaching him while he’s eating means something good. He’ll get something great and still get to eat his regular food. As a result his underling motivation for being protective will disappear and he’ll be good in general to people approaching him while he’s eating out of his bowl.

Proactively work with puppies and newly adopted dogs

Incidentally, as a proactive plan, you can also perform this feeding game with puppies so they don’t become protective of their food. These plans may sound too good to be true, but stick with it, practice patiently, and practice with different people, and Fido’s food bowl fetish will gradually fade away.

NOTE: If your dog is aggressive to the point where you fear he may lunge, nip, or bite, you should enlist the help of a veterinary behaviorist, veterinarian with special interest in behavior (www.avsabonline.org), certified applied animal behaviorist (www.animalbehavior.org), or certified pet dog trainer (www.ccpdt.org) who has worked with many food possessive dogs and uses similar techniques.

Sometimes there can be other contributing medical and behavioral factors that need to be addressed and often owners need coaching at how to perform the techniques skillfully. Also there are additional variations of these exercises that can be used.

To see video of this watch Ben Guards the Food Bowl. This training took the owner a long time at first because they were afraid of Ben and later because we tried several other techniques (for easier dogs) first. Once we started this actual technique described above it just took several weeks.

By Sophia Yin, DVM, MS     September 2009

Anyone who hangs out with dogs and their owners has probably heard this or similar comments a million times-”My dog is dominant, he ignores our commands and plays too rough with other dogs.” To the general dog owner, this statement seems pretty normal, but to researchers studying social hierarchies in animals ranging from lions, to macaque monkeys, to bulls, the statement is likely to solicit a pause followed by a “huh?”

That’s because while an individual in a group can have a high dominance rank, dominance in dogs, and in any animal for that matter, is not a personality trait.

The Definition of Dominance

So what exactly is dominance? Dominance is defined in animal behavior as a relationship between individuals that is established by force, aggression and submission in order to determine who has priority access to multiple resources such as food, preferred resting spots, and access to mates. For instance, when a group of sex-hungry bulls are introduced to each other they immediately fight in order to establish rank.

Now, if you’re a woman reading this you’re probably rolling your eyes thinking, “Oh brother. Dumb males at it again.” But in the wild this fighting is actually really important. The bull that wins the encounters with all of the other bulls becomes the highest ranked and thus the dominant male of the group. That means that he’ll have priority access to food, resting areas, and, hubba hubba, young, desirable cows. Ideally, these high ranked males aren’t just going to stand around and look. They all want to mate. The highest ranking bull will have the most chances to mate which will hopefully result in little Juniors that are carrying his genes.

Being the highest ranked means that during mating season the others male will make way if the dominant bull is approaching a female in estrus (a.k.a in heat). So, even if a lower ranked bull is planning to mate with a cute cow himself, if the dominant bull approaches, he’ll change his plans fast and head the other way.

But that’s not the end of the story. Because sex is so important for passing one’s genes on, even seemingly bone-headed bulls can play a game as devious as that on your favorite soap opera. A lower ranked bull may sneak copulations with cows when higher ranked bulls are not looking. As a result, in a pasture of several males and many females, the calves will be sired by more than one bull, but the highest ranked bull will get the most matings.

Similarly, the dominant bull may chase subordinates away from a particular food source or the subordinates may just defer automatically, but the subordinates may also sneak back to the food source when the dominant individual is not available to guard the resource. In both cases, the subordinates are not trying to challenge for higher rank, they are just using an alternate strategy for mating and obtaining other resources. Note to readers. This reasoning works well on paper for bulls, but don’t try using it as an excuse for yourself, since humans tend find out and seek retaliation later.

Dominance Rank Changes Based on the Social Group

Unlike a personality, which by definition is a set of behavioral characteristics that stays the same across different contexts, rank changes depending on the group in which an animal inhabits. If four individuals who are dominant in their own social group are all placed together, only one will be dominant in the new group. Anyone who owns chickens is familiar with this concept. For instance, once I had a flock of 3 trick trained chickens-one rooster and two banty (miniature breed) hens. When I added a third hen, Goldie, she immediately pecked the two other hens and established that she was the highest ranked of them all. This sorta made me mad because the original two were cute and knew a lot of tricks. But ultimately, I did get my revenge. When I brought the evil hen Goldie and my rooster over to a friend’s house, her hens, which were full-sized, put them both in their place. Goldie and the rooster had been at the top of the male and female totem poles at my house but were at the bottom at my friend’s.

If Dominance is Not a Personality Trait, Then What About These Behaviors?

You’re probably wondering, if dominance is not a personality trait then what are the traits we’re talking about when we’re incorrectly referring to a dog as being dominant? It depends on the situation.

For instance, I’ve heard one celebrity dog trainer on T.V. describe a light-fixated dog as trying to be dominant to the light. The idea was that the dog must learn to be submissive to the light. In animal behavior, submission and submissive behaviors are those that are meant to turn aggression off, to signal that one individual does not want to fight. Now if you insert that definition into the trainer’s statement the trainer would be saying that he wanted the dog to perform behaviors that would turn off aggression by the light. Hmm. Sound kinda fishy, like the wrong word inserted into a Mad Lib? It should. As odd as this dog may have been, he did not have a social relationship with the light. What he most likely had was a compulsive disorder causing him to fixate on the light.

Then there’s the case of the puppy or adult dog that loves to jump on you to greet you exuberantly or who even barks to be picked up and placed in your lap. They aren’t using aggression and aren’t trying to establish high rank and priority access to everything they want. Rather they are just unruly or untrained. Their exuberant jumping and barking have been rewarded when owners finally give in and pet them or acknowledge them when they perform the naughty behaviors.

And there’s the case of my naughty Jack Russell Terrier, Jonesy. When I first got him at 8 months of age, and introduced him to my parent’s Scottie Maggie and my Australian Cattledog Zoe, he immediately tried to mount them. Was this a clear cut example of him trying to establish dominance rank? Or was it an example of a silly pup trying to have sex with two spayed females? Actually it was neither. If Jonesy, who was already neutered, were trying to establish high dominance rank, then when the others snapped at him to go away, he would have fought back. What he did instead was to bounce around and play bow. His mounting behavior was inappropriate play behavior. In fact Zoe was clearly higher ranked. She would sometimes chase him away from chew toys or treats and he’d always back off. But if she wasn’t paying attention, he’s would sometimes sneak up to her and mount her. So the trait he was exhibiting was that he was socially inept.

The examples go on and on and the cause of the behaviors need to be evaluated on a case by case basis. Most likely, if you stick to the scientific definition for dominance and then look more closely at the dog’s behavior, body language, and the reaction of the animals around him, you’ll find dog behavior to be much more nuanced and interesting.

More info:

http://www.askdryin.com/dominance.php

http://www.askdryin.com/dominanceindogs.php

Also see chapter 2 in Low Stress Handling, Restraint and Behavior Modification of Dogs and Cats.

By Sophia Yin, DVM, MS   September 6, 2009

Q: I’ve taken in a stray cat that’s about one year old and has been spayed. She’s very affectionate; however, sometimes when I pet her she either bites or scratches me. How can I stop her from doing this?

A: Have you heard the joke about the patient who visits the doctor? The patient comes in and asks, “Hey Doc. My arm hurts when I lift it like this. What should I do.” The doctor replies, “Don’t do that.”

Sounds silly, but the same advice goes here. If your cat bites and scratches when you pet her, don’t pet her. I mean don’t pet her when she’s going to bite and scratch, not don’t pet her ever at all.

So what’s the deal? You’d think that if you feed your cat and give her a good home the least she could do is let you pet her at will. But just like people, cats can only take so much. They might like the petting at first. But when enough is enough, they’ll let you know. The tail will twitch, the ears will flatten, and the skin may develop a nervous tick.

At this point they’re screaming in plain Meow. Stop! I can’t take anymore! If you continue, they’ll give you a sign you can’t miss. A bite meant to hinder not to harm. If they’ve been punished for this behavior in the past, they’ll even dart off your lap to avoid the retribution that may follow.

Now why cats don’t just leave when they’re fed up I don’t know. Could be that they want you to pet them but you’re just not doing it quite right. In social grooming, cats groom others in short bouts. So maybe Kitty wants you to pet but only in spurts. Or maybe petting is good but only in certain places. Cats have definite areas they consider taboo. For instance, touch Kitty on the belly and she may tell you that area’s off limits.

Or it could be that they are comfortable where they are don’t feel like moving so they have to tell you to knock it off.

What if your cat has a low tolerance and you want to interact more? You can teach Kitty that petting is fun—it’s paired with yummy treats. Pet Kitty and give her a treat before she starts getting upset. For instance, pet her for 5 seconds while giving her canned cat food. Then stop petting for another 5 seconds. Then repeat the process so she starts to understand that petting is associated with good food. Or you can pet her in an area she likes and gently move towards an area that’s taboo. Only stay there for a sec and then give her a treat before she loses her cool.

If you do this carefully such that Kitty only has good experiences with petting, then you’ll actually get a cat that likes petting more consistently.

A version of this article originally appeared in Dr. Yin’s Pet Tales Column in The San Francisco Chronicle in 2000.

By Sophia Yin, DVM, MS    September 1, 2009

Question

What do you do with a cat who attacks everything and everyone? Our cat lurks behind furniture and then leaps out at people as they walk by. She never seems serious because she doesn’t bite very hard, but it’s getting annoying.

Answer

Picture this.

Through a deep silence, the young huntress surveyed her territory. The day was growing weary and she yearned for a break in the monotony. Then she heard it. A familiar thud in the distance. She froze. Crouched low. She couldn’t see it but she knew where to go. Pupils dilated with excitement, she oozed along the shadows until she reached her spot. Then she waited, patiently, ears slightly back, tail twitching like an itch ready to blow. A short jingle followed by a broad beam of light. That was her cue. A red shoe entered the room and like a dart the black ball of stealth launched her five-pound body.

“Yeow! Mommy! Missy bit me again!”

The fierce blur flew out of the room and melted back into the shadows where she could savor her success. Mission accomplished. The highlight of her day.

Sound like a vicious unprovoked attack on humans? Not quite. It’s just regular play behavior. Although cats have been domesticated for thousands of years, they still retain their desire to hunt. And to be a good at it, they need to practice, practice, practice. In the wild this involves pouncing on littermates, playing with captured rodents, and stalking hapless insects. In your home it means pouncing on you. Sure toys would be the logical choice, but they don’t move around and squeal the way humans do.

So how do you deal with your fearless, house-bound hunter? Do you send Missy outdoors to practice on the real thing? Unless you live on a secluded property overrun with rodents, this is not a good idea. Several things can go awry. First, instead of coming home with a furry, four-legged pest, Missy might return with the local avian Pavarotti. What’s the big deal? Nothing, unless you’re concerned about contributing to the possible demise of the local songbird population. If that’s not bad enough, be aware, Missy might not come home at all. While searching for a suitable victim, Missy might fall prey herself—to the big metal monster that stalks on four wheels.

Keep her occupied with more interesting play

No, for Missy, there’s a safer solution. Prevent the attack from occurring by keeping her occupied with safe play toys. These toys can be simple, like a brown paper sac, a ball made of scrunched paper, or a fortress of cardboard boxes. Or they can be more high tech like a motorized mouse or a feather on the end of a wand. Try different kinds of toys but don’t just put everything out at once. Use one to two toys a day and rotate them throughout the week. That way Missy won’t get bored. Better yet, take a 10-minute break and play with Missy yourself. Just be sure that you direct her play at a toy so that she gets the right idea.

Also consider a bird feeder placed in a location outside that she can see but that other cats can’t access. Some cats find this mesmerizing enough to satisfy their play needs.

What if you need to thwart an attack?

What do you do if Missy’s already developed a taste for human prey and you need to thwart an attack before or as it occurs? Here’s where it gets tough—pitting human against cat. Despite our larger brain size, this contest is no slam dunk. To come out on top, you have to be smarter and faster than your foxy feline. That means you have to anticipate her every move the way she’s been anticipating yours. Here’s the plan.

First, train her to perform more appropriate behaviors or cat tricks that are fun such as following you around and sitting for treats, coming when called, and playing the cat version of fetch by training her to touch a target with her nose. Then randomly play these games before she plans to attack. And if you see her starting to get into attack mode, break her out of it by calling her to come and play one of the more appropriate games. This trick training is especially important if diverting her attention with toys just puts her into a more aroused, predatory state.

Alternatively, if toy play works well to keep her engaged, the next time you come home, be prepared with a toy—one that Missy will find more enticing than a moving red shoe that squeals. This time when Missy hears the jingle of keys followed by the opening door, the next thing she should see is her new target. A feather dangling on a wand? Wiggle the toy while you stand completely still and Missy’s sure to take the bait. After playing with her or a minute or two you should be able to go about your regular routine.

What if she still likes your leg better?

Rule number one, when she hits her mark, don’t squeal or move. Both actions can trigger a stronger attack. Instead, hold perfectly still. The game’s no fun if the target doesn’t play back. Then, the next time, arm yourself with a glass of water or a pumped up water gun and surprise her just before she gets your leg. This alternative seems easy, but the timing is actually quite hard. But with a few well-timed showers and she’ll think twice before she attacks again. Of course, since she will still have the urge to stalk you, you’ll still have to redirect her play towards toys or towards games you have trained as in the last step.

A version of this article first appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle in 2000.

By Sophia Yin, DVM   May 21, 2009

“I was running in the bike path and my boyfriend was riding his bike next to me,” says Lisa Wells, an avid runner who has run the Boston Marathon. “All of a sudden a big Rottweiler came running out of a house towards me. I stopped and tried to stand completely still but he jumped up towards my face. I instinctively put my arm up to block my face and he bit my arm.  My boyfriend chased the dog away and we ran home. My roommate, a veterinary student, made me call Animal Control and report the bite. Apparently the dog had gotten out before. He was put into quarantine and the owners were fined.

I used to not be afraid of dogs at all, but now I kind of am. When I see a loose dog I make one of the other runners get in between me and it and I just keep running as if it’s not there and let my friends deal with it.

Why did Lisa get bitten? Was it something she did? Did she exude fear or something else the dog picked up? Some dog owners might poo poo this as the fault of the runner; but take a look at this case from a runner who’s also a veterinarian.

“I had a close encounter with canines while running a couple of years ago and it was  actually while I was doing a cool down walk on the sidewalk near my house,” says Dr. Curtis Fritz, a veterinarian specializing in public health.  “While passing a neighbor’s house, two of his little corgi mixes came barreling out of the open garage, down the driveway, yapping maniacally. One stopped a few feet away to continue barking, but the other rushed directly toward me and jumped on my leg, barking and snapping. I kicked him away once or twice until the owner slowly emerged to try to entice them back inside. It was only after I turned to go back toward my house that I noted a couple of scratches and drops of blood from my upper inner thigh. I returned to the house and informed the owner, “Your dog just bit me.” His daft response was, “Uhh…do you want a band-aid.” “No,” I replied, “but I’m going to report the incident to Animal Control” And I did.  To their credit, they sent someone out, verified rabies vaccination records, and issued the obligatory 10-day quarantine…which the owner ignored, as I saw the dogs out running loose on his front yard just a few days later.

There’s nothing that turns a potential dog lover into a dog loather or a loather of their negligent owners so quickly as an unprovoked bite, a near miss, or any other dog-induced accident.

You might think these dog bite or chase incidents are rare, but if you run a lot in a city or town with a lot of dogs, you know to expect something almost weekly. In fact, a month ago right before our running club’s Thursday night recovery run, I asked the group “How many of you have ever been bitten or chased by a dog while running?” About 75% of the runners raised their hand.

Then 5 minutes into the 7 mile run, we made a right on the bike path which lead past a house with an unfenced front yard.  As we passed the house, three little dogs who were tied in their front yard simultaneously hurled themselves to the end of their leashes and yapped at us angrily to go away. Unfortunately, since we were running, we did indeed go away which then reinforced the naughty barking and lunging behavior. Luckily their leashes held strong. Technically, that upped the percentage to 100, although probably most of the runners would not have considered that incident memorable.

Why are dogs such a problem?

Well, one of the most common causes is territoriality. The dog may be on its property and see people walking or running by. The normal response is for a dog to bark. And if the object leaves, the dog has gotten his intended response and knows that he should bark next time. With repeated practice the dog gets more and more excited with each passerby until he’s completely out of control and a victim of his high arousal.

If owners are present, they may shout, “Don’t worry he won’t bite.” But at least one runner says she knows better.

“When I was a kid, one of my own dogs bit me once. We had raised him since a puppy.  Therefore, when I hear an owner saying ‘don’t worry, he won’t bite,’ I feel that I have a greater base of knowledge, and that no one can guarantee to me, a stranger, that their dog will not chase or bite me.”

In fact, even if your dog has never bitten before, in the excitement of barking, lunging and actually getting all the way up to the runner the dog can just react with a bite, especially if the runner runs away, screams, or flails body parts like wounded prey. This can  trigger the dog’s prey-drive. Like a drunken sailor in a bar fight, the dog isn’t necessarily trying to be mean, he’s just overly excited and reacting to the situation.

Ellen Howard, a veterinary technician, knows the feeling. “I’ve never been bitten while running, but I was attacked by an Australian Cattledog mix while biking as a kid,” she says, “ I was around 12, and rode past my rural neighbor’s house and driveway when the dog chased me down and bit me twice.  Luckily a neighbor happened to drive by during the attack and distracted the dog so I could bike away.   The dog  had a previous history of chasing cars as they drove by the driveway; unfortunately I was one car it could catch!

For this dog, all moving objects whether squirrel, cat or car triggered a chase response.

The Problem Extends Beyond the Front Yard

The problem isn’t just about dogs protecting their territory; it extends to any time your dog is off leash.
I have to admit, before I was a runner and before I knew how to train dogs, I was at fault too.  My first dog, a Boxer, never chased anyone off our property but he did run up to joggers and other people to say, “Hi.” Once he ran up to a runner pulling his kids in a bike trailer then barked when he decided the bike trailer looked suspicious. The runner irately yelled at me to call him back. I was irritated at the runner for yelling at me, and hey, calling wouldn’t have helped. My dog wouldn’t reliably come when called. Of course I knew deep down that this meant he shouldn’t have been off leash. Imagine if you had a 76-pound muscle-bound Boxer barking at you and ignoring his owner’s shouts to come when called!

Then there was the time  a dog-fearing postman walked up to the house with my dog in front, off leash. Max trotted over to him to say “Hi” and the guy immediately ran backwards shouting “No, No, No,” which caused Max to follow and try to jump on him. At the time I blamed Max’s behavior on the postman, but realistically, if my dog can’t come when called when someone is running away panicked, he shouldn’t be off leash.

And then there was the time we were at the park and a runner whom I knew started to enter the park. Max ran towards her to play and as I yelled, “He’s friendly,” she immediately turned and went the other way. My feelings were hurt at the time. “Why didn’t she like my dog?” I thought. “Couldn’t she see he was nice?”

As a runner, I now know that few runners want to stop during their running workout to make friends with dogs, or even people for that matter. And if they are running with a dog, they generally don’t see the outing as a time for their dog to stop and greet, play with or be pestered by other dogs. And perhaps most disturbing is the realization that no matter how friendly or small the dog is, a running dog can take runners out at the knees! Friendly dogs can also cause runners to trip and cyclists to wipe out.

Says one runner, “ I was in Lake Tahoe and biking through the neighborhood where we were staying.  Two dogs were on the front deck of a house I was biking past, and being a dog lover, I was glancing at them as I rode by.  One of them was barking repeatedly from behind the railing on the deck, and just as I passed the house it darted out from its front yard and into the street.  I didn’t have time to maneuver out of the way before it leaped at my bike, and I was so startled I grabbed the brake for the front tire.  The end result was my bike flipping over completely and landing on top of me.  Of course, by that time, the dog had returned to its yard.  My dad, who’d been biking ahead of me, returned when I called for him to stop, and was so angry he went up to the front door of the house and knocked, calling out for the owner, but the owner either wasn’t home or chose not to answer the door.

Having Dogs on Leash Is No Substitute for Paying Attention

Keeping dogs on leash does go a long way to solving problems but it’s no substitute for being aware of what’s happening and for training.

Says Jenny Hitchings, an elite runner who runs marathons at sub 7 minute- mile pace, “ On the bike trail, three of us were starting the beginning of our 5th stride (a warm-up sprint) so we were moving quite fast.  A woman was walking her dog on a long leash on the same side of the path as us, but walking towards us. The dog, who was on her right, crossed in front of her and bolted towards me. I thought I was going to trip, or he was going to nip at me, so I fell and skidded on the path and then my friend landed on top of me.  Very shaken up, and bleeding, I looked at the woman like, ‘What were you thinking?’ She asked what happened, and I said, “what happened was, you weren’t keeping your dog close enough to you.” She was not apologetic and she nonchalantly walked away.

I am so sore from my fall and pile up. I definitely tweaked some muscles. And have ping-pong ball-sized swelling plus bruises and scrapes. Anyway, the dog probably was going to do no harm, but it got close enough to me that I became startled.  The owner should have had the dog closer to her right hip.

And one runner even got nipped at during a race.

“Last year while I was running the Turkey Trot,” says Sonia Shenoy, “there was a little dog obviously trying to go for my ankles! I was maybe 1-2 feet away from the dog. It was with another runner and on leash but not running very straight. The owner was letting it run towards me. It was clearly trying to lunge at my ankles. I ran faster and moved away from the dog! The owner seemed fairly oblivious.”

What Can Dog Owners Do?

Realize that having a strange dog running up to you can be as intimidating as seeing a linebacker speeding in a collision path with you. Runners don’t know the dog’s intentions, nor can you guarantee that your dog won’t accidentally bite them, jump on them, or cause them to trip. It’s important to also recognize that in today’s litigious environment your dog’s bad behavior can pose a major liability to you.

So unless your dog can come when called 100% of the time in distracting situations the first time you call, he should not be off leash in areas with runners or others who might be fearful or easily injured by him. When people approach I call my dogs, stand off to the side, and have the dogs sit or lie down while looking at me so that the runners know the dogs are well-behaved and will stick with me.

Secondly, even if your dog is on leash you should pay attention to your surroundings. If bikes or people are approaching—even walkers since they often don’t like being lunged at or sniffed by unfamiliar dog—move to the side and have your dog sit and look at you while they go by. Have treats and reward for focusing on you. If you can’t do this, at least keep the leash short until after they have passed or, better yet, try a gentle leader. It may help. Even if your dog is a barking struggling mess, the runner will appreciate the fact that you are trying to control your dog.

What Can Runners Do?

Says, one runner, “I give a big ‘Thank you for controlling your dog’ to everyone who’s dog is under control when I run by.

Even before this, if you spot a dog off leash, shout to the owner to call their dog. Tell them why. For instance you may state, “I’ve tripped and fallen over dogs and been injured.”  In my case, when I have my dog, I tell people, “My dog’s afraid of unfamiliar dogs running up to him.” And, in fact, he is. He’s been lunged at, pounced on like a toy, and even grabbed and shaken when he’s growled at dogs for hovering over him. Thus the several dogs a week that lunge at him while he’s running right next to me keep him from learning to be the completely relaxed around unfamiliar dogs on his runs or walks.

Now, if you are attacked or charged by a dog, stand stationary with your arms pulled in to your body and avoid staring at the dog. Once the dog has calmed down you can back away slowly. Avoid turning your back because fearful dogs tend to bite when your back is turned. If the dog knocks you down roll into a tight ball, placing your hands behind your neck. In all cases avoid screaming and flailing like wounded prey. Realistically, if you just stand still and act like you’re not afraid you generally won’t be bitten. I’ve been charged countless times and never been in fear of being bitten.

What to do After Your Dog Causes a Problem?

If your dog does run after someone or cause someone to be angry, apologize profusely. It was your fault. Then fix the problem. If you find that your dog has an issue with runners or cyclists, it may be time for some training. In some cases it’s just a training issue, but if your dog is actually lunging and growling, it’s time to seek a veterinary or (www.AVSABonline.org), Ph.D. behaviorist  (www.animalbehaviour.org) or a certified pet dog trainer (www.CPDT.org).

In fact, I tell my dog training students that if a dog gets to the end of the leash and you can’t get it’s attention back when it’s keyed in on people, other dogs or objects people are riding, the dog is at risk of developing aggression. Arousal and aggression are on a continuum.

Runners Can Be Converted Back to Dog Lovers

Every dog owner wants others to like their dog at least a little. But in order to do so, we have to teach our dogs to be polite and, well, likeable to others. Once runners realize that pet owners can keep their dogs under control, they can breathe easy and take the time to appreciate dogs and their owners.

If you’re or runner or cycler and have a good or bad experience with dogs during your run, please comment here!