Does not play well with others.

I would have been surprised if you hadn't known about TTouch, considering that Linda Tellington-Jones is a horse rider and trainer. :msnwink: Her techniques are rapidly gaining in popularity in the dog training world, and I find they are quite helpful in not only calming my dogs but also in bonding with them. I use it almost as a more formalized way of cuddling with my doggies. Joey loves having his ears stroked and massaged, while Bonnie enjoys a full body rub.

For folks who might not be familiar with the Tellington Touch, or TTouch, then here's a brief overview from the Dog Owner's Guide.

Edit: And here is the official web site of Tellington TTouch Training.

is it like giving your dog a deep tissue massage?:doghappy:

I have seen the touches along with body wraps work wonders on some nervous dogs.
I also use groundwork exercises when working with dog aggressive dogs.
Mark

I've never heard of TTouch, but it definitely sounds like something I'll try. Thanks.
I've realized that in an emergency situation, I can sucessfully distract Zena with the right food, so now when we go walking, I carry a chunk of beef jerky (her favorite) in my pocket. She knows that I have it, so when I say her name, even if other dogs are present, she turns around and focuses on me, and I can lead her in a different direction with the promise of treats. I just hope that in her mind, I'm not reinforcing the negative behavior. I do bring out the jerky before any barking or lunging happens, so I'm thinking that maybe she'll associate seeing other dogs with getting a treat, and go into 'mooch' mode instead of aggressive mode in the future.
Wishful thinking? Maybe.

Drivingtenacity good job on finding a technique that works for you!

I don't think you have to worry about reinforcing negative behaviors with this technique, for several reasons:
1. You are bringing out the food BEFORE she gets wound up and goes over the top. So the negative behavior is being "cut off" before it begins (great!)
2. You say her name first, then she turns and looks at you, and THEN you reward her. Therefore, you are rewarding her for focusing on you in times of stress, which is exactly the right thing to do!!

3. Through relentless repetition, the good thing (the food) becomes classically conditioned to the behavior and the situation, which means that she will gradually associate seeing other dogs with the opportunity to get the food. The critical thing, which you are doing excellently, is using extremely high-value food so that it overrides her discomfort with the situation (since you are catching her before her stress level escalates), so new positive associations can be formed since you are making the situation have a positive and enjoyable outcome for her.

And also, simply preventing her from going into reactive mode in the first place is the most important thing that you're doing because every time the dog does go into full blown reactive mode, the more ingrained that pattern of behavior becomes. So what you are doing is great! keep up the good work!

I did and still do the exact same thing with my dog. It used to be that if we saw strangers walking in our direction we would have to cross the street or he would see their direct approach as a threat and fixate on them then bark and lunge at them as they got close. Using this technique, I was able to gradually get him used to focusing on me instead of on them so that we can calmly walk past strangers without him fixating on them and winding himself up. From doing it a lot, he has now started to ignore some types of strangers on his so we can still pass them by but without me needing to demand his attention on me anymore.

:dogbiggrin:Zena is making huge strides. Even when we're surprised by anther dog and I don't have time to bribe her with the jerky, her bark and lunge routine is brief and half-hearted. It's a long process, but I'm so thrilled to see such big improvements!

Congratulations on your excellent work!!! Seeing training results is always nice, but when it comes to solving serious behavior issues like aggression, the results are so much sweeter aren't they!!!

Don't know if it has been mentioned (I just scanned), do you have a copy of "Fiesty Fido" by Patricia McConnel? If not I highly recommend it.