Why was Kara growling at children and reacting to everyday sounds?
Three out of the last four dogs I have worked with – two in-person – have been young nervous black Labradors. 
Each one has been wary of people approaching them and things that are sudden. These are traits we more commonly associate with guarding breeds. Or small dogs feeling vulnerable, rather than retrievers.
Kara is three years old. Our consultation was online. Here is their summary of the problem:
- Kara growls at children they meet when out. It can happen all of a sudden and is very alarming for both the child and whoever is holding the lead. She seems scared of them.
- She was particularly reactive to a one-year-old toddler who visited their house.
- They want to be able to hold garden BBQs where there will be children.
- She also growls at anyone approaching their gate.
- Scared of big traffic like refuse trucks.
Nervous
Kara is a generally jumpy dog, ready to react to any sudden noise or appearance. While we can work on children specifically and traffic, this will be a lot more successful if we can improve her general nervous state.
She’s jumpy and reactive to sounds of neighbours or dogs when out in their garden. She will jump at common sounds like them putting something down on a surface. She lives on edge.
Counter-conditioning
They will now start by doing ‘ad hoc’ counter-conditioning. They won’t just work on sounds they themselves create. They will also work on counter-conditioning ‘ad hoc’ sounds as they happen. Basically this means changing how she feels about them from nervous and scared to accepting.
This requires food at hand at all times. A random sound happens, and irrespective of whether Tara growls, grumbles or simply just looks up, they will capture the moment with a word: ‘Yes’. Then follow with food.
Without the ‘bridge’ of the word ‘Yes’, they will be too late for pairing the food with the sound.
Specific fears
Against this background they can gradually work on the specific fears. They will no longer take her too close to things she is nervous of. They will leave distance between scary traffic and Kara. If she looks uneasy they will turn around.
Missing a walk altogether is better than encountering fears too closely and pushing her over threshold.
They will find children at a distance and do the same thing. They will arc away from approaching children and build up positive associations with food and fun. They will be Kara’s advocate if they insist on running too close.
Rewarding growling?
Like many people they had assumed that by using food while Kara is growly or grumbling they are rewarding grumbling – teaching her to grumble.
The very opposite is the case.
This is because the grumbling is a symptom of the problem – not the problem itself. They emotion behind it is the problem – fear and nervousness. Feeling unsafe.
It’s the underlying emotion that they need to address. To withdraw the positive things when she’s a bit too scared just doesn’t make sense. It makes the thing she’s nervous of even more unpredictable. They must be consistent.
When friends are actually in their house she is affectionate and happy – apart from the case of the one-year-old. With no experience of these little aliens Klara panics. With this she can be helped using distance and encouragement – on lead so everyone can relax.
If it’s all too much for her, she should remove her altogether. If the baby is to be a regular visitor he can be reintroduced in very short bursts that include food (she’s a Labrador so food is their best friend!).
