Help for walking
HEy all, Picadilly goes crazy when we are on a walk and another dog walks by. SHe starts to bark and tries to go over to them. When I keep pulling her to keep her moving in the opposite direction she just gets on her hind legs and keeps barking, she will keep barking even after the other dog is a little further away.
We went through this in her obedience class and she did fine in the demonstrations with no problems. It also does not matter if she knows the dog or not. If she meets the dog while walking she is fine until we walk away then she starts to bark again.
I am not sure how to handle this because I don't want people to think she is a mean dog when she isn't.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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What did you do in the class to eliminate the behavior? Have you tried distracting her with treats when she sees another dog? I am assuming that you tried telling her no firmly.
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Permalink Reply by Stephen and Picadilly on
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The only thing that was done differently is that it was always the same dog used when we walked by the teacher instead of a different dog. I haven't tried treats yet, but I was thinking it would be a praise of that behavior. I tried no and the famous cesar milan noise he makes.
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Our doberman came to us as an adult with a few bad habits, one being an aggressive attitude toward other dogs when leashed. Initially I took her to obedience classes and then when we were walking I kept treats in my pocket to distract her when another dog walks by. It isn't a reward it is a distraction so she associates another dog's presence with something good. Now we have graduated to having her sit while a dog walks by without lunging and whining. The only problem I have is when I walk all three at once Sparty is a pig and tries to get at my pockets....
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Permalink Reply by Rebecca Marie O'Bryan on
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in my class this is one of the biggest issues people have. just like Bev said distract her with a treat. what i have people do with dogs first before going out on the walk is have a bag full of treats. get in front of her and get her to sit and as soon as she does reward her. for this training exercise u can use regular treats that u buy but once u get her to sit or lay down perfectly try it on your walk BEFORE u see another dog. go for a short walk where u may not see another dog. get in front of her and have her sit for u. for this i recommend u use something smelly as a treat, like a hot dog or chicken and only use these treats when doing this training as the value of it is much higher than dry treats.
once u can get her to sit for u outside on the walk, try it when u see another dog. get in front of her or have her back to the other dog she she cant see the other dog and give her a few to eat but as the dog is passing by hold the treat in your hand so she can taste it and smell it. if no noise, say in a calm happy voice"o good girl" as soon as the dog passes give her the treats and continue your walk:) keep in mind though that this will take time to perfect. its not an overnight thing. just be calm, not nervous.
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Thank you for the advice, the reason I didn't do the treats is because I thought it would praise the habit of barking.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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You should treat/reward her when she looks to you and gives you they eye contact:)
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Permalink Reply by Don on
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Bingo,
Remember to break the habbit, that is with eye contact on you, I must stress the eye contact part. If you just stuff treats or distract with treats then its reinforcing a behavior.So, first is to break the habbit..a sharp quick correction noise, I use "uh ohh", as soon as there is eye contact the the habbit stops, treat. Remember to time it right...2 seconds up to 3 seconds...anything beyond this will be too late.
If you haven't clicker trained your dog, I highly, highly, highly..strongly...definetly sugguest doing that. A clicker will allow you to "Mark" behaviors with proper timing and treat at a bit more leasurely pace.
A bit of a history on me, I am really not trying to sound like an everlasting know it all so please forgive me if I am and let me explain...I've not been paied to train dogs ( this is because I voulnteer to do it for free), I don't work in the training field.. I've broken about a dozen problem dogs, sent 4 sucessfully thru CGC on the first try, of those 3 easily breezed thru the theraphy dog qualifications. The remainder of the dogs were on the verge to the shelter for behavior issues and are now happy family members.
Oh, and I do it with positive training... Dog's already know what you want them to do, they do it every day in nature. All you have to do is reward for the wanted behaviors and ignore the unwanted ones...or ask them to do something that isn't compatable..AKA sitting isn't compatable with lunging at a dog, ect.
Hope this helps,
Sincerely,Don and Crew
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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I prefer not to use treats. I move off the path when I see a dog approaching and get down at the level of the dog, my hand in the collar and forewarn the dog with the command "quiet". If the dog makes any noise I hold the muzzle (not tight, but enough that it cannot bark) and repeat "quiet". I make sure the other dog does not come close. How far off the path you go depends on the excitement of your dog, you are trying to make the dog successful by keeping that excitement level down. As the dog learns, I stand up close to the dog instead of getting down and keep a short leash. Gradually, as I feel the dog can be successful, I look for approaching dogs that seem calm and well behaved to try doing a walk by on a short leash, rather than moving off the path. The trick here is never to pass in such a way that places the two dogs on the same side. Always the owner is between his/her dog and the passing dog. I always move off the path if I see someone who has an unruly dog.
When starting to work with this, I only choose places to walk where I know dogs are on leash. A loose dog will set you back BIGTIME!. Once the dog is doing well, I occasionally give a treat AFTER the other dog has passed, especially if that dog was barking or otherwise unruly, posing more of a challenge to mine.
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This method will most def. not work on all dogs. Get a head strong dog and you're visiting the hospital real quick for bite wounds.
Short leash is cool, and walking in a destraction free area is fine, but what happens when you do attend an event where dog's may be present?
The more pressure on the neck, the more the dog will pull. Its the same principal as a person, if pressure on your neck was increasing on the front where your throat is, wouldn't you pull away to get away from it. As for dogs approching I use the "leave it" command, the key ingrediant is to get your dog more interested in you then the other environmental things. You have to be number 1 in your dogs life, playing a dominance role will not win you that prized position ( as a side note, home pet canines really don't care about dominance or alpha as its been breed out of them). Once this is established your dog will improve on not only leash walking but also in obediance commands in general.
Just a thought...hope this helps.
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Don, you're right, I don't know of any methods that work with all dogs, however, for 30 years I bred, raised and trained Alaskan Malamutes, notoriously large, independent, headstrong dogs and obtained many show, obedience and working titles with them. I also taught obedience classes and have worked with all kinds of people and dog combinations. The same method that works for most, will not work for all.
A headstrong dog will not put you in the hospital with bite wounds because you are holding on to his collar or gently holding his muzzle, a vicious dog will do that. If a dog has the tendency to bite humans, then other methods are required which address that issue, before any other training is attempted.
What happens when you attend an event where other dogs are present? If I have an out of control, barking dog I leave it at home. I stressed the need to make the dog successful by exposing him to situations he can handle gradually.
You're right, training is not about dominance (i.e.brute force) but rather about respect and trust which need to be earned. It is also about the wisdom of knowing what you can ask or expect your dog to be able to do and under what circumstances. Training STARTS with that.
"The more pressure on the neck the more the dog will pull" Correct, that's why I come to a stop and get out of the way (off the path at a reasonable distance) of the other approaching dog. I get down close to my dog if I'm dealing with a small size dog ( like a corgi or my mini-dachshund who, when I adopted her, would go NUTS every time we met another dog, she is now a fully trained service dog that goes everywhere). I would not get down with a larger dog who, in his excitement could topple me over! In that case I would stand.
I disagree that pack order behavior has been bred out of pet dogs, my experience and observations tell me otherwise. I think the problem here is how people misinterpret the word dominance (i.e. brute force vs. unquestioned leadership based on trust and respect). Of course I speak of the average pet, unruly but of basically sound temperament. Anything else requires professional help.
I hope this clarifies my thoughts on the matter.
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