UPDATE: on teddy and other dogs
i am still seeking advice on this problem. but it has gotten better. as most of you who responded in my previous discussion on his growling issue with other dogs know that i was going home for the holidays and i was worried that the whole vacation was going to be nothing but full of stress but to my surprise it went better way than i thought.
when we frist arrived to my house my parents dog,boone, was sitting outside patiently wasiting for us. teddy got out of the car and was more focused on being able to be let out of the car to go potty. they approached each other and teddy submitted. lowered his ears and got low to the ground. they sniffed each other and then they both got excited because they recoized eachother(awesome!) lots and lots of praise!
then he meet rocky 3 days later. he was outside and they pulled up in the drive way. teddy said hello to my sister Jessica. then rocky jumped out and they both barked and ran in opposite directions. then the approached each other again and wagged their tails but then teddy ran for the house. i let them in and teddy did one growl that i barley heard. corrected him and he submitted to him but after awhile he did an air snap and tried to get away. each time he did this i corrected him. after about 20mins they became friends and they played everyday they came over. they even shared bones! rocky brought a bone to my parents house and i thought for sure there would be a fight but no, rocky brought the bone to teddy and they chewed it together. they were best buds the whole vacation.
teddy never really had good experiences playing with other dogs as they use to bully him or they are just to hyper. he just likes people and little kids. so i am super happy teddy,boone, and rocky played for hours outside and had fun.
so when we got back here to DC i went into petco to get some food for him, a cat tree and a head collar. there was a pitbull puppy and teddy didnt growl. try to get away or anything. in fact he approached him and said hello(awesome!!) lots more praise.
i got the head collar as i was doing a ton of research and it said that it may help with this situation since he gets nervous and the way the gentle leader is designed it would help in nervous situations. i watched the whole video it came with and it does make sense and in the video it says it calms them because they know that u are in charge and u will take care of them (the presser on the back of the strap and the nose piece) but teddy already knows i am the leader but i got it anyways and here is what happend. at this point i was ready to try anything.
the next day out on a walk there was two black labs behind us. he looked at them didnt growl, lower his tail or anything. he just kept on walking. but the next day here was the problem. there was a lady having her bulldog in a sitting positon, waiting for us to pass(she did great) but i got EXTREMELY nervous and i believe he picked up on it. he didnt wanna walk even with the head collar on. he growled but as soon as we were in front i put him in a sit and showed him the dog wasnt going to hurt him. no more growls. he looked at the dog and i treated him for it but he didnt eat the food. the walked away and i had sit again and watch them leave. every time he looked and didnt growl i said good boy.
it seems if they are behind or across the street but not in front of him he dosnt mind. its only when we are walking head on that he gets upset. but once we are near the dog like i had him do, he is fine.
can anyone give me more advice on this please?? i want him not to do this.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ginny and Diggory on
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I think dog's behavior on leash is very different than their off-leash behavior. My Diggory goes ape**** when he sees other dogs when we're walking on leash. I have to literally get down on his level and correct him until he stops barking. I think he feels like he's trying to protect me somehow, and being a rescue, he has some anxiety issues. But take him to the dog park and he is everyone's best friend. He runs around happy, plays politely and is just a joy. Not sure why being on-leash seems to cause him to go into "killer" mode. It sounds like you are making HUGE strides. And it is awesome that Teddy got along so well with Rocky and Boone. Maybe his positive experience with them will help lead him to understand that other dogs aren't a threat when you're out walking together. Keep up the good work!
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Permalink Reply by Rebecca Marie O'Bryan on
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thank you. i agree there is something about them being on leash that makes dogs go ape **** lol maybe its because they cant get away?? i just dont know :/ and by the way, thats very nice of u to rescue a corgi:)
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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on
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It sounds like Teddy is picking up on your feelings. If you approach a dog without confidence, Teddy will become nervous too. "Why is mom so afraid of this dog? I guess I should be afraid too" Its really important to put on a brave face and relaxed body posture because dogs are so sensitive to our body language. Sounds like he has been doing great overall. Maybe set up some controlled situations with friends or neighbors who have dogs and have Teddy walk by them and greet them. That will help both of you guys gain confidence. I understand its scary when you are anticipating a bad reaction, but you will have to REALLY try to be a strong confident leader for him. It may be a good idea to take some obedience classes just for the controlled social environment and to learn how to become more confident in your own training skills.
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thank you Melissa. we do plan on having him take a class so he and I will grow more confidence and enjoy being around other dogs. this saterday is a puppy play date and i am going to take him in hopes that he will be ok. do u think he should wear his head collar to feel more relaxed?
i knew me being nervous is my down fall:( idk what it is but as soon as i see another dog i get super nervous, start to shake, and my heart races. as soon as that happens he gets scared. i have tried to set up play dates but they never go through and my neighbors are not friendly at all. and i feel a little weird asking them for help lol
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when teddy is at his play date with some pups on Saturday, should he wear his head collar to feel more relaxed?
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Permalink Reply by Julia on
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You need the head collar only when on the leash. I doubt it would even stay on without, and would make a great handle for other puppies to grab.
Some of my dogs are defensive when on leash. When we enter a dog park I have to get that leash off quick, before we meet another dog. Then everything is fine. I think it's the feeling that they can't escape (fight or flight) if they need to.
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i agree. i was thinking maybe that is why they dont like it. the head collars i have is the gentle leader, it is almost impossible for it to come off unlike the halti and thats why i choose the gentle leader. but i do see what u mean about puppies grabbing it.
i am super nervous about Saturday! i just hope he will do well. last time he got into the corner ad tried to get out and would let the dogs sniff him for about 5-10seconds and then air snap
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now i have a new question. i am going to try Victoria stilwells method for when a dog walks by(have them in a sit and hold a treat or toy in my hand until they pass) but once the dogs pass by i will walk behind them a bit and treat for good behavior.
so my question is, should i not do anything when he growls and should i just treat good behavior? when ever he would growl i would give a slight tug on the leash and say "hey" or "no"
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one thing to remember when you have a dog on a leash with a collar you are falsley putting them in a dominant stance. When the dog pulls on the leash it lifts his body posture up, makes his head erect, not to mention the tension, there are other subtle things that leashes do as well which relay to your dog that he/she must take a dominant position or relay to approaching dogs that this dog is trying to be dominant. That is one reason why there are often fights on leash where the dogs get along great off leash. It maybe a good idea for the playdate Saturday to just bring him and find a safe place where he can watch and not be harrassed and join if he'd like? It is really intimidating to join a big group of romping dogs and he may not be ready for more than one or two at a time. There should be a trainer/supervisor there who can give you some direction on how best to approach the playdate. Victoria Stillwell has a lot of great advice. The major thing you are wanting to do with the treat is mostly a distraction and not letting Teddy focus on the approaching dog. As long as they have their attention focused on you they are less likely to growl or attack.One thing to consider is working on a "watch me" command and get that command down before even attempting to introduce another dog walking by. Maybe if he begins to growl call him so he looks back to you and then treat him. I would avoid any negative reaction at this point mainly because it seems he is growling from lack of confidence and any negative reaction will only decrease his confidence more. Just my opinion. Just try a lot of distraction, lots of praise, lots of treats, and YOU NEED TO STAY CALM! If you can't stay calm then don't even try it. If you are relaying nervous energy and are not confident you CAN NOT TEACH HIM! It would be better to wait until you have joined a class and gained confidence because you can do more harm than good if you can't be the confident leader he needs. Puppy classes teach you sooooo much!
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thank you Melissa. i try my hardest to be calm as i know thats what he needs right now. sometimes if i get to nervous i hand the leash to my husband since he is more calm. he almost has the watch me command down and i have been teaching it to him outside so he is getting use to all of the noise. the problem is he sometimes dosnt want to food. so i as a back up i brought his favorite rope toy to play tug of war, when he is in the zone not even food can snap him out of it so if the food isnt working i am going to use that.
the play date this Saturday is at petco and its for pups to socialize and there is a trainer there. what they have us do first is have all the pups meet and walk around to make sue everyone gets along and then one by one they go in but i am going to sit back like u said and have him go on his terms.
teddy looks up to me for everything but with dogs we are both un confident. when he does growl i can barley hear it and lowers his body sideways with his ears. if he does want to say hi its only for 5seconds and then he runs. i have always praised him for good behavior but now instead of making it seem negative, the moment he growls he walk off to the side and try to distract him and hopefuly he will get better.
another back up plan i have is to run with him past a dog. when we run together he is always looking at my eyes. he loves to chase me so this could work too
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Permalink Reply by Jane on
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I think the "watch me" command is great, I find it very useful with my boy Luke who lacks some confidence. He tends to bark and act all tough towards dogs in the distance, but as soon as they get up close he acts like the other dog is killing him. Crying, yelping, trying to hide behind me - when all the other dog is doing is sniffing him. BUT, if I can get his attention BEFORE he gets fixated on the other dog, he will usually sit and "watch me" politely while the other dog sniffs, and he seems much more relaxed afterwards. If another dog is approaching, you have to look carefully for even the slightest movement of his ears, raising of his hackles, things like that, and try to get his attention on you before that first growl or bark ever comes out of his mouth.
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