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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on November 17, 2011 at 11:00am

Nellie, the advice they gave you at the HS is correct.  Walk them separately, even if you have to cut the time each one is walked in half.  There is only one of you!  They will adjust. With one, you can implement many of the good suggestions given here for dog to dog aggression.  Start this when you have someone else at home to leave the other with ( if you live alone, confine the one you leave safely, so it cannot become destructive in your absence.  This should not be necessary once they have gotten used to your new routine, a week or so ) Begin with walking the most energetic dog first, and maintain this order thereafter.   In a few days they will learn your new routine.  With two out of control dogs, you don't stand a chance, your anxiety is giving you good feedback, trust it.

Once you feel fully in control of each one, try both again on short distances and short leashes.  Basic obedience classes individually, would help, if you can afford it.  Consider enrolling just one. A class with the more difficult dog, would teach you how to deal with the other one as well.  Incorporate the training in their individual walking time. !5-20  minutes of daily training gives a dog a lot of mental stimulation and can go a long way in calming them down as well.

 

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Permalink Reply by NJohnson on November 17, 2011 at 11:58am

No no - we don't have two out of control dogs. Only one. Milo's really sweet and calm. It's Maisie who has "issues". :)

When I walk Milo alone, he sees another dog and is like, "whatever" and he's great with people and wants to say a smiley hello to everyone we meet. He only barks when he's with his sister. I also am happy to report that they're surprisingly non-destructive whether together or alone. I'm actually shocked that they've never chewed anything or scratched anything. They just seem to sleep until we get back. Whew!

I'll try doing what you say though and start walking them separately and see if that brings any improvement. Thanks!

 

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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on November 17, 2011 at 1:36pm

That sounds good.  If you can't do a class with Maisie, start some formal obedience on your own, there are many simple good books. Keep in mind that some dogs just don't like other dogs and this is quite normal, especially in certain breeds, but they still can be under control and well behaved around them, you just don't expect  them to go nose to nose or remain calm if a loose dog comes up to them. You learn how to manage this type of dog.

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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on November 15, 2011 at 11:31pm

Aggression toward dogs is unpleasant and can lead to a dog fight, but aggression toward people is a much more serious issue and can lead to a lawsuit.  I find that dog to people aggression is something that requires professional evaluation and help and is not a do-it-yourself affair because too much  is at stake.  Finding a trainer who is experienced and knowledgeable in this aspect of dog behavior may take some homework. The trainer will teach the owner how to safely handle the dog.  I am not a fan of treats with aggressive dogs, unless it's fear aggression.  I would recommend a well fitted Halti (which gives you the control where you need it) in addition to a secure collar and a short leash when walking the dog, while you sort out the rest. Good luck.

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Permalink Reply by Diane on November 16, 2011 at 5:24pm

Hi,

We adopted a fairly young rescue corgi a year ago (history unknown) and experienced the exact same behaviors around other dogs, at least when on-leash, so I can completely empathize.   On our daily walks Chewey would lunge out and growl at any dog we went by on our daily walks. Given that we often take walks on a very popular walking/bike path along the ocean that got to be embarrassing fairly quickly.

We are first time Corgi owners and it became clear that we needed some help to learn how to curtail that behavior... Fortunately we lucked out and found a trainer who had owned/shown corgis and had some familiarity with the breed, so we did 1-2 private classes just to work on those behaviors.   For us - it basically boiled down to getting Chewey's attention (e.g. with yummy treats and "watch me") _before_ he started zeroing in on the other dog.  As soon as we saw the dog and/or before Chewey started looking at the dog we would work on getting his attention.  If he started to pay any attention to the dog we would tell him to "leave it" and entice him with a treat.   He got the treat if he left it alone, otherwise not.   Needless to say we went through a lot of cookies and string cheese (aka "corgi crack").

It seemed like it took forever before we saw any significant improvement - months (maybe even 6+ or more).  It just took a lot of patience and practice, so don't despair.    Our dog is still not great at saying "hello" to other dogs when on leash (without being snarky) so I always warn people who bring their dogs up for a greeting...  but it's still a huge improvement over a year ago.

A couple other things that helped for us was switching to a gentle leader and taking some additional group classes with the same trainer (for the extra practice/exposure as well as for general learning/fun). 

Now if we could just get him to not be so food aggressive with seaweed on the beach.... sigh. 

At any rate, good luck!

 

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Permalink Reply by Carly & Finn on November 16, 2011 at 6:44pm

Thanks Diane,

We're hoping that a private trainer will be able to help quell the issues. Your story has helped to relieve some frustration. That's so funny that Chewey guards seaweed! What a healthy lil pup... now he just needs some rice and fish to make some sushi! :)

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Permalink Reply by Diane on November 16, 2011 at 8:50pm

Yeah, 1-2 private lessons with a good trainer was well worth the $$ spent...  It just gave us a good start on things to practice on our own. 

Unfortunately the seaweed guarding is proving to be a bit hazardous to his health... Most dogs just back off when he warns them, but last weekend he snarked at the wrong dog and ended up with a bitten ear ;-< Fortunately it wasn't serious, but it definitely means we need to stay more on top of keeping him away from the seaweed (not always easy depending on the beach and time of year).

At any rate - hope you find someone who can help you out (preferably someone who won't write it off as a "breed" thing).  Keep us posted.

 

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