I realized I haven't talked too much about Bamm's dog reactivity lately.
I've seen a lot of improvement in him, but there's still a LOT of work needed. I try to bring treats and my clicker with me on most walks. I sometimes forget to grab them when I'm in a hurry, but for the most part I have treats and clicker on me during walk times. I've mainly been using the treats to work on other things during walks like heel, sit, lay, etc. Having his focus directed on me when other dogs are around has been getting better. He used to focus so much on the other dog that no matter what you tried to do to get his attention, he was deaf to you. He still acts like that sometimes, but for the most part I can redirect his focus.
He still has a huge problem with most bigger sized dogs. When he sees them he's more likely to pull on the leash and bark and sometimes growl. With smaller dogs he tends to whine more often than actually bark.
I have found 3 dogs so far now that he actually gets along with. They're all small dogs (a chihuahua, american hairless terrier and some small mixed breed). The chihuahua's name is Blue and Bamm absolutely LOVES her now. When I first started introducing him to her he whined and then growled when she got too close. The next time his tail was wagging and he sniffed her constantly and then growled again and backed away from her. Finally about a week ago we had a huge success with his introductions to Blue. He greeted her with a wagging tail and sniffed her bottom. Blue started bouncing around wanting to play which usually irritates Bamm and causes him to back off. Instead... he dropped into a play bow and batted her with his paw. WOO HOO!!!!!
So... we're not completely where I want him yet, but he's making huge strides towards success.... YAY!
Any advice on how to work more with him around bigger dogs?
I've seen a lot of improvement in him, but there's still a LOT of work needed. I try to bring treats and my clicker with me on most walks. I sometimes forget to grab them when I'm in a hurry, but for the most part I have treats and clicker on me during walk times. I've mainly been using the treats to work on other things during walks like heel, sit, lay, etc. Having his focus directed on me when other dogs are around has been getting better. He used to focus so much on the other dog that no matter what you tried to do to get his attention, he was deaf to you. He still acts like that sometimes, but for the most part I can redirect his focus.
He still has a huge problem with most bigger sized dogs. When he sees them he's more likely to pull on the leash and bark and sometimes growl. With smaller dogs he tends to whine more often than actually bark.
I have found 3 dogs so far now that he actually gets along with. They're all small dogs (a chihuahua, american hairless terrier and some small mixed breed). The chihuahua's name is Blue and Bamm absolutely LOVES her now. When I first started introducing him to her he whined and then growled when she got too close. The next time his tail was wagging and he sniffed her constantly and then growled again and backed away from her. Finally about a week ago we had a huge success with his introductions to Blue. He greeted her with a wagging tail and sniffed her bottom. Blue started bouncing around wanting to play which usually irritates Bamm and causes him to back off. Instead... he dropped into a play bow and batted her with his paw. WOO HOO!!!!!
So... we're not completely where I want him yet, but he's making huge strides towards success.... YAY!
Any advice on how to work more with him around bigger dogs?
