So Guinness is 11 months old now, has passed beginner obedience class and is doing quite well in Novice 1. We've been talking about looking for another training center or trainer because we're not into ring training. We actually would like to share him as a therapy dog.
He does VERY well in public. We take him to shopping malls, indoor and out, into very nice stores with very breakable things, lots of people, kids, strollers, wheelchairs, and just about anything else you can imagine. He reacts as perfectly as I would like him to. He shows neither fear nor excessive interest in anything. Of course people love him and want to pet him and he welcomes their affection. He doesn't jump on them, lick, paw, or anything that he shouldn't do. He's a model citizen in most every way when we're out and about.
That brings me to the "problem." He's a VERY dog social. If he sees a dog, he focuses like a laser beam while we get closer together. He's always done this, so I've trained him to sit or down as other dogs approach because most other owners get scared when they see this giant black dog staring at their little *insert name of tiny dog breed here*. Once he's within "sniffing distance," he jumps....lunges at the other dog attempting to sniff. This is such rude behavior in both dog and human language. He doesn't have an aggressive bone in his body and he's very careful, especially around small dogs. He's never jumped ON a dog unless it was a big dog and they were playing; he just wants to sniff. The problem is in the greeting. I can't seem to get him to stay calm and greet slowly.
Am I doing the right thing by keeping him in a down while the other dogs approach? I've been thinking of eliciting the help of some neighbors or people at the training club or friends to bring their dogs over or meet them someplace so that I can work on this with him. I thought that it would be a good idea to get him in a down when he sees the other dog and have them approach. If he gets up or jumps, have them turn around and walk the other way. I would do the same with him and we'd try again.
How have some of you dealt with dogs that are so intense around other dogs? I suppose I should be happy that he's neither fearful or aggressive around other animals, but he causes other animals (and their humans) to fear him when he has no intention to cause them harm, nor has he ever hurt another animal. Nevertheless, when my family and just about every other person I know with a dog is afraid that he's going to "eat" their dog, it's very disheartening and sand... Guinness has even been banned from my parent's house because their dogs are afraid of him. I'm sure that if he was a little more calm and a little less curious, they might get over it and he could come with us on our weekly visits.
Thanks in advance.
He does VERY well in public. We take him to shopping malls, indoor and out, into very nice stores with very breakable things, lots of people, kids, strollers, wheelchairs, and just about anything else you can imagine. He reacts as perfectly as I would like him to. He shows neither fear nor excessive interest in anything. Of course people love him and want to pet him and he welcomes their affection. He doesn't jump on them, lick, paw, or anything that he shouldn't do. He's a model citizen in most every way when we're out and about.
That brings me to the "problem." He's a VERY dog social. If he sees a dog, he focuses like a laser beam while we get closer together. He's always done this, so I've trained him to sit or down as other dogs approach because most other owners get scared when they see this giant black dog staring at their little *insert name of tiny dog breed here*. Once he's within "sniffing distance," he jumps....lunges at the other dog attempting to sniff. This is such rude behavior in both dog and human language. He doesn't have an aggressive bone in his body and he's very careful, especially around small dogs. He's never jumped ON a dog unless it was a big dog and they were playing; he just wants to sniff. The problem is in the greeting. I can't seem to get him to stay calm and greet slowly.
Am I doing the right thing by keeping him in a down while the other dogs approach? I've been thinking of eliciting the help of some neighbors or people at the training club or friends to bring their dogs over or meet them someplace so that I can work on this with him. I thought that it would be a good idea to get him in a down when he sees the other dog and have them approach. If he gets up or jumps, have them turn around and walk the other way. I would do the same with him and we'd try again.
How have some of you dealt with dogs that are so intense around other dogs? I suppose I should be happy that he's neither fearful or aggressive around other animals, but he causes other animals (and their humans) to fear him when he has no intention to cause them harm, nor has he ever hurt another animal. Nevertheless, when my family and just about every other person I know with a dog is afraid that he's going to "eat" their dog, it's very disheartening and sand... Guinness has even been banned from my parent's house because their dogs are afraid of him. I'm sure that if he was a little more calm and a little less curious, they might get over it and he could come with us on our weekly visits.
Thanks in advance.
