Poor Behaviour On Leash.

[ROXIE'S FOLKS]

Hello:

I'm new here so please go easy!

We just picked up a smooth haired collie cross from our local S.P.C.A. and have fallen deeply in love with her. She's 50lbs. and about 2 years old.

She is a VERY mild mannered dog around the house, obidient, fun and a joy to be around...BUT, when we get her on her leash, she acts out towards other dogs. Barking, crying and signs of dominant behaviour. We just purchased a gentle leader for her and it works great, until another dog is in sight. She then begins to bark, growl and lunge. She has bitten one dog before. The owner of the other dog let their dog come over and Roxie nibbled on her ear. IT'S BLODDY EMBARASSING!!! Luckily there was no hard feelings towards us owners. My wife and I are just sick

The stress and anxiety I experience when I have her out and there are other dogs present in horrible.

We have currently enrolled her in training begin next week. Can anyone point me in the direction of some good reading material or share some advice with my wife and I?

Thanks in advance.
Anthony.

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

You will likely need some professional assistance. Be VERY careful with the head collars with a dog who will lunge, as serious and permanent basal skull injuries can occur.

Check out John Fisher on dog aggression and training issues.

 

[smkie]

instead of a head collar, or a choke..give this just a few tries..you might be suprised.. put your dog on the leash..start out and the very second your dog tries to pull about face and go the other direction. you will get a little dizzy but...your dog will quickly figure out that her way is not working in the going forward dept..it will get the focus where you want it.on her looking to you to guide the way..she will stay in the heel position without thinking about it very quickly. I have tried this a few times now and am totally grateful to Kelly forever for teaching this technique..everytime..about face.

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

Actually, for this method you describe to work, you can't wait until the dog is pulling.

You have to about turn as SOON as the dog gets far enough past you that it cannot see you. This way when the dog reaches the end of the leash, you happen to be going in the opposite direction.

This can work with dogs who are pullers, but will not likely have any effect on a dog who is overly excited and aggressive on leash with other dogs.

That sort of issue requires more handling and finesse than I could ever type onto a bulletin board, hence my suggestion for professional help.

 

[ROXIE'S FOLKS]

Thanks for your replies. We will DEFINITELY try the return face technique while walking. We are currently seeking professional help for little one. We hope her aggression is something we can solve quickly.

Please keep the advice coming. We are new to this wonderful game and are interested in learning more.

 

[Doberluv]

My Doberman tends to be very dog reactive when on a leash. He's gotten much, much better though. What I've been working on for quite some time is a desensatization process. First you need to teach your dog at home, away from distractions, the "watch me" command by holding a treat up by your face and when he looks at you, (the treat) praise and treat. Clicker training works wonders for this stuff. And then you add some mild distractions right there at home.

(Most people permit their dogs to develop, as the default....their attention on the enviornment. Try to get your dogs default to be that his attention is on you or ready to be on you.)

Then take your dog to a parking lot of a big pet store well away from the doors where people take their dogs in and out....or a dog park, but well away....just so your dog sees dogs, but from quite a distance. You have to catch your dog when he first notices a dog, but BEFORE he alerts to it. You tell him "watch me." And when he does, you praise like crazy and give a treat. (a very extra special one.) You do this every day or every other day for as long as it takes, gradually getting a tiny bit closer to the dogs. If he "goes off," it means you've gone too close too soon. Back up a step or two in the process. This is a long process and is not a cure all, but it teaches your dog, to some extent that he needs to be calm and paying attention to you in order to get rewarded. And by being successful, this will become more the habit...or norm than getting reactive. Try to set your dog up for success by not rushing ahead and putting him into a situation where he's likely to alert and go bonkers over the sight of another dog. Make him succeed at a distance first and then little by little decrease the distance.

You cannot expect your dog to like every dog he sees. Or...whatever reason it is that he's reacting like this. There can be a number of reasons for this. He may feel that you're not in control and he needs to be and needs to protect. (be sure to come off as confident so he feels that you're taking charge of the situation. Don't wait around for something to happen.) Sometimes just being on a leash and getting frustrated that he can't go see the dog is enough. Your being tense and nervous is most probably picked up by your dog. Try to remain calm and confident....matter of fact, it's no big deal...that kind of mood. When the dog is calm, reward, if he alerts and gets crazy before you can do anything, turn and walk away from the distraction. Don't punish or otherwise associate the other dogs with more of a rotten time. When your dog is "going off," don't talk to him or make a fuss over him in any way.....no reaction from you other than walking the other way.

Be careful of his neck when you turn sharply...make sure you have some give at the end of the leash so he doesn't get yanked.

Remember, don't expect to have your dog sniff noses with other dogs. It's just not in the cards for some dogs. When face to face with eachother, this in itself is verging on a threatening position. It is much better to go for a walk with a friend who has a dog your dog can tolerate and walk side by side in the same direction....like you're on a mission together, as a group. This is another way to practice getting your dgo use to being around other dogs.

Good luck and remember, it is a long process. My Dobe is still learning. He's a lot better than he was, but not perfect by any means. He is perfect in classes where he is set up with a plan...a job actually. In his mind, he's working and the other dogs don't have anything to do with it. LOL.

 

[ROXIE'S FOLKS]

^^^ Great advice thank you.

I was JUST discussing with my wife that our dog may not be cut out for sociable environments. ie dog parks and pet stores. Atleast not until we have some sort of training. It's becoming more clear to me as I read more. My wife and are not in full control of the situation. We get nervous when people and other dogs approach. I think the dog is walking us for the most part and I'm beginning to see that we need to walk her. When another dog aproaches, walk the other way.

 

[Doberluv]

If she was lacking in socialization as a pup, she may never be comfortable around other dogs and if you can get her to be manageable, that may be enough. She can be expected to behave in a "mannerly" fashion...free of lunging and barking. I am not a fan of dog parks myself because all dogs just plain don't dig all dogs. They're not from the same "pack." And so not all are accepted by eachother. That's just the way it is. Is there a positive method trainer who is reputable in your area that you could take your dog to. Maybe you could get some help. Watch out for trainers who use harsh methods to correct issues which run deep in a dog's psyche. They can make them worse. It's better IMO to work through the problem from the core of it, if possible. Let us know how things go. Best wishes.

 

[LabMumSF]

Try to establish and reinforce your leadership by doing the below NILF exercises with her. This will help calm her down, for it seems like she does not accept you as her leader yet. When she does accept you as her leader, she should be calmer because you are calm, and she has you to follow.

http://www.shirleychong.com/keepers/mindgames.html

In the meantime, I would not take her outside without a muzzle, especially if she's already bitten another dog. Try to remain calm and upbeat yourself when approaching another dog. If she senses you're nervous, she will pick up on that and think that the other dog is REALLY something to worry about.

If you can, consult a private trainer to get over her shyness and socialization issues. It won't be an overnight process, but the steps will be better outlined by a professional.

What will also help is extensive obedience training. This will really build her confidence, and her bond with you.

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

You can't be nervous. She feels this immediately, and it will add to her own anxiety and aggression towards the other dogs in the situation.

You have to be the LEADER. Leaders are calm and supportive and quietly demanding of the proper behavior.

You need PROFESSIONAL HELP. Fear/aggressive behaviors are one of the very hardest behavioral problems to address. I have quite a bit of dog training experience, but I would not think to try to advise you over the net in this situation.

FIND A TRAINER who will help you, who understands and uses positive methods, and who has good references for you to check.

Good luck, and be careful.

 

[ROXIE'S FOLKS]

Enrolled!

We found a behavioural expert in our area that is quite confident he can help Roxie (and us)

8-weeks of classes and 3 day-care sessions to socialize her. My wife and I are excited and can't wait to start training!

Thanks for all the advice folks. We'll keep you posted!

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

EXcellent news.

We look forward to hearing about your progress.

 

[ROXIE'S FOLKS]

So here's the scoop.
We took roxie into her first training session this week.

WOW!
She has pretty much STOPPED barking at people while on our walks and is a little less "stressed" when it comes to other dogs. She still howls and barks, but the lashing out is a little better. Don;t get me wrong...we have a LONG way to go still but we can already see some minor improvement.

We also dropped her off at "doggie daycare twice last week and she did VERY well. The trainer has us "hand feeding" her throught the house and on walks. Ask the dog to come, when the dog makes eye-contact, reward with kibbleand say "YES!". Do this for both her meals. Apparently, it teaches the dog to depend on us and also follow instructions as well as focus on us.

It woRks let me tell you. My wife and I VERY excited and can't wait to have her back on track.

I'll update our progress as we go!

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

I am so happy to hear your progress.

Doesn't being successful feel good?

I know it does to the dog as well. You have found excellent help. This is how I address dog aggression and leash issues as well, but I'm sure you can realize it's very hard if not impossible to communicate through print the timing and technique that has to be used to implement this.

Keep up the good work, and I can't wait for another update!!

 

[Doberluv]

Great! Sounds like things are going to come along just great. Keep us updated. Yeah!!!!

 

[ROXIE'S FOLKS]

Week 2:

Seems like Roxie is REALLY responding to our commands now. She breezed through our class and after only about 1-10 minutes of poor behaviour and a reset, we got her to calm right down. It was as if she couldn't care less the other dogs were around. A definate improvement from last week.

Just today we had another dog cross our path and nothing but a whimper fromRoxie. No barking, no lashing no nasty tendencies.
The hair on her back was still up, but the behaviour was solid.

We're definitley getting somewhere!

Cheers.
a.

 

[Saje]

I'm glad you are seeing an improvement and good for you for working with her.

I don't know if you are still looking for reading material but this is a book that I want to buy. http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=DTB825

I haven't yet so I can't say personally how good it is but I've heard good things.

 

[filarotten]

Congratulations, Roxies folks. Watching and interacting with you fur child as it grows and learns is a wonderful experience. And, I bet you and your wife are calmer also. Sounds like Roxie has good loving parents and the three of you are in for a long happy life together. Keep up the good work, it will be rewarding.

 

[ROXIE'S FOLKS]

Well after seeing a slight change in her a while ago, she's retorted back to her behaviours. WHINING CRYING LASHING OUT...Making us crazy. She walks wonderfully when there are no other dogs around, but as soon as another dogs makes her plane of vision...fugheaboutit...she blows her stack! Barking whining, it's awful.

My wife and I can't stand to walk her anymore. We get frustrated and just want to give up. We don't though, we stay out and work with her, but it sure would be nice to leave the soccer field once in a while.

We're currently in our second set of training, we can;t partake in many of the excersises because of her leash aggression (money well spent) we just have to walk her around and slowly get her used to being around other dogs while on a leash. BO-RING.

 

[poochiegirl]

hello i hace a chiuahua and my puppy who is now 4 1/2 months old pulls me back to the house. i will start that about face, but will i have to stay out all day lol what if i do it 20 times or more and she still pulls? should i pick her up so she doent pull if the about face doesnt work? just some questions i was thinking about god bless mary........