Teaching to Ignore

[JudithMary]

Well the guy next door still lets his dog out and mine is afraid of him. Yesterday we went out in the garden and played, the dog watched us occasionally barking. I ignore the dog and Jake did as well. This seemed to work and he is more confident outside when the dog is there. Will dogs follow your behavior and learn to tune things out?

I often see dogs being walked when I am working, I drive bus, they bark and lunge at the bus as I go by and the owners seem powerless to stop it. How would you get a dog to stop that behavior? Have the owners inadvertantly taught their dogs to bark and lunge at the bus/truck etc?

 

[lizzybeth727]

Yes, dogs definately feed off our energy - if we get worked up, they will too; if we stay calm, they'll calm down. Not always, of course, but it certainly helps.

About the bus, there could be many many things causing that problem. Do the dogs bark/lunge at every vehicle? Maybe it's not cars, just diesel trucks? Maybe it's just yellow vehicles? Maybe they're barking/lunging at the kids because they don't like stranger's kids? Is it only when the bus is moving, or when it's stopped too? Do they bark/lunge forward, or do they subtly move backward? All of these factors determine what to do in this situation, which is why it's so important that people who are having behavioral problems like this with their dog consult with a trainer/behaviorist (or at the very least, post the situation on chaz!) to develop a plan to solve the problem.