Loripot Posted March 7, 2015 Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 Demon is pretty good on walks (at least he can be!) but his weakness is other dogs, as I'm sure many of you have encountered yourselves. He is a nightmare! We can't even take him outside for two minutes to go potty without him trying to dart towards other dogs if they are passing, which happens a lot because our street is a popular route for dog walkers. He is in training for loose lead walking, and is pretty good at heeling on command, but everything goes out the window when he spots another dog. We try blocking his view or distracting him, even before he can spot it, but it never works. He has eyes like a hawk! He even ignores high value treats stuffed under his nose. So I really need some advice on how to tackle this problem. It's very embarrassing when Demon starts pulling like crazy, taking me with him. I don't want him to grow up into that dog who everyone hates, haha! I'd love to know a way to either get him to politely greet other dogs or just completely ignore them. Any suggestions? Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOBELHOWLUC49 Posted March 7, 2015 Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 I walk Bella and Howler at the moment and Bella will try her best to avoid the other dog, so Howler in these encounters is learning that we just sit and then maybe say hello. Today on our walk he bounced a bit then just carried on sniffing the ground and ignored the other dog. Lucky who walks with Noah who wants to say hello to anything that breathes is a different story, Lucky gets all excited bounds around like a Looney and gets to say hello and then calms down after a bit. Which is better, I'm not sure but Howlers in difference is winning for me. We are due to have some training in an Dog of lead park in Portsmouth soon as I am nervous about how they will be as we have not been down there for a while. My concern is the last time they went there they weighed 12 kilos now they are nearly 30kg and at just over 6 months they are to big to let them just get on with it. Howler is on a harness and collar and Lucky on a Halti. Finding the harness easier to be able to walk Howler on than the Halti as you get to move the body and you don't have the problem of the Halti coming of and leaving you with the problem of putting it back on and only having the safety to keep him safe and in control. Have you let Demon say hello to the other dogs or do you try your best to keep Demon from interacting? Some times it helps if the other dog owner lets you do a bit of meet and greet training, always worth an ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loripot Posted March 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 Oh yeah, Demon has met plenty of dogs during the time we've had him. He is generally pretty calm when he actually comes face-to-face with dogs, giving them a sniff and then moving on if we start to pull away, it's just the initially charging towards them that is our problem. It's not like he's never met a dog before and it's all too exciting. I know he's still a pup and constantly wants to play, but I just really wish I could control this pulling. I'm afraid people will mistake it as aggression, or he bumps into the wrong dog. It really is quite distressing. I've been looking into getting some kind of front leading harness but I wasn't too sure if I should go ahead with it yet since he's not fully grown. I fear that I'll spend money on a great harness then in a few weeks he'll grow out of it Also, it would be great to know that he has at least some lead etiquette without having to rely on tools. What age would you recommend a harness? Would it really be beneficial to get one right now and work from there, even if it means replacing it when he gets a bit bigger? Please people, more advice would be great! We're desperate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 I've got front leading harnesses for mine and I love using them. I used them when they were pups too as with the Wydwl they are adjustable so didn't have to replace them too often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SibeHush Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 Oh god, do I ever remember when I first adopted my dog. She would go nuts and lunge at the end of the leash when she spotted another dog- even from across a soccer field. I got mine over that phase by taking her to the dog park but not allowing her to actually enter the dog park until she... a. calmed down fully & b. would do an obedience routine outside the park fence without fault. This unfortunately meant for several weeks, we went to the dog park without ever going in. The first couple sessions that we started this, I would put her in a sit position, take up all the slack in her leash so she couldn't even enter into a down position, and just stand there for an hour or two with her sitting by my side (constantly putting her back into a sit position when she broke cue). Initially, she often cried at the top of her lungs and allot of people stared at us. However, we eventually entered the dog park... Only to do the calmness and obedience routine all over again. That's my advice. Take your dog to the dog park but don't take your dog to the dog park... also... NEVER let your dog greet another dog until you can get the desired manners from him/her while doing so. Unless of course you want to reinforce the greeting habit and make it even harder on yourself should you ever decide you want something different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loripot Posted March 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Ah yes, that would be a wonderful idea... if we actually had dog parks here. Unfortunately it seems to be an American type thing, I've never actually seen one here in the UK. Though I actually thought of something similar myself - taking Demon to a place where many dogs would walk by, and just sit. I may just do that, even if it's not as great as a dog park, it's something. Thank you for your advice, and I'm glad you said that I should refrain from letting him meet other dogs until he's learned to be polite. I was a bit dubious about that myself. I guessed that allowing Demon to greet a dog after pulling towards it would kind of reinforce his bad behaviour, no? As a kind of reward for his bad manners? I'm glad I heard it from someone else. Anyway, congratulations on your dog training. I know how difficult it is, haha. I assume your girl is well on walks now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikknoo Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 Phew I thought that it was just Ghost that did this!! She goes bonkers when she see another dog and some owners do mistake her playfulness for aggression!! It doesn't matter if she's had a good play hours before or not, when she sees a dog she acts like she's never seen one before!!! We take her to the enclosed park in Portsmouth and she loves it in there and is much better off the lead - (although I have had to tell her off a few times for getting bitey ! If there's a miracle cure I'll be glad to know!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loripot Posted March 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 Haha, glad Demon's not the only one then! Well, we've just gotten him a no pull harness, and as much as it's no miracle cure to take his attention away from other dogs, it certainly is a huge improvement. He's never walked so well! We took him out a couple of times today and encountered a few dogs. Yes, he still charged at them, but no where near as bad as before. And it is so much easier on our arms, and Demon's neck! So if you don't already have one, I would really recommend one of these It really is amazing. I now feel like I can focus on overcoming this dog issue, now that pulling is out the way. I think I'm going to go with SibeHush's suggestion, and go to a place where there are many dogs and literally just sit. It sounds like a good idea, so I'll see how it goes. Best of luck with your pup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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