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Grimm's 'onlead barking/lunging' evaluation

5K views 43 replies 13 participants last post by  Catu 
"The scary part is, there are times when I can't correct him enough to get any focus at all when the sudden-dog-on-walk is close enough. Then i am helpless to give a correction Grimm can even notice-- even with the prong"

That's why you need a Halti!

Did you ever had a chance to watch people with reactive dogs, how they can just walk by others- while still having 100% control- when they use this tool? I don't quite understand why the trainers haven't conditioned Grimm to a Halti yet
 
"Maedchen, I am totally open to a Halti. I tend to think it will either help very much ("Oh, gosh, I can't lunge, Mom? bummer.. hey, wait-- i just walked right BY that other dog! what a concept..") or, it will frustrate the heck out of Grimm, even after he has become acclimated to it at home and will escalate the problem, or do nothing to help".

Patti,
Grimm will still be able to lunge/bark. A Halti is not a muzzle. But for you to avoid the lunging you need to be pro-acitve by re-directing his head toward you when another dog approaches (Grimm takes interest), even before he reacts. While he looks at you (through the force of the Halti) you reward the behavior. You can get him in a sit/stay etc. to keep him busy while the other dog passes, or keep on moving in different directions- whatever works best. Lure him to keep looking at you with your voice or even treats if that helps and enforce with the Halti as neccessary. With my GSD I walked him in a big S loop to distract him from other dogs and focus on me, or I would even turn around occasionally. Key is, that the dog doesn't know what to expect- and he will pay more attention to you.
If possible walk around upcoming dogs in a big circle and the better Grimm becomes, the more you can decrease the distance to the other dog (the bigger the distance the less the arousal). Always reward when he behaves well and do fun parts after the training so he has something to look forward to. Keep the training sessions (walks) in the beginning short.


I"I am trying to find a trainer here in Germany. It's harder than I expected. I need a trainer who will not use excessively harsh methods (the 2 dogsport clubs nearby still do) .. but, I need a trainer who is NOT a part of the purely pawsitive 'no corrections/negative consequences' movement that is now also in Germany as well as USA."

But even positive trainers use punishment -> by not rewarding! It can be very effective if the dog learns that he loses what he was looking forward to,- even more so than physical punishment.
 
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