[BowWowMeow]

Patti,

I don't think what you're seeing from Grimm is aggression, just reactivity. I think it's important to distinguish between the two. Grimm is clearly a lover and not a fighter.

I had an idea for you. Rafi also gets very excited when he sees other dogs. He jumps up and barks and generally carries on. He has tons of exposure to other dogs and in every case he has proved that he is not aggressive, just a bit reactive and excited.

I have now given him a job when out on walks. He carries a toy with him. Sometimes it's a tennis ball and sometimes it's his kong on a rope. If it's the kong on the rope I will often hold the rope end while he holds the kong. It is his job to keep track of his toy. He has this job whether he's on or off leash. Today he carried a tennis ball. When he was off leash (on a trail far away from any streets) a bunny ran in front of us on the trail. He was so busy keeping track of his ball that he didn't even see it! He also gets only momentarily distracted by other dogs because I redirect him to his toy. He will take out his excited reaction on his toy instead of jumping around, etc. I think it's something worth trying with Grimm. It's working very well for Rafi.

 

[BowWowMeow]

Originally Posted By: Brightelf
BowWowMeow, Bingo! Grimm's been evaluated by a few trainers-- not true aggression, he just wanna get the party started and can't.

Ruth, you and Rafi really make a great team. How did you think this idea up? I can see Grimm dropping his toy though.. our walks neccessarily are looong.. about 45 mins (i live in a highrise in a dense city-- wish to move to a rural area in 1 - 2 years)

Today's walk was about an hour. He carried the ball the entire time. Basu also used to do this. He would carry teeny stuffies that squeaked, a teeny cuz or a tennis ball. He would carry it for 1 to 1.5 hours, no problem. I teach them the command to get their ball by working up their excitement--"Get it, Find it, Where is it?" I do that in the house first until they know what I'm talking about and like the game. Then I start with bringing a toy on shorter walks (or just playing with it for part of the way) and keeping them excited about it. Then it progresses to the point where they actively look for a toy to carry with them on the walk. Imagine an 80 lb. gsd carrying a tiny ducky--that was Basu! Now when we see another dog (and I live in the city so they are everywhere) I just say, "Where's your toy?" and Rafi picks it right up.

I think it's worth a try for you and Grimm! We also like carrying toys together.