[Kelsey3283]

Heres the deal: my dog will always listen to me...wait, no she wont! Theres another dog, better run up to it terrifyingly fast and scare the pee out of the poor animal and then just sniff in a friendly way. Luckily there have been no problems cause by this yet, but for one:

There is a spaniel that as long as schatzi has known her, it always charges up to us snarling. I leash her in and pull her between my legs and bring her to a sit and hope the spaniel doesn't run in to meet its fate, but it never quite does. Well.....the other day I had schatzi off leash taking out the garbage and she suddenly sprinted off the yard onto the spaniels yard and tackled it, holding it to the ground with her mouth. I think she felt this dog was going to attack me or my kids or her who were all outside...... It was a good 10 seconds before I could get there so I feel if my dog wanted to cause harm it would have. Make no mistake, I know that harm done or not there is NO excuse for this kind of behavior.

So here's my question. I have been socializing her and she has other dogs around a lot but when we are out she WILL NOT listen to me when other dogs are around. I think people are going to say that more socializing is the answer but I'm starting to doubt it. maybe I'm just frustrated and need to stay the path if that is whats needed.

Or...Is she bound to be on a leash every time we are out?

 

[big_dog7777]

Not just socializing.. but TRAINING with that distraction is what you need. Has she been to any classes? In my opinion classes are for proofing what you already taught amidst distraction (unless you're completely new to training). I LOVE dogs that are left out in the yard and bark like crazy at my dog when I walk by. I go back and forth a dozen times working on OB commands and desensitizing my dog to the other dog.

 

[Kelsey3283]

We have been to two training courses, 6 weeks each I think. They were just pets-mart ones but the trainer at my local pets mart is very remarkable and the private ones....not so remarkable that I have found. Either way she did good there and could perform tricks around other dogs that she got to know from the class but if they were not the ones she was accustomed to she looses focus.

I have read the NILIF theory and all the ways I have re-enforced her behaviour was very in-line with it.

The other hard part is that there are ZERO dog parks near me so I don't really know where to practice with distractions...Last time I talked to the trainer she suggested that possibly one of the harnesses that fit around the dog's head/face could help(don't know the name of it). Is that desirable or has anyone tried it?

 

[jarn]

i agree with john.

work on training her to hold when there is distraction, especially that spaniel apparently. and see how she does.

you know her level of aggression, you know just how reactive she is. proofing her sit/stay will really allow you to evaluate her and just how far you want to trust her.

 

[jarn]

Originally Posted By: Kelsey The other hard part is that there are ZERO dog parks near me so I don't really know where to practice with distractions...Last time I talked to the trainer she suggested that possibly one of the harnesses that fit around the dog's head/face could help(don't know the name of it). Is that desirable or has anyone tried it?

do you mean a gentle leader or halti?

as far as i know, they are used to stop pulling. that doesn't sound like your issue to me, unless i'm wrong.

i used a gentle leader on luc, to try to stop him pulling. we had no success with it.

personally, i prefer a martingale or a prong. however - i wouldn't correct in a prong (or anything, really) unless you are sure your dog knows the command and understands what you are asking it. (clarification: with respect to not following/breaking a command. i do correct for aggression, different thing.)

 

[big_dog7777]

How about talking to the owner of the Spaniel? Maybe arranging that the spaniel be out on leash while you work OB or something like that? Post where you live here or other boards/groups and maybe someone would be willing to supply some "strange" but safe dogs. Do you have any friends with dogs?

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

Quote: I think she felt this dog was going to attack me or my kids or her who were all outside......

First, you need to not make up 'excuses' like that when your dog misbehaves. Because the fact is, it doesn't matter what my dogs 'think' when they are misbehaving. If they run after a squirrel cause they 'think' it would be fun. Or chase a neighbor kid cause they 'think' the kid is a mass murderer.

What the real issue is, is............it's not up to my dog to be 'thinking' at all if I'm there. Cause I'm in charge and I'll do the thinking thank you very much.

All this is about, 100% about, is having (or not) a reliable recall WITH DISTRACTIONS. And this is an issue almost all of us have at one time or another. That's why I kept going to dog classes, and at different facilities if one wasn't helping. I never was going to have a goal of official obedience trials, that's not why we went to classes for over a year. It was to teach ME to teach my dog so she would see me as a leader in the relationship, listening and behavior despite any distractions.

A good class starts easy with small distractions (just being in a new room with new dogs and people) and we'd learn the commands. And it's amazing how those same well trained commands a few months later went right into the crapper when a tennis ball/frisbee went flying across the room!

As time goes by and our skills develop and dogs mature and progress we can also up the training. And when our dogs trust in us, our decision making and leadership with them grows. Making them more reliable.

Until then, it's my role and responsibility to keep other people/dogs/animals in my neighborhood (the world?) safe from my dog. While I may have no impact on another dogs bad manners and behaviors, I will have on mine. So I deal with what I can.

 

[Kelsey3283]

My two best friends have dogs, my parents have a large gold/shep mix, my sister has two italian greyhounds(one of which snarls and barks at my dog constantly and she just ignores it), my neighbors two GSD's and she is never aggro with them and will take commands from me....but now that I think about it she takes commands begrudgingly and slow and never looks at me while I'm giving them or even while she is obeying...I guess I though that's not enough as I thought it was.

Thanks guys, and thanks Maggie. Anyone that has ever had their dog attack probably knows the frustration I feel and the need to try and justify it, and it helps to have someone slap you in the face and remind you to be responsible for your dog!

She gets particularly excited with the GSD's next door. Maybe I could ask if I could take her over there and practice tricks and stays etc while they are running around - is that a possible solution?

 

[MaggieRoseLee]

Quote:She gets particularly excited with the GSD's next door. Maybe I could ask if I could take her over there and practice tricks and stays etc while they are running around - is that a possible solution?

It can be BUT set her up to succeed with the training. So bring treats/toys/whatever and use a distance to start that you KNOW will work and she'll still listen. You want to have a good solid basis to reward your dog for doing right, rather than just testing them and being forced to correct cause that was really really really wrong!

If I were you, and could find other classes besides the more beginning classes usually taught at Petsmart, I definitely sign up for them and bet you'll be amazed how smart your dog is and what a great leader you are in her life!