Will it pass?

[eoj89]

Hi everyone,

Murphy is doing great thus far, inside and outside, and this isn't really much of an issue at the moment as we usually end up on our walks when there is no dogs in the park (not purposefully), but whenever he sees other dogs, he is always, always itching to get to them and will do whatever he can to get to the dog/s, and 90% of the time he knows the dog, or I know the owner, so I will let him go and have a romp around with the dog, provided it's of a suitable size. The problem is, it takes him about 5 minutes to fully recover from the excitement of seeing the dog, and immediately after, he won't accept any form of treats at all, so they're out of the question, and I can't just let a 110lb beast go charging at an unfamiliar dog, even if it is just playfully. Any suggestions?

Could I use a little raw meat as an extremely high value treat? Whenever I'm cooking, he'll sit next to me and I'll usually chuck him a tiny bit of raw meat/mince before I put anything on it, and he goes absolutely crazy for it. Not sure whether he'll react to it differently though with being outside with protection around other dogs etc.

Joe.

 

[Hector]

The dog is in a high state of arousal. Dogs will not care about food at that point. Your best bet is to start and work on obedience at a distance where the dog is still relatively calm and not reactive to another dog. It is an impulse control issue. You can also work on recall on a long line. Start at home and then work your way up to other dogs.

If you can't rely on your dog not to charge other dogs, you should keep it on a leash.

Here's a video that might help.

[video=youtube;CxLgz3wi9xE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxLgz3wi9xE[/video]

 

[karennj]

I agree with what Hector said plus I would add that if he gets to play with 90% of the dogs he sees he is anticipating and expecting the play which is making him even more excited. When I go out with Bear I purposely do not let him meet other dogs. He is VERY friendly and I have no doubt he would always be on his best behavior with other dogs but I do not want him to think he gets to meet and greet every dog he sees. I would say he gets to meet 1 out of every 15-20 dogs we see. I find when he does see dogs he notices them but just does his thing because he figures I will tell him to leave it if he pulls towards them. I would take some time seeing dogs from a distance like hector said but don't let him play with them in the end for a bit. When you are ready to let him have playtime explain to the owner that you cannot unleash the dogs until yours calms down completely. Just stand and talk from a distance if you have to and slowly move forward a bit. If your pup is calm THEN reward him with play.

 

[season]

Agree with all of the above. If you are allowing your dog to go play when he is excited etc then your dog is in all reality training you. Work on getting what you want out of your dog before you let it call the shots. Put them in a sit or even down, wait them out until they are calm submissive. Not until then do you reward. The whole working on this from a distance is what i've done with Solo. I don't use dog parks but we do walk by them for this exact reason. In the end you want your dog to be in tune with you. As Hector said, once your dog gets in that mode treats are out the window. Work on your timing. Get them before their behavior explodes. As I like to say, "Get the fuse before it gets to the bomb."

 

[DennasMom]

Ditto..

Doggie zen: "You must first give up the treat to get the treat"
... in this case the "treat" is getting to meet & play with the other dogs.

Make sure he's calm before getting his reward. Once you hear him give the "sigh" of "bummer, no play today"... then, he gets released to go play.
My problem is when the other dog is let off leash before you hear the "sigh"... and comes running over to play. I let my pup go at that point, as I know I can't compete with that much fun and have lost the focus battle. On the next visit, we'll start with the focus exercises earlier, so the pup is prepped for being released earlier, too.

My last dog actually started to develop some anxiety about meeting other dogs after too much excitement was pinned to the initial meet & greet at the off-leash park (spending 3 years with a reactive bulldog at home didn't help, either).

We did a few pass-bys to the dog park, where we went to visit, but stayed outside the fence - and then just went home. It only took a few times of going without getting to play for him to calm down over the whole experience - and then we were able to re-enter the park in a good state of mind again.

 

[eoj89]

Ideally, if he wasn't so smart as to not sit if he can't see, hear or smell treats, I would have him sit. Admittedly, when laying the foundations with his sits/lay downs, we unconsciously taught him to sit when he sees the treat, not 'sit and then you can have the treat'. We can work on that though as I'm his self-designated training director (in training)

So, I should be on the lookout for dogs before he sees them, make him sit and wait until he's calm, and then release him to play with the dogs? Also, I should mention we don't have this problem with on-leash dogs, the dogs are already off-leash, playing, which I think could be a contributing factor as to how itchy he is to get to them.

Hector, I watched the video you added in your post but forgot to reply - I always do this . I'm on the lookout for a whistle similar to that and will make a start with that as soon as I get my hands on one. In relation to him having to charge dogs, I'd just have to drop the leash and go and fetch him to avoid breaking bones or similar (maybe a little hyperbolic)

I'll also do my best to avoid dogs as best as possible and see how that goes.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Hector]

I wouldn't avoid dogs on purpose, but rather work at a distance around them. Dogs are just another distraction, but to your dog it is a very strong one.

Look into some engagement exercises. They will help your dog focus, engage and bond with you. When you build a solid recall, you can always recall your dog and walk away from the distraction and this will work on his handler focus and self control.

Rewarding him to play with other dogs in exchange for a sit and calmness (=ignore other dogs, no whining, no staring, looks to you for direction, etc)might create more excitement the next time around and might take him even longer to calm down. I would try and aim for loose leash walking, recall on leash, lay down drills, or heel around the presence of dogs. If he can show you that level of self control, then he's earned it.

A solid recall is a great place to start.