bonobo
Grey Puppy
Suki
Posts: 39
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Post by bonobo on Jan 9, 2013 15:57:29 GMT -5
Was hoping to get some advice from others who may have had a similar situation... For the past 2 months Suki has been going absolutely nuts when another dog approaches us on her walks - barking, pulling, jumping, etc.... We have had Olive for 6 months and she is still shy, quiet and nervous of most things... but has progressed much fast than Suki, from her good influence... But I do not want Olive to learn this new behavior! Now even if the approaching dog is a block or two away she starts barking and jumping and won't calm down... (and the last week or so Olive's ears go up and she too is thinking about joining in, but a stern no is a BIG deterrent for her) When it first started, we tried treat training (she is very food motivated) by distracting her with treats so she wouldn't bark - but when the dog went to pass she would lunge and bark... and she even barks at dogs we know, and once they are close enough to have a sniff she is fine and acts like nothing happened. How do we curb this behavior so we can stop it completely... Both are great at walking on their leash and they are socialized with many dogs, so I don't know if Suki is just being protective of Olive as she is still nervous with most of her surroundings? But, Suki also does this when she walks alone... as we tried walking them separate to see if that might help. It didn't Any advice, tips, thoughts would be much appreciated.
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moncheri
Grey Addicted
Broodies are the best!
Posts: 2,843
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Post by moncheri on Jan 10, 2013 22:43:50 GMT -5
I have never experienced this with my Greys so I cannot offer much advice other than what I have read through several training books. There are a few professional trainers on the forum however so hopefully they will see your post and reply.
From what I have read you need to stop the behaviour before it escalates to barking - so you will notice when your dog becomes alert (ears, head carriage, body stance) and do distraction technique then, whether that be your voice or movement of the leash/collar. You need to break the focus from your dog looking at the other dog. I don't think treats as the distraction would be the best idea as you would be ultimately rewarding undesirable behavior. Just my 2 cents but like I say hopefully the true trainers will respond to you. Good luck!
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sandysfarm
Grey Lover
positive reinforcement is theElegantSolution
Posts: 676
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Post by sandysfarm on Jan 10, 2013 23:27:55 GMT -5
That is your cue to walk them separately until you get it fixed, which is not good news, I know, but you don't want 2 of them doing it because one will get the other going and then you're annoyed and out of control and suddenly you're the lady with "those" dogs Start by preventing your dog from rehearsing the behaviour by walking him somewhere reliably away from the sight of other dogs - it's Milton, try the fairgrounds maybe. The trick is to develop good leash skills; teach "watch me"; and whatever you do, don't tighten the leash when you see another dog. Having said all that, it's an easy fix if you work at it - and it's finite. PM me if you like and I'll help you on the phone ...if you're in Milton we can practise on my dogs.
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