I am hearing impaired and have some serious concerns about my two dogs when they meet strangers and other dogs on our walks. Can you offer some advice?

Question

Hello I just came across your site. I find it very interesting and informative. I have two wonderful dogs, one is a 2 1/2 year old Border Collie female (have had her since 10 weeks), and the other one is a 4 (?) years old German Shepherd mix (adopted her a year ago). I am in the process of training them ...I haven't been such a good trainer or alpha leader in the past, but I am learning greatly from books I've purchased and articles on the Internet. I have a few questions, but first I need to tell you that I am deaf and have retinitis pigmentosa (where my eyes are slowly losing their vision, and currently I have "tunnel vision").

    First, are your videos closed captioned? Especially the Basic Obedience video?

    Secondly, I have a very difficult time monitoring my dog's behavior around people and other dogs. For one thing, I can't hear them if they growl, snarl, or make any noises. So I am paranoid when I approach other people or dogs, and my dogs get excited. I never know if they are growling. I can feel them barking, but can't tell what kind of barking it is (i.e., threatening or happy barking). My dogs used to pull and try to go after people or dogs, but I have been working with them, and they are doing pretty well now...the border collie listens to me a lot better than the German shepherd mix...my fault, I know. But, I want my dogs to approach other people (and dogs if they're leashed, etc) on a friendly basis...but I try to avoid that, because of my deafness...but I don't like doing that. Another thing, about watching the dogs' behavior, is that when I look at a dog's head, I can't see the tail, or if I look at the dog's tail, I can't see the head...due to my limited vision. Due to that, I have difficulty in monitoring their behavior, such as if their tails are wagging, while they're growling? Or, their hackles are raised, but their heads are not threatening? All those things that you are told to watch for in dogs to see what they are behaving like. I hope I am not rambling here, but I wanted you to get a clear picture of what I have difficulties with. Anyway, I am wondering if you know of any way I can make things easier for myself, without having to avoid every dog or person I see on the street? I really would like for my dogs to be sociable, but it's difficult to do that when I have a hard time monitoring their behavior. You probably will say, get someone to help me, but my husband works during the day, and I'm home all day, by myself. I can't drive, so I can't get myself to obedience schools to socialize the dogs. I have a hard time communicating with people with two dogs in my hands, so I can't ask people if their dogs are sociable or not...(I speak fairly well, and lip-read very well, but as you can imagine, having dogs all around you being excited and having your hands full with leashes, isn't exactly helping the communication).

    Even if I did train my dogs fully, and have them be obedient..(which I am trying to work on), It won't really be any fun going out with them if I have to avoid people and other dogs. Well, I mean, I have loads of fun going out with my dogs and being with my dogs...but I'd like to be able to have them around other people and dogs without being paranoid of their behaviors.

    Thank you for listening (reading),
Tabitha

Accepted Answer

My videos are not closed captioned, you are actually the first one to request this in 20 years of doing videos.

    The issue of your dogs' behavior around other people and dogs should not be that much of a concern. The dogs just need to be trained that they are to focus on you when there are other people around. There is no need for a dog to be introducing himself to other dogs and people. This is a pet owners misunderstanding. I never allow my dogs to meet people on their own. They only interact with people if I allow it and they know that. So when we approach people there is never a question of "CAN I ?" They know that if they do they will get a prong collar correction if they even try to go out to meet people. There job is to be a dog and a pet, which means they stay by my side and sit while I talk with people, they are not the center of the conversation nor are they controlling the meeting by going up to people and dogs - this is 100% wrong and unacceptable. You are the pack leader, you are the person who determines who gets greeted and how the greeting is handled.

    If you do your obedience properly you will have people comment on what well mannered dogs you have.

    As far as other dogs are concerned, I NEVER allow other dogs near my dogs. It is not even a question. If a strange dog tries to get near one of my dogs I first warn the dog verbally to stay away, if it refuses and still approaches I kick it in the head. I am very serious about this, I am very quick with my feet and I kick them right under their jaw so it has a shocking effect. Once again, I am the pack leader. Other dogs do not control the situation with my pack, I do.

    So the bottom line is that you need to rethink the way that you are approaching your relationship with your dogs and your role in that relationship.