Hey guys. I have a question. My BF's dog is now 9 months old and as some of you may know he was the one who was very interested in other dogs. Still is, but not completely obsessed with my own dog to the point of not being interested in people anymore. He won't ignore dogs but he does alot of staring.

There's a new thing cropping up though, and that's when we're on walks he is starting to react to other dogs. It began with huffing and a bit of low growls between them. He will bark as well now, hackles always up. He knows how to walk perfectly on a leash but he's starting to break away from that and head towards the other dogs.

It also seems to be random. Some dogs he will only look at and others will just set him off. Sometimes the dog could be just barking and he does it, and other times the dog is being full-on aggressive, snarling and the like and he does it. Yet other times the dog is barking furiously and he won't make a peep.

We tried some different reactions to this. Normally we ignore the dogs completely and just resume on. If we act oblivious and say nothing to Blizzard he will resume huffing until he's full out barking and lagging behind, staring, tail held high and hackles up. We tried light corrections, doesn't work because he doesn't seem to feel them. Harder corrections make him yelp but he isn't phased because he continues staring and continues barking and huffing but will continue walking slowly. I will mention he is very vocal, he will whine and squeal even if you are removing or putting on a collar, bathing, petting or clipping his nails..etc. So I'm not sure how to judge his corrections.

He can't really be distracted from them either.

I'm just unsure if this needs to be handled now, ignored? If it's something he'll grow out of or it could be budding dog aggression. He's never been attacked, but we have had many loose dogs approach us. Eric is really good about looking imposing. He has warded off all of them with a stick and stern words, even kicked one-before they got near our dogs.

Other's will be of more help, but I had a question.

Are you correcting or redirecting the split second his attention starts to get TOO focused on other dogs?

It can be really tough to regain their attention once they really get zoned in on something.

If Turbo locks in on a dog, my "Uh-uh." has to be right behind it.

He looks for just a moment, then starts to huff, then barks right after. I don't think Eric minds that he looks at the other dogs, but did correct for the huffing when he started to do it. Should he correct for looking/staring maybe?

You can tell the difference between a casual look, and completely zoning out focused on something.

I'm like Eric. Turbo can look all over at anything if he wants.

But the split second those ears go up and he starts forging ahead, I remind him to knock it off.

He should try to get his attention BEFORE the huff.

I'm not even talking about a physical correction either. Most of the time just an "uh-uh" will break that focus on the other dog.

If he sees the oncoming dogs well before Blizzard does, he could engage him in some obedience commands that he and the dog work on.

I suspect anything after the "huff" is going to have little effect.

The pro's will have more idea's than me, but getting his attention before he zones out will be a start.

Heather;
IF, your BF is interested, I would suggest purchasing Ed's video on marker training. There are articles and pod casts here on this site to get you started. Just telling a dog no does not help the dog deal with being reactive, This behavior will only escalate. Best to deal with it now. The side benefit of training your dog is that the bond that you have with your dog will be awesome!!!!!
Happy Training,
Roni

We have the marker training video. We also have basic dog obedience, puppy 8 weeks to 8 months and dominant and aggressive dogs ( Because we liked the others so much ).

About the only other thing I would suggest beside Michaels and Roni's advice is for your boyfriend to make it a quiet "No" or "uh-uh" or whatever command he wants to use strictly for that scenerio (my choice as it does NOT allow the dog to decide what behavior he needs to knock off). A loud or even soft aggressive Negative will (MAY) drive the dog to elevate. It does with mine. I found out that a quiet reminder PRIOR to huffing, or leaning, or even his mouth getting tight and forward can redirect him to look at me and relax. Now, marker training and one specific command for that scenerio only, and I can almost always walk him near or past another dog and he will not react...as long as the dog is a few feet away. MUCH better.

This is an excellent forum for me....my male nuetered GSD who just turned 2 in April continues to stare down other dogs even if I catch him first....he is not reactive all the time as today we passed by 3 dogs and it was the last dog an American Bulldog he fired off on...
I will tell him to look at me...he will for a moment and then stare the dog down again..I try to keep his attention with treats but he already knows that I am doing this for a reason which just makes him more anxious..I have tried turning in the other direction but he will try to look around me... I try not to give a correction as he is connected to the prong on walks....
I am going to order the marker training video eventhough it is not a preferred training by the trainer whom we have been going to since 6 months.
He is great around children, small animals including cats as long as I have him go into a down and tell him easy....as he does have a large prey drive...

Only other problem I have with him is when other dogs are recalled, whether in Obedience class or while training with a friend he fires off....the trainer and I have observed that he is very keen and watches other dogs and anticipates their movement.

Any additional suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


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Edited by Connie Sutherland (06/08/2009 09:38 PM)
Edit reason: add URL

Actually, Susan, this is hijacking.

When you have a question of your own, like this, you want to start a new thread ("new topic").

You can copy and paste from your post here into your new post, and I will link it after you do.

Thank you Connie...I am still new at this and not still sure what hijacking is but I started a new topic and will do so moving forward unless I am going to reply to someone elses post.