I have been working for several months with my 11 month old GSD on walks. She definitely has learned how to walk civilized on a leash (yeah!). A few months ago, she started barking at all the dogs we passed. I started using treats to distract her. Today we passed several dogs. While she didn't bark (does look at me for treats though), I noticed that her shackles were way up.

When I see another dog coming, I start talking to her, getting her attention and giving treats. I am saying "no barking" as we get closer but before she's even barked. And then saying "good girl, good no barking" as long as she doesn't bark and looks at me. When I realized her shackles were way up, I kind of had second thoughts about what I was saying.

Should I be saying this? Am I confusing her or reinforcing her fear (shackles up) by saying good girl or good no barking? Thoughts?? Suggestions??

Shackles bind and that can be frustrating. I would remove them and concentrate on finding a distance to allow her to relax and observe the other dogs, where she doesnt feel bothered by them.

 Quote: steve strom

Shackles bind and that can be frustrating. I would remove them and concentrate on finding a distance to allow her to relax and observe the other dogs, where she doesnt feel bothered by them.

Lisa, it sounds like you've been successfully working your dog through some leash reactivity (barking/lunging at passing dogs), and your progress sounds great - the hackling that you're seeing was most likely present during the barking/lunging also, you just may not have noticed it due to your concentration on the bigger picture. Now that your dog is working it's way towards calm, you're seeing the more subtle signals she gives out when she's uncomfortable - she's getting better, but there is a lingering anxiety, and it's presenting itself in the hackling.

I personally feel like hackles are not always something the dog really has control over - sometimes they appear the way goose bumps do on us. I'd use them as a sign that you need to keep working with the dog, doing as Steve suggested, and continue to desensitize her to other dogs on walks. If she's hackling, you need to back up and work on getting her calm at a farther distance away.

~Natalya

I would teach her to "leave it". And that would be my command.

How is her "focus"?

Can you ask her to sit and focus on you and ignore the dog while they pass by?

I think by saying good girl, good no bark, all the dog might be hearing is "good". Tell her what to do and set an expectation for her. There is no aggression allowed on walks...make it your new mantra! Start from as close as possible that does NOT illicit a reaction. Use your marker training to get a focus, if she looks away redirect with a food or toy and get her back into a heel position with a focus on you. Work her up to working under distractions of many different situations. She doesn't have to like every dog, but she does have to respect you as a leader. She just has to ignore the dogs!

Hmmmm, I was way off. I was picturing cuffed.

 Quote: steve strom

Hmmmm, I was way off. I was picturing cuffed.

Why does that not surprise me...

 Quote: Niomi Smith

She doesn't have to like every dog, but she does have to respect you as a leader. She just has to ignore the dogs!

This is true, but I just wanted to point out that leash reactivity and the raising of hackles don't usually have anything to do with disrespect or disobedience. It's more about a dog feeling uncomfortable, and the need to work through the situation in a way that allows the dog to learn how to feel differently, like gradual desensitization.

I only mention this because seeing this as a respect or obedience problem could encourage someone to correct a dog for this behavior which could make things exponentially worse.

I've been taking her into town and working with her on sit and down. She did beautifully early this week. We were on the sidewalk in front of a store. Someone walked up behind me and she stayed in a stay - he then said a few nice words to me about my dog. She noticed him but returned looking at me without me really doing anything.

That was a good day. Had other ones where she's too distracted, but at least beginning to see glimpses of her focus on me.....but that's with cars/noises/people. Around dogs, not as good. Though she will look at me when she sees them on walks, but still her hackles (sorry, thought it was shackles!) go up and there is still some barking - better, but still there sometimes. And Natalya, you are most likely right, it was probably present all the time, just now noticing it.

She has come a long way with leash walking and dealing with other dogs, but it sounds like I need to do more dog desensitizing work. I like Niomi's idea of making her sit and focus on me as other dogs walk by. Will try that and see if I can find that distance where she is comfortable dealing with other dogs and then slowly getting her closer to them.

What about barking from a window? Right now she barks (at other dogs) and then comes running to me. Her hackles are up then too. How should I handle that? In general, when hackles go up what should be my response? If correction is not good, what should I concentrate on? Right now, I just say no barking. Sometimes I think I'm getting this and then I feel I can't come up with a single (clear) good idea! Thanks for your patience.

Lisa, my dog is a hackler also. She hackles when she's defensive but also when she's excited and playing. She hackles when she smells a track sometimes(probably dog or cat scent). None of this is accompanied by growling.

I don't concern myself with the hackling so much as the behavior that may be accompanying it. If it occurs on a walk, then I will get her to focus on me before she gets fixated on whatever caused her to hackle in the first place.

Or I may move her away from the cause, to place more distance between her and whatever it was the caused her to hackle. Again, getting her to focus on me, and marking and rewarding that focus.

Think of it as an early alert cue for you to get her to focus on you.

My dog used to hackle when he smelled bear or cougar scent. I very much appreciated the warning, as he wasn't much of a hackler otherwise. I agree, I'd focus on the behavior and not the hackles. My shepherd now occassionally hackles when she sees a 'scary' looking stump. It's a good early warning system for you, but I wouldn't try to change the actual hackling behavior as dogs may have minimal control over it. You should be able to lower the excitement that causes hackling by working on focus and desensitization, as suggested, and thus reduce the incidence of hackling, but I wouldn't consider it a problem in and of itself.