Its Been a while. Hope all is well. The warm weather is here and I am getting very anxious about the walks. During the winter not too many people are out walking their dogs so it was rare to run into other dogs.

Now they are all over the place. Dogs running loose too! Jeter is about 3 now and he has developed into being very anxious around other dogs. I have Dakota and she is the only other dog I trust him with.

When jeter sees another dog he pulls and yelps and it looks like he wants to kill the other dog. Of course I know about being calm and trying to not be nervous or anxious myself but I cant help how I feel inside. If he gets loose or a loose dog gets close enough its going to be very ugly.

I cant be completely sure what would happen because he used to be very social until he mixed it up with 2 English bulldogs at the dog park almost 2 years ago. Their owner brought toys from home and when Jeter chased a Frisbee and got it they took exception and went after him. Needless to say there were English Bulldogs flying around the dog park.

He is great at off leash commands except I cant be 100% sure what would happen if he saw another dog. He has tremendous prey drive (squirrels don't stand a chance)so I never let him off leash unless I am in a fenced in property. My daughter was walking her very submissive pit a few weeks ago and a GSd came out of nowhere and attacked her dog. Nala is a little thing and very submissive so the GSD did some damage. Jeter would fight back and it would be very bad. He is 80 lbs.

I have tried high value treats to distract him when other dogs are around. The problem there is that he always knows when I have them and he is so focused on the treats that when he sees another dog the treats are already old news. I don't want to have such restrictions and anxiety with him. I want to be able to walk Jeter and Dakota around the neighborhood and not worry all the time. Its just a matter of time before trouble finds us or we find it.

Any Ideas?

Thanks

I wanted to add one other thing. He can get so worked up that he will snap at Dakota standing right next to him!!!!

Unfortunately, once a dog has been attacked by other dogs, this is usually the fall out.

This is why we have so many threads here opposing dog parks, and advocating carrying a really big stick.

Ed wrote two good articles to get you started:
http://leerburg.com/dog-agg.htm
http://leerburg.com/dogparks.htm

 Quote: alec s. garrison

.... I cant be completely sure what would happen because he used to be very social until he mixed it up with 2 English bulldogs at the dog park almost 2 years ago. Their owner brought toys from home and when Jeter chased a Frisbee and got it they took exception and went after him. Needless to say there were English Bulldogs flying around the dog park. ....

Can there be a more eloquent example of why you will find almost universal advice on this board to keep your dogs out of off-leash dog parks? Of course the other people who brought toys were morons; that's the whole point: you have no way of knowing what kind of morons will be there or what control (if any) they have over their dogs.

So first, please tell us that you no longer go to the dog park.

We can tell you about and guide you through desensitizing your reactive dog, to some extent. (It sounds like he is usually the one getting riled up?)

First, where is it that you run into so many off-leash dogs? "Now they are all over the place. Dogs running loose too! "

IMO, taking the dog to walk where there are off-leash dogs is pretty much a deal-breaker (reactive dog or not). So that's number one. And for now, while you work with his reactivity, I'd go to the very least dog-traveled area I knew for walks, even if I had to drive him there.

Then, do you have a back yard or other area that's very low-distraction to do marker work, to start? (Do you know marker training?)

In the last week I have been confronted with several dogs that were off leash. I have a neighbor that has a little shitzu that keeps getting out of the yard. I explained to my neighbor that his dog runs the risk if being killed if he continues to run out. My dog is never off leash if not fenced in. And of course I NEVER go to the dog park. I learned the hard way. Please explain the marker training to me again.

I ordered the special collar so it can be kept high on the neck to give me more control. My plan is to teach Jeter to focus on me using high value treats. He already know the "look" command. If say look he stops, sits and looks right at my face. I treat him. The only exception is when he sees another dog. I can tell he is trying to control it because he looks at me for a second but cant hold it.

Alec, what you describe is a good way to start desensitizing him to other dogs. The idea is to be able to practice this in an area where your dog is aware of the other dog, but not so close that it prevents him from being able to focus on you.

The high value treats are good.

Basics of marker training:

Do this in the house, with no distractions, when he's hungry.

You are going to pick a word (many here use 'yes!'), and say it, then give him a treat. You are not looking for any particular behavior, you just want Jeter to associate the word with getting a yummy treat. Repeat a bunch of times, over a couple of days.

What you should notice is that when you say 'yes!' he starts anticipating the treat. This means that he understands the association between you saying 'yes' and him getting a reward.

You have now loaded your marker! (the word 'yes!')

Now, you can mark a behavior you like with 'yes!', then give him the reward.

He will quickly begin to understand that his behavior drives the rewards...

important: make sure that you keep your treats hidden in a pouch or pocket. Make sure you are not saying 'yes' and simultanously reaching for the treat. It must be disctinct...'Yes!', pause a second or two, then reach for and give him the treat...

Gotta go, hope this was not too confusing!

 Quote: Lynne Barrows

Alec, what you describe is a good way to start desensitizing him to other dogs.

The 'look' command, not the part about encountering loose leash dogs! (in case I wasn't clear...)

Thank you Lynn. You were very clear. I have trained my dogs (I have two) to know they are getting a treat when they hear a whistle. The whistle is near the dog treats so when I give one blow they come running from wherever they are and sit in front of me and wait for the treat. Perhaps I should use the whistle on walks and have that be the marker???

Having two dogs is part of the challenge. Its hard for me to focus on Jeter and work with him during walks because I have both of them. I need to take him out alone so I can focus just on him. Of course Dakota gets upset when I go without her but that might just be me humanizing what she might be feeling.

I am all ears...

Your voice or a clicker will be better. Logistically, giving a command and then marking with a whistle will be a problem, I think.

Once you are at the point where you are marking a behavior, you must give the marker at the instant the behavior occured. So, if you are rewarding eye contact, the moment the dog looks in your eyes, you would say 'yes!'

In your case, since Jeter already knows the command 'look', you would say 'look', and mark 'yes!' as soon as he looks at you...
and then give him the reward.

gotcha...cant wait to try.

Thanks