I took Ambi to one of our favorite conservation areas today, I've been going there for fifteen years, its always dog free so I do some off leash work, recall, stay, play fetch, etc. Today we had a great time, Am i was off leash no probs. then as we got to the last 1/4 mile right before I pick up the leash, Ambi charges up a hill and there's a guy and dog there... So this is the part where we say not bad Amber, bad Jodi!
The man wasn't afraid of her, and I was right behind her (I don't even remember running up that hill). The guys dog was looking aghast at my ill mannered pup. I was so mad at her for ignoring my call when she first took off, I took her leash and told her to SIT! She sat, without barking, yelling. The other dog was less than five feet away. I was shaking, thinking of how the other dog could have been hurt, the man could have been hurt, Amber could have been hurt... In thinking about it, I'm trying to figure out if she sat quietly because I was so mad I made it clear I was not allowing any other options? Do I need to get bigger and firmer with her? Oh, and she has lost all off leash privileges and is back to a long leash.

Sounds like she just needs more recall training

And...in connecting the dots, if your dog is reactive, I'd probably not allow her off leash.

She usually has a reliable recall, but has lost off leash priveleges for now.

I was also looking for insight into why she sat quietly, I don't think I made the question clear in the post.

IMO, she sat because you had taught and proofed the sit command and it was second nature to comply.

The recall needs similar proofing (and more, because of all the situations that factor in with the recall).


She was off-leash before the recall had been sufficiently proofed.



For me, as Melissa said, off-leash for a reactive dog is very carefully sussed out first.

But any idea why she wasn't yelling? She barks when she sits on the bike path when other dogs are passing, when she has no contact. So was the quietness because she knew I meant business? Or possibly because she had contact with this other dog? Is the barking to attract the other dogs attention?

This is what I think:

If a fallback behavior is practiced-practiced-practiced-practiced, it becomes "muscle memory."

A solid behavior, when proofed in every way you can devise, is a good fallback behavior.

Excited barking isn't part of that rehearsed behavior, right?

I certainly may be wrong, but even if I am, the better the command is proofed, the more ingrained it becomes.

JMO! I would give myself a B if I were you. Terrific sit command, but jumped the gun on off-leash and recall.

PS

I'd also keep proofing that sit, for all kinds of distraction.

Ahh... that makes sense, yes excited barking is not part of our training regimen
I can't blame Amber, this was my lapse, so Ambi is getting a B, I'm giving myself a D. Ironically enough the guy said "I thought about warning you"
We practiced sits on our long walk today, even on a loose leash with a dog far ahead of us.