I can attest that repetition in this situation does work. We're still working on dog-reactiveness, too.

Now, when we walk by a house with a barking dog in the backyard (or barking loudly at the front window) Chula will actually look at me first, before I give her the 'watch me' command. I mark and reward when she does that, of course.

She still hackles, but she'll give me good eye contact while she's hackling.

It's one step closer to the goal, anyway...(neutrality)

 Quote: lauren jeffery

I haven't really been succesful with this command at all in the past. I think its because I have no way to really bridge building distraction. The minute we walk outside it seems that there is something goong on that either concerns or excites her!

I know people make fun of the extreme breakdowns in distractions I like to do , but here goes again:

You can start near a window where something is going on. You can move to an open door (screen or storm door latched). You can then move to a porch, then the driveway, etc., etc. You can have a human with a dog walk past the driveway after a while. Etc., etc., etc. You can eventually work on the other side of a fence where dogs can be seen inside (high level!). The goal is to add the distractions (including venue changes!) in such small chunks that the "zone of reactivity" (or whatever it is that Bob Scott calls that area in which the reactions are triggered) expands, both in area and in distraction level.

To add to Connie's post - how solid is your "look at me" cue indoors? Do you practice it sitting down, lying down, walking back and forth with her eyes following you?

I'd probably add a calm behavior as well - training her to do something that is incompatible with chasing and highly, highly reward it. I'd do a sit or a down. You want it to become automatic, the behavior that she offers when she wants something inside. The more of an ingrained behavior it becomes, the easier it is for to to perform the behavior under distractions.

 Quote: mara jessup

To add to Connie's post - how solid is your "look at me" cue indoors? Do you practice it sitting down, lying down, walking back and forth with her eyes following you?

I'd probably add a calm behavior as well - training her to do something that is incompatible with chasing and highly, highly reward it. I'd do a sit or a down. You want it to become automatic, the behavior that she offers when she wants something inside. The more of an ingrained behavior it becomes, the easier it is for to to perform the behavior under distractions.

Oooooh, good post!

Like making it a point to use your recall indoors whenever something good is about to happen, forging that connection in the dog's mind between the recall and great stuff!

I had a big problem getting out the door with Jethro - our front porch is pretty close to the sidewalk and high up so he really is lord of all he surveys. Unfortunately - he would bark aggressively as part of his surveillance activity and this just had to stop. Even when I had him wait inside the house while I went out onto the porch first, as I turned to close the door he would make his move. So now I have him turn with me and he gets a click and treat for doing so. That way, we are facing the same direction, back at the house while I lock and close the door. I use "This Way" to bring him around with me.

I've also been practising getting him to turn back and make eye contact with me before we move forward. When he is starting to get too immersed in something and starts moving away from me, I step on his leash. I find this more effective because my arms and shoulders have too much give against Jethro's weight. I step on the leash and this brings him up short. Sometimes that is enough to get him to look back at me, and I click that and motion for him to come back and sit. Then we move on.

I find at this stage I am doing everything I can to save my arms and shoulders. The fact is that I cannot give a leash correction that makes a dent on Jethro that doesn't cause me to wake up the next morning with a sore shoulder. So I'm resorting to using a lot of homemade treats for lures and rewards, and using my foot on the leash to set limits.

I don't know. I'm feeling kind of discouraged, tired, and achy today. Like I just don't have the mental and physical energy to maintain the consistency that Jethro needs to be successful.

Ah well. Steady on. I'm learning that I always must be well fed before we head out.

 Quote: jenny arntzen

I had a big problem getting out the door with Jethro - our front porch is pretty close to the sidewalk and high up so he really is lord of all he surveys. Unfortunately - he would bark aggressively as part of his surveillance activity and this just had to stop. ... I've also been practising getting him to turn back and make eye contact with me before we move forward. When he is starting to get too immersed in something and starts moving away from me, I step on his leash. I find this more effective because my arms and shoulders have too much give against Jethro's weight. I step on the leash and this brings him up short. ... I'm resorting to using a lot of homemade treats for lures and rewards, and using my foot on the leash to set limits. ...

I see a door there that looks perfect for this:
http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=319196#Post319182

and also:
http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=319196#Post319187

That might be my step one (after doing focus work with no distractions in different rooms, until I had bulletproof commands w/o distraction).

Are you using a prong collar?

Also, I think I am reading that you might be waiting a bit too long outside. "When he is starting to get too immersed in something and starts moving away from me, I step on his leash" .... this kind of implies to me that (1) we are not marching along at the pace that I like to use with a dog at this stage (with stops at my discretion for the dog to sniff, pee, etc.), and (2) the dog is getting a bit too much time to zero in on a target of interest. I need to see the triggers before the dog can see and react. If I have to, in the early stages of loose-leash work or reactivity desensitizing, I will calmly change direction when I see something exciting up ahead. I would much rather do this than rely on leash corrections.

In six months, you will look back at this discouraged moment and not even remember why you felt this way.

With my current used-to-be-dog-aggro guy, I sometimes stop and remind myself of what he was like two years ago, and I can hardly believe it. I remember days when I would actually get tears in my eyes from frustration! (After many dogs and many years! ) But in reality, we were moving along slowly but surely towards what he is now: a dog who just sneers at fence-fighters on his way by in a superior "you idiots" way, and who will stop on a dime and race back to my recall even when a couple of evil invader dogs are being walked past "his" gate. This dog will alert-bark and then stop and wait for his reward when I come and look and say "It's OK! It's lawn guys!"

You will have this too.


Consistent, calm, and standing tall: this is who you are.

We had a great walk tonight!

1 hour of seriously aerobic walking with marker training intervals sprinkled in.

I learned something about our "watch me". I probably wasn't keeping her hungry enough to have marker training be effective in a situation with real distractions. She's got food drive, but not tons of it. All but one "watch me" worked out on the first shot! We can even have her respond to the command while walking!

I was also able to get her to ignore a non reactive dog across the street using it. That made me feel better. Not all was lost with the dust mop "attack".

"..In six months, you will look back at this discouraged moment and not even remember why you felt this way.

You will have this too.

Consistent, calm, and standing tall: this is who you are.."

For Jenny and me -and all of us struggling with highly sensitive, reactive youngsters -thanks for these encouraging words Connie!

Absolutely!

Connie rules.

Lauren, you said
"For example, on our walk last night my dogs focus shifted to a guy who suddenly came through a door. She stalled to check him out, and didn't react in a negative way but paid more attention than I would consider normal and seemed a little uncomfortable. Her hackles bumped up just slightly and she didn't want to turn away from him."

Just curious:
It could have been a 'bad guy'. Are you not happy that your dog watches like this? Especially at night? Why redirect in this situation?