Hi folks,

A while back I posted this thread http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/235924/page/0/fpart/1

And the current thread can be considered a continuation of the prior.

Kaiser has become more "alerting" and it is becoming a problem. He'll growl and bark at folks coming out of their house a couple houses away. If someone jogs by the house and we are both outside he pulls and tries to go after the jogger.

Not acceptable - period.

Now my dilemma. I like his protective instinct and he is being trained in Schutzhund - I DO NOT want to do something that will hinder either of those aspects. So the question is, how to break him of that without breaking his spirit and my bond with him.

I've used the "enough" command from the previous post but it has become a battle where I will say "enough" and have to jerk back on his leash and tell him "Sitz!" and push his butt to the ground. He'll then stay there, very alert and grumbling under his breath until the person goes away.

He is now 7 months old (will be on 7/1/09), and firmer corrections are in order. I am planning on ordering the Dealing with Dominant & Aggressive Dogs DVD, the eCollar DVD, and the Dogtra 1900NCP - TODAY.

In the mean time, does anyone have any advice as to how to deal with this until I have had an opportunity to digest the new DVDs?

Thanks.

Peter, my dog has the same issues, but more so with dogs vs. people passing by.

Have you tried a firm 'enough' and then move right into something distracting and fun, like a game of tug? Or better yet, before he sees the person coming, get him engaged with a tug?

I can distract my dog pretty well with this method, as long as I get her to focus on me when the oncoming distraction is still far enough away.

If she drops the tug, I immediately pick it back up, and get very animated to get her engaged again. My goal is to keep her engaged long enough for the distraction to pass by, with the ultimate goal of her ignoring passing dogs...

It's funny you mention that as when we are actively engaged with bitework he'll take notice but is more interested in what we are doing.

The issue comes mainly when we are just going outside for a bathroom break and he sees someone.

I don't want him to think that we're going to play every time we go outside. Sometimes, it's just business.

 Quote: Peter Marek

I don't want him to think that we're going to play every time we go outside. Sometimes, it's just business.

Yeah, I gotcha!

The way I view it is that I want my dog to see me as more interesting than the distraction across the street, whatever it may be. Not sure that this is the best approach though...

I hope others w/ more experience than me will post their ideas...

I am very grateful for this being posted as 6 month old is in the same boat. And she is doing this with both people and dogs. She is becoming very reactive and if she gets frustrated about one thing, everything will set her off. This only started in this recent fear period, but I wouldn't say this behavior is 100% fear as it is also her frustration. I look forward to hear the responses as I don't want to hijack this thread but I can relate and give you a ton of examples of what she is doing.

-Lamarr

Peter,

This is really something you need to discuss with your training director.
He/she sees your dog work, and can accurately judge the dog's temperment and nerves, and provide insight as to WHY the dog is doing this barking.

It could be weak nerves.
It could be he is very territorial.
It could be he needs some additional socialization/neutralization to new people/experiences.

It could be any number of things, up to and including the fact that he simply likes to bark at people.

But your training director is really the best judge of the whys, and therefore can help you with the hows.
He/she can also help you chose a path that will curb the behavior to the level desirable to you, without harming the dog's sport training.

 Quote: Peter Marek

I don't want him to think that we're going to play every time we go outside. Sometimes, it's just business.

Sometimes a collar-wise dog isn't such a bad thing, if you get my meaning.

If a certain collar becomes a cue that it is play time, and another becomes a cue that it ISN'T play time, you may find yourself very pleased with the results.

I can certainly talk to him but I think it's territorial.

I take the dog with me to many places and he NEVER acts like that - he ONLY does this around the house - when he is in the yard. When we go for a walk - doesn't happen.

The DVDs and ecollar were just ordered and I'm hoping to find some more information in them on this topic.

I just posted on another thread about territorial barking.

I like to let the dog bark once or twice, and praise that.

"good giblout" or "good watch"

Then immediately redirect the dog to a behavior that isn't compatible with barking.

This is where good obedience comes in.
You have to know which commands your dogs are VERY solid on. Be it platz, hier or touch.

Then you can continue to praise, for the obedience.

So, the whole thing becomes very positive.
The dog barks once or twice in alert, because he knows that behavior will lead to praise and reward.
Then it looks to you for additional commands, because it has learned through repitition that you WILL give another command, providing additional opportunity for praise and reward.

Alyssa - thanks for adding clarity to this. I'm going to try this and see how well it works. Can you provide the link to the thread you mention ?