Hi everybody. Let me give you a quick history before I get into the real problem. Rocky and Anna are 1.5y/o mixed breeds (i know they are chow, lab, border collie). The get along fantastic and are hopelessly devoted to each other. Rocky is the bigger, male, dominant dog. He is for the most calm, gentle, and loving. He has been through 2 obedience classes so far and is becoming a pro at it! He treats me as his master and we work everyday at our commands.

Here's my problem...
We go for a walk, on the short (6ft) leash and prong collar. As soon as he gets outside his tail and ears pop up and he searches for another dog. If we encounter another dog, or if he sees one in the distance, he whines, and barks, I correct it with a snap to the prong collar, and a "quiet!" which is our word for stop barking, but this only makes him bark in a lower voice (not towards me, towards the dog). If I try to block his view and make him look at me, he tries to jump over me. He pulls on the leash, endures multiple snaps that I know bother him on the prong collar. I have also tried working on his obedience commands when another dog is near, but it hasn't gone over well. The only solution so far is to avoid dogs (most of them walk the other way when they see us coming, as now we have a reputation). I am going to try shaking pennies in a can since I know he is scared of the noise.

At the dog park he is friendly to most dogs, and loves to play. He is rarely aggressive at the park, I can only remember one time that he didn't get along with one dog.

His sister Anna can have 100 dogs walk by her and she isn't interested.

Has anyone else encountered this, and do you have any suggestions on how I can correct this behavior.

Thanks
Susan

Oh, and yes he's been neutered since 5mos

susan

Susan wrote - He treats me as his master and we work everyday at our commands.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but he does not see you as a strong Alpha leader. In the midst of battle or before she gets started I can call her back or out off leash. To a quite down. This is a female 90lb Rottie mix Pitt bull very strong prey drive for other animals.

You keep given, I'm assumming level 3-4 corrections little snaps on the lead. If he does not heed your first warning Level 9-10 him this requires letting him pull in the direction of the other dog with slack in the line and you go in the opposite direction holding the leash firmly at your hip turn sharply the other way and take a couple of steps. Then stop let him regroup and give him the quite command if he is still barking or whining, but doubt it if done right.

If he starts to pull again, correct him hard again, be warned sometimes this Level correction will make him "Yap" or turn him over. One or two of these and he will stop this type of actions. One hard corrections is worth 1000 nagging jerks, you'll hear on this board and see good results. You can praise him whens he is quite and acting the way you want. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

There were some really useful threads on this board about this problem (I am not sure, but I think 'distraction' is the word to search for).
We had this problem when my young dog was about 8 months. I almost forgot how he pulled and barked like 100 devils. I needed only twice hard corrections with the prong (my dog being rather soft).
Try to notice each and every other dog before him; show him the food or the toy and 'heel' (changing direction if possible) or sit, or even down, first, pretty far from the other dog. Exagerate the praise if he focuses. Correct for not obeying your command. Your dog has gone through obedience classes, he should know the commands. You can add gradually small distractions when training, until he'll come to listen under big distractions like dogs that are waiting or working together with him, then dogs passing by or playing.

I had one dog before that knew a single command, but he did it always, like a machine; very useful, because I never cared about cats, children, dogs, or bitches in heat. With this young dog, we are still working on it. We can cycle now quietly when another dog comes from the opposite direction, we have no problem to pass by lots of stray barking dogs, he can platz with dogs or people passing by, even when some children are petting him, and he can do all obedience commands with any other 'working' dog around. My problem are now dogs that play around and probably soon, bitches in heat - he does not listen yet, I mean he would not even do a good sit. If I walk my both dogs together, only when I'm really short of time, well, this is another story. In this case, I have to monitor only of the old dog, as the young one is almost never the first one who barks. I have to keep my voice very calm, show the food if I'm in time, or change direction, saying calmly his name, when I am a bit late.

Thanks for the responses. As an update, last night while walking Rocky, I took the can full of pennies with me. We walked by a cute little Bichon, and as he started whining and barking, I stood in front of him, shook the can in his face, and he immediately laid down on the bikepath and just look at me and let the dog walk by! I guess he's just a big baby after all!

Thanks!
susan

Funny baby boy <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> . You may replace prong corrections with shaking pennies, proven so effective on your dog. I see no reason not to do it. I'm curious what people more experimented here think.
Only that I'd do this as a correction, after I say the dog NO or LEAVE IT. But if I'd try any OB command like sit, stay etc. before the dog barks, I'd still prong the dog if he doesn't mind.

Susan, nice work Haraha!!! Anything that works use it. You know your dog better than anybody that has not seen or worked with him. I think you solved your delimea now you have to get him to do it without the can of pennies, I mean you don't want to have carry that around all the time. So add a command with the shaking of the pennies and combine that command with a hand gesture. Dogs really respond to physical gesture better then verbal commands.

Good job, I wonder what made your dog react like that to a strange noise, This would probably only make my male GSD try to investigate it rather then downing. The shaking of a hand and strange noise usually means to him react like do have something to eat or do you wanta play! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I wonder how it would effect my female RottieX? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Anyway way to go!!

Sue in my oppinion your do needs the proofing part of the the training steps. He knows your command and he must obey it no matter what. "Sit means Sit" and he needs to learn that. I am not real found of the pennies deal because it still does not fix the problem, that under huge distractions he blows your command off. I have a male who is very dominiant which causes lots of dog agression issues, but when I say platz he knows he has to get his a** down no matter what. Just my personal oppinion, and an oppinion is just that. Good luck