More (with added detail):

http://leerburg.com/webboard/thread.php?topic_id=32141&page=2#359239

Thank you! I will definitely check all of these out - appreciate it. Had a couple of incidents in the last two days, one good, one not so good. We left at about 5:00 a.m. for our walk the other day and got bum rushed by one of the neighbor's dogs. I always do a pre-walk scan specifically because of an irresponsible neighbor and her dogs (three large pittys and a Chihuahua, all untrained and pretty much out of control)but I saw that her dogs were not out in their pen and since it was so early, I didn't think anything of it. As soon as we start walking out of our front yard and near her house, she opens her door and attempts to let her largest dog into the small exercise pen she has set up in her side yard. There's about 10 feet of space where the dog can run either way instead of straight into the pen so he spots us and runs towards us. My Kelpie girl predictably freaks while my Beagle is all "Yay, another dog, I love dogs!" I managed to keep that dog back and control both of my own while she is running out into the street screaming at her dog and yelling "Sorry, he's friendly!" I was so furious that I couldn't even speak. This is the second time that this has happened (it's also happened to other neighbors and their dogs while walking) and fortunately, it was just one of the dogs the last time too instead of the whole pack.

This morning on our very early morning walk the OPPOSITE way from that other neighbor, we got surprised by a small terrier tied out in a front yard. Instead of freaking, Kelpie girl just did a little bit of a whine and I was able to do a U-turn and give her a "Let's Go" with hardly any fuss at all. And this dog was barking and lunging so hard on the tie out that he almost flipped over. Strange how this reactivity thing works.

I'd stay away from the neighbor with the uncontrolled dogs.

And good for her, with her ability to calm down on making a u-turn with the barking terrier!



BTW, I never mentioned that the collar I use is a regular flat collar. I have nothing against other collars at all .... this just works for me.

We've taken to just going the other direction from the neighbors after doing a very careful scan. I do the same on our walk back to the house. We've worked religiously on sit and stay at an open door until they are released to come out (on leash of course) so that helps. Sucks that we have to sneak out of and around our own house but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Thanks for the collar suggestion - I have the tendency to try too many things and I think I just need to stick to one to avoid confusion for my girl. I admit that I haven't used flat much since she has a tendency to try to slip the collar. I'm most familiar with a choke as far as a more "corrective" collar but it seems like nowadays folks are shying away from those as they cause neck issues? I used them in the past without much issue but my old girl was not much of a puller. I probably get the best overall control from a Halti on her but I don't care for it and she doesn't seem to either. I have prongs but they are hand me downs and I'd rather get her one suited specifically for her. She can be pretty soft.

IMHO the "halti" does nothing more then control the dogs head as it does with a horse.
I also use a flat leather collar for training. At most a fur saver but neither is used with corrections other then containment.

The prong can be an excellent tool but it needs to be used correctly as do most any methods.
Reward based marker training trumps them all!

Great points from Bob.

Shelli, how's it going?

Hey there - sorry it has been so long since I have checked in. Real life got in the way quite a bit of me having the time to update. Thank you to everyone for their advice. Our girl is doing a lot better - she is still not the perfect specimen of calmness and rationality on the leash, but she has certainly become better and as a result, I think that I am not quite as tense on walks which I'm sure helps a great deal, probably more than I am even aware of.

We did start using the small prong on her, dead ring attached(Herm Sprenger). I've rarely used a prong before but it's amazing how much calmer and actually *confident* she seems with that collar on vs. the numerous other contraptions that we've tried. I didn't see that coming. She seems to prefer the prong to anything else at this point and certainly more than the Halti, which she hates with a passion. I think the rare correction (which is more of a very mild tap, she doesn't need a lot) when needed along with counter conditioning, more obedience work and some one on one introductions with other dogs in a controlled environment have made a big difference. Oddly enough, she is fine with other strange dogs off leash and actually quite playful. Both small and large dogs. Being that she's a bossy herder though, I still won't be frequenting dog parks with her but I'm encouraged to continue having play dates for her with stable dogs owned by friends and family.

ETA: BTW, here she is - big fan of the backyard furniture

http://i.imgur.com/gll5uVt.jpg

absolutely not saying you are one of those shelli , but it is surprising how many people think that the dog park is like heaven for dogs , as in , that is the best place a person could take their dog . the pinnacle of their success is to be able to take the dog to the dog park .

you are way better off picking your dogs' friends for them and then deciding how , when and where they play .

sounds like the dog is settling in ( judging by the pic lol ) and things are moving in the right direction .

i tend to approach issues like these as a project that gets done a little bit at a time . as long as you are seeing improvement , however little , it's all good .

 Quote: Shelli Kelley

I admit that I haven't used flat much since she has a tendency to try to slip the collar.

A martingale is a nice compromise. You can set it so that it doesn't correct the dog but will tighten enough to prevent slipping the collar. I like the martingales that have a chain. I've found the all webbing/fabric ones can bind up some.

I will never walk a dog on just a flat collar. I've seen too many dogs slip them and bolt.