Leash aggresstion

Carlene

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I have an almost three-year-old white Lab that we rescued 8 months ago. He's a big 80 lb goober! He is sweet as he can be and gets along great with my other two dogs however....once in a while while my hubby is walking the dogs, he sees another dog and goes nuts! His ridge goes up, and he lunges. Now he can see the same dog the next day and ignore it! My husband walks all three with Gentle Leaders and that helps. I have a feeling the dog was never socialized as a pup and don't know how to curb this behavior. I checked with a local dog trainer and her advice was to..."free his spirit." Yes, put him to sleep! Any suggestions?

Carlene
 

robjvargas

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Put the dog to sleep? AT EIGHT MONTHS? I *seriously* doubt the credentials of that trainer.

I think it needs a bit of socialization training. I agree with you on that. I'm no dog expert, but I cannot imagine that eight months old is too old for that.
 

Jinxy

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A lot of the time, when dogs freak out at the sight of another dog, it isn't really true aggression. They're just overstimulated when they see the other dog and get frustrated because they're held back by the leash. To a bystander, it may look like the dog is a vicious beast- and it's definitely embarrassing for you when the dog is going nuts - but it certainly doesn't mean that your dog is mean or should be put to sleep.

Have you tried teaching the dog the "watch me" command? Teach him to redirect his focus back to you when he sees another dog. At first, you'll probably have to be standing far away from the other dog, but eventually you should be able to get your dog to focus on you when you're passing other dogs in the street. I had a very loud schnauzer who used to make huge, mortifying scenes every time she saw another dog at the park, but after a few months of redirecting her attention she figured out that it was more fun to look back at me and get a lot of treats than it was to bark at the other dog. It did take time, but it was definitely a lot better than resorting to a prong collar or giving up on walking her completely.
 

mirandashell

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I agree with Jinxy. A lot of the time it is frustration at not being free of the leash. The redirect back to you works well but does take time. And you have to do it *before* your dog starts the barking and leaping. Usually at the moment you see the dog before your dog does. So you have to be constantly aware of who is around.

If you miss the signs, and your dog does start the barking and leaping, best thing in my experience is to turn back and walk in the other direction so that he has to go with you.

It does take effort at first but your dog will get it sooner or later.
 

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Trainer is an idiot.

However this will be a lot of work. Might want to look for a specialised behaviourist that is close to you. This is how we're working on it, aided by a trainer:

Teach your dog the watch me command. Best thing is making a noise with your tongue, clicking noise, if your dog looks at you treat. If you use clicker, then click, then treat. Start doing that every few hours for a few minutes. Tongue noise, or 'watch me' or whatever you choose, the dog looks at you, treat.
Then start adding distractions. Dog is playing, you make noise, dog turns to you, treat. If he doesn't turn the distraction was too distracting and you need to take a step back and maybe try with less distraction. (For some dogs just sniffing is already a HUGE distraction and they can't be interrupted at first).
Once the dog looks at you even when playing you can start outside.
Find out how close the dog must be to the trigger for him to react. Then make sure he never gets this close to the trigger (in your case other dogs).
Dog approaches, try and get out of the way, safe distance, keep your dog's attention on you with your 'watch me' command or with tongue noise or whatever you decided to pick. If he reacts you were too close. If he doesn't, big reward. Now this every day a bit closer. There will be many setbacks. But eventually the dog will associate other dogs or humans with you having lots of tasty treats and he will focus on you as soon as something comes by.
With a 3 year old that learned this behaviour for several years probably it might take months...
My dog is leash reactive and he's 6 and we've been at it for almost all of those 6 years and he was perfectly socialised. He's just very anxious. We still have setbacks but 98% of the time his attention is on me when a trigger walks past.
Btw, maybe your dog doesn't like treats but then maybe he has a favourite toy? A frisbee or a tug of war toy?
Then train that as a reward for him looking at you, you throw his toy or play a short 20 second tug of war game. Outside as well, trigger walked past... yay, frisbee.
If normal food or toys don't do it, try high value food, peanut butter, chicken, cheese, if he goes nuts for it you can have really tiny bits of cheese that last you the whole walk.
 

Barbara R.

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I have an almost three-year-old white Lab that we rescued 8 months ago. He's a big 80 lb goober! He is sweet as he can be and gets along great with my other two dogs however....once in a while while my hubby is walking the dogs, he sees another dog and goes nuts! His ridge goes up, and he lunges. Now he can see the same dog the next day and ignore it! My husband walks all three with Gentle Leaders and that helps. I have a feeling the dog was never socialized as a pup and don't know how to curb this behavior. I checked with a local dog trainer and her advice was to..."free his spirit." Yes, put him to sleep! Any suggestions?

Carlene


Free the trainer's spirit.
 

heyjude

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Oo, my dog does this too. I've heard it called "on-leash reactive." She's an absolute nutball when on the leash. It's awful.

We take her to puppy play day for socialization/energy release once a week, which didn't help this issue. She's more or less fine with other dogs off the leash.

She can take or leave food.

It's a bizarre thing, isn't it?

So... all that to say sympathies!
 

Carlene

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Thanks SOOOO much for all the helpful suggestions! I'm working on "watch me" with all three dogs. I contacted a member of my pet therapy group (My Dukie is a pet therapy dog) and she connected me with a trainer! We'll be meeting in the next few days, so I'll be sure and post any suggestions, hints, whatever she comes up with. It's nice to just know there are other dog moms out there with similar problems. Scout is fast asleep on my feet right now! He's a love.

Carlene
 

GingerGunlock

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This is some great advice! I've found "look at me" (my variation) to be exceedingly useful.

Trainer is an idiot.

However this will be a lot of work. Might want to look for a specialised behaviourist that is close to you. This is how we're working on it, aided by a trainer:

Teach your dog the watch me command. Best thing is making a noise with your tongue, clicking noise, if your dog looks at you treat. If you use clicker, then click, then treat. Start doing that every few hours for a few minutes. Tongue noise, or 'watch me' or whatever you choose, the dog looks at you, treat.
Then start adding distractions. Dog is playing, you make noise, dog turns to you, treat. If he doesn't turn the distraction was too distracting and you need to take a step back and maybe try with less distraction. (For some dogs just sniffing is already a HUGE distraction and they can't be interrupted at first).
Once the dog looks at you even when playing you can start outside.
Find out how close the dog must be to the trigger for him to react. Then make sure he never gets this close to the trigger (in your case other dogs).
Dog approaches, try and get out of the way, safe distance, keep your dog's attention on you with your 'watch me' command or with tongue noise or whatever you decided to pick. If he reacts you were too close. If he doesn't, big reward. Now this every day a bit closer. There will be many setbacks. But eventually the dog will associate other dogs or humans with you having lots of tasty treats and he will focus on you as soon as something comes by.
With a 3 year old that learned this behaviour for several years probably it might take months...
My dog is leash reactive and he's 6 and we've been at it for almost all of those 6 years and he was perfectly socialised. He's just very anxious. We still have setbacks but 98% of the time his attention is on me when a trigger walks past.
Btw, maybe your dog doesn't like treats but then maybe he has a favourite toy? A frisbee or a tug of war toy?
Then train that as a reward for him looking at you, you throw his toy or play a short 20 second tug of war game. Outside as well, trigger walked past... yay, frisbee.
If normal food or toys don't do it, try high value food, peanut butter, chicken, cheese, if he goes nuts for it you can have really tiny bits of cheese that last you the whole walk.


I also (obviously) think that trainer doesn't really seem to be handing out the best advice. A good thing to remember is anybody can say they're a dog trainer, and there are many "certification" programs I wouldn't trust in the slightest, if this particular trainer even bothered. There is a point at which behavior indicates perhaps euthanization is best and safest for everybody. What you've described isn't, in my mind, it. It's hard to say without actually seeing/interacting with the dog, but you don't seem panicked or at your wits' end, and it doesn't seem anybody's bleeding.

What I would recommend, if he's "bad enough" (I don't mean "value judgement" bad, but "uncontrollable or a danger" bad) is doing a consult with a board certified veterinary behaviorist. . If positive reinforcement training, working him under threshold, and self control exercises like the "Watch me" with increased stimulus are a no-go, a certified professional is the way to go (though I do see you know somebody who knows somebody, so that's good!)
 

Roxxsmom

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Leash reactivity is really, really common, and it's generally very, very workable, especially with a young dog. Anyone who'd suggest euthanasia for this, is not worthy of the name trainer imo. Unless, perhaps, the dog already shows a pattern of random and uncontrollable aggression in a variety of situations, or there has already been a severe injury caused by this dog. It doesn't sound like the case here--the thing you describe (a young exuberant dog that's generally quite friendly having a specific issue on leash) is a lot like what one of mine had, and we've made enough progress with her that she can walk on a loose leash at agility events now and will work courses without trying to approach other dogs.

One thing to keep in mind is that there is no standardized regulation or rules for dog trainersAnyone can hang a shingle out and call themselves one, regardless of their training, education and experience.

Try the Association of Professional Dog Trainers web site, as they have a search function that allows you to find local trainers, guidelines for finding a good trainer, and indicate and trainers that are certified through their program. They're an organization that endorses a more scientific and evidence based approach to dog training, so they're better than many of the certifying bodies out there. There are also certified applied animal behaviorists, which have more stringent requirements as to education and credentials.

Board Certified veterinary behaviorists are a particularly good route to go when searching for help with issues that run more deep than simple behavioral issues, though they can be harder to find in many places (most vets don't specialize in behavior). Some regular veterinarians give advice re behavior too, but they can be woefully out of date.
 
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