Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 12
  1. #1
    House Broken amandalmw's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    Arizona
    Posts
    76
    Thanked: 21

    Dog Loves Other Dogs Too Much

    Stig absolutely LOVES other dogs, so much, that he freaks out when we see other dogs on walks. He starts going after the the dog, barks (which he doesn't do at home), and pretty much drags me behind him. He's so strong I can't hold him back anymore. I think people in my neighborhood think he's an aggressive dog who wants to attack them and their dog but all he wants to do is play! I'm pretty much at my wits end with trying to figure out how to calm him down when we see other dogs. I want to hire a trainer to see if they can help, but my husband wants to get a choke collar (not sure how I feel about that). He tried out a neighbors dogs choke collar (who is a search and rescue dog), and Stig immediately stopped pulling.

    And tips, ticks, thoughts and/or suggestions are very much appreciated!

  2. #2
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    3,947
    Thanked: 2421
    Have you been to training classes? Learning leave it? Watch me? Etc. And proofing? What are you doing to train for this type of situation? It is helpful to know what you have done and what you're doing before giving advice. Could be the dog is simply not trained.

  3. #3
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    8,135
    Thanked: 5108
    The question we seem to ask most on these boards is:

    How much exercise does he get? At his age he's at the peak of his energy. A walk around the block on leash isn't going to cut it for dispelling those needs. Another thing that might help is a doggy friend to help work off the craziness in play. Classes to teach both of you how to manage and adequate exercise should go a long way to help with this. Most of us have gone through this, it sounds pretty normal. Hang in there. Literally and figuratively.

    Oh, yes a training aid might help. We don't use it now but a prong helped us get by some situations where I needed control till the training kicked in.

  4. #4
    House Broken amandalmw's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    Arizona
    Posts
    76
    Thanked: 21
    Quote Originally Posted by Labradorks View Post
    Have you been to training classes? Learning leave it? Watch me? Etc. And proofing? What are you doing to train for this type of situation? It is helpful to know what you have done and what you're doing before giving advice. Could be the dog is simply not trained.
    We have been to beginner & intermediate training at Petsmart. He learned leave it and is great with it when it comes to food, something he's interested in that he shouldn't have, and stuff we come across on walks. We also worked on watch me, but haven't much lately. With that we made a noise with our mouth while holding a treat out to the side, and when he makes eye contact with us he gets the treat. We could definitely work on that more. I'm not sure what proofing is.

    Quote Originally Posted by Snowshoe View Post
    The question we seem to ask most on these boards is:

    How much exercise does he get? At his age he's at the peak of his energy. A walk around the block on leash isn't going to cut it for dispelling those needs. Another thing that might help is a doggy friend to help work off the craziness in play. Classes to teach both of you how to manage and adequate exercise should go a long way to help with this. Most of us have gone through this, it sounds pretty normal. Hang in there. Literally and figuratively.

    Oh, yes a training aid might help. We don't use it now but a prong helped us get by some situations where I needed control till the training kicked in.
    Before his neuter (9 days ago) he was getting a 2.5 mile walk/run in the morning & then a 1-1.5 mile walk/run in the evening. On the weekends my husband usually takes him to the dog park for an hour or we play fetch in the pool. He's just obsessed with other dogs...he especially loves the ones who want nothing to do with him.

  5. #5
    Senior Dog TuMicks's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2015
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    2,366
    Thanked: 1096
    Only other dogs? You have him under control in all other circumstances? Frisbees? Squirrels?
    Last edited by TuMicks; 04-04-2015 at 10:21 PM.

  6. #6
    Puppy BayAreayellowl's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Northern CA
    Posts
    1
    Thanked: 0
    Quote Originally Posted by amandalmw View Post
    He's so strong I can't hold him back anymore.
    You didn't mention whether he's walked on a leash or a harness, but we swear by the Easy Walk Harness.

    The tricks/tips we learned that stuck were:

    1. Quality of walk starts at the door. You both leave the doorway at same time and dog walks by your side, not in front, at least during the early training years.
    2. Keep high-value treats handy for walks. You see a dog approaching on the sidewalk, put him in a sit. Use your leave it command. Keep that treat like an inch from his nose and keep him in the sit and put your body between your dog and the approaching dog. Move side to side if you have to, making yourself a better door than a window. When the dog walks by, give him the treat (hot dogs are good) and continue on. After 20 times "dogs coming = snacks" starts to stick. Ours never looked back and now we don't have to do that anymore, but do once in a while to keep the training intact.
    3. Don't pull back on leash when he pulls forward. Correct by a quick twitch sideways on the leash, like with a horse.
    4. The last thing is to monitor how *you* feel when other dogs approach. If you're nervous, making even subconscious anticipatory reactions; maneuvers with the leash, dogs know and follow your lead. Breathe.

    Good luck to you

  7. #7
    House Broken amandalmw's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    Arizona
    Posts
    76
    Thanked: 21
    Quote Originally Posted by TuMicks View Post
    Only other dogs? You have him under control in all other circumstances? Frisbees? Squirrels?
    No squirrels here in AZ. He's usually manageable other than when dealing with other dogs. As soon as we pull up to the dog park he goes crazy. Oh and when we see a cat on our walk. We have a cat, but the cat wants nothing to do with him, which drives him crazy.

    Quote Originally Posted by BayAreayellowl View Post
    You didn't mention whether he's walked on a leash or a harness, but we swear by the Easy Walk Harness.

    The tricks/tips we learned that stuck were:

    1. Quality of walk starts at the door. You both leave the doorway at same time and dog walks by your side, not in front, at least during the early training years.
    2. Keep high-value treats handy for walks. You see a dog approaching on the sidewalk, put him in a sit. Use your leave it command. Keep that treat like an inch from his nose and keep him in the sit and put your body between your dog and the approaching dog. Move side to side if you have to, making yourself a better door than a window. When the dog walks by, give him the treat (hot dogs are good) and continue on. After 20 times "dogs coming = snacks" starts to stick. Ours never looked back and now we don't have to do that anymore, but do once in a while to keep the training intact.
    3. Don't pull back on leash when he pulls forward. Correct by a quick twitch sideways on the leash, like with a horse.
    4. The last thing is to monitor how *you* feel when other dogs approach. If you're nervous, making even subconscious anticipatory reactions; maneuvers with the leash, dogs know and follow your lead. Breathe.

    Good luck to you
    Thank you so much for the leash suggestion! And everything else. We'll try the treat trick on our next walk.

    We make him wait until we walk through the door first before he can go out or in. He definitely likes to walk ahead of us. Keeping him at a "heel" position exhausts me after awhile.

  8. #8
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    2,598
    Thanked: 2588
    Walks aren't necessarily exercise, they are more like appetizers. Fetching for 1/2 hour would wear the dog out more. I would go with a prong collar and find a better place to train than Petsmart.

  9. #9
    Real Retriever Moby and Barley's Mom's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Napa, California
    Posts
    433
    Thanked: 214
    My dog is EXACTLY the same way. I have now learned to put him in a sit the moment I see another dog - with a treat in front of his nose. It was really really hard for him at first - (and he was known as the crazy uncontrollable dog on my dog walks with him) but he has gotten a lot better. I also am trying very hard to establish more dominance over him during walks - as he will sometimes go after deer, cats, etc. After a cat incident yesterday - it took forever to get and keep him in a "down-stay," but eventually he did it - and then we basically turned and went home. I also think that I made a big mistake by letting him walk in front of me - so I am now trying for only having him walk by my side. I stop every time he pulls - and we are not getting far - but it is getting a little better. It is sort of exhausting. -photo-9-jpg
    Forever in my heart - Sweet gentle Moby - lover of belly rubs, bacon, and Barbara 9-10-2001 to 11-2-2015

  10. The Following User Says Thank You to Moby and Barley's Mom For This Useful Post:

    amandalmw (04-08-2015)

  11. #10
    Real Retriever Zookeepermom247's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    266
    Thanked: 127
    hello, Sophie is 16 months and we have been working hard for a long time about not greeting other dogs and humans with hysterical joy!! She is a big girl, in a harness,... and she is learning to wait until dogs and humans pass and I have a very firm grip on her leash and she stands very close to me. She targets them from down the road and the tremors of happiness start vibrating across her body. That is when I tell her sit. She loves praise from me so I don't bother with treats as I need more arms than I have to control her joy. Then slowly we start to walk and when she pulls I stop and make her sit. Usually she can pass only with a longing look to the other dog or human. On occasion, when she does encounter a human, she will walk to them because they asked to pet her, and will be very polite with no jumping and no happy mouthing. It is like who took my sophie away and replaced her with a very well trained labbie? I know she has potential and loves it when I praise her with "good walking" and good girl" and what a good girl you are". She always looks up at me and smiles...

    Thanks,
    Sophie's mom

  12. The Following User Says Thank You to Zookeepermom247 For This Useful Post:

    amandalmw (04-08-2015)

 



Not a Member of the Labrador Retriever Chat Forums Yet?
Register for Free and Share Your Labrador Retriever Photos

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •