PDA

View Full Version : doggie advice please



may67
12-Sep-10, 19:56
Hi, any advice and tips on stopping an 8 month old terrier to stop barking and growling at other dogs when she is on a lead..She is a wee softy 99.9% of the time, good with other dogs off the lead....but on the lead, its frustrating for us both........help?

unicorn
12-Sep-10, 20:41
Have you tried some type of shaker, a tin with pebbles in it, when she starts give it a shake to give her a wee fright.

Incognit0
12-Sep-10, 22:09
Dogs only bark if they have a reason to. If they feel the need to defend their territory (or you) they will bark. If you take charge and become the protector you dog will have nothing to bark for.

Birdie Wife
13-Sep-10, 10:55
Have you tried some type of shaker, a tin with pebbles in it, when she starts give it a shake to give her a wee fright.

I would recommend NOT doing this - the dog may start to associate the fright with the presence of the approaching dog, which will just make the situation worse.

Instead, try a positive training method, and redirect the dogs attention to yourself when you see another dog approaching. Have a tit bit handy, tell the dog to sit as the dog approaches and when your dog is calm and watching you, give the treat. You might have to practice a lot in situations where the dogs aren't going to be walking right past you. She's still young and this is the perfect time to be training her so she doesn't get into bad habits when she's older. Be patient and keep at it!

Incognit0
13-Sep-10, 12:02
Another positive thing you could try is approch other dogs on an arc rather than head on - head on is confrontational. It may mean that you look a bit of a div doing arcs down the pavement but if it makes your dog feel less threatened then thats a good thing :)

Tatbabe
13-Sep-10, 12:59
I agree with the last two posts.

Every time the dog shows an unwanted behaviour you have to pull the leash and say either no or a ssshh sound so the dog associates the sound with the unwanted behaviour. If you have to do it a hundred times then you have to do it until it stops.

Along with snapping it out of that state of mind, it can be turned away from the object that gets the dog excited.

You might want to use clicker and treat when it stops an unwanted behaviour so the dog associates that if it doesn't do something it gets a treat.

Over time, you gradually phase out the treat and use the clicker only.

This training can pretty much be applied to most unwanted behaviours.

Training a dog is ongoing!
If the dog does NOT accept you as the leader of the pack, it'll rule! You always have to be the leader or the dog will take over!

Lots of talk and shouting doesn't help either. You need to have a calm and assertive approach using the same word - not whole sentences - to achieve a certain behaviour, i.e. sit, down, sshh or no etc. - if you are frustrated the dog will sense this and be frustrated as well!

I suggest to watch Cesar Milan - his simple methods usually work.

Hope this helps.

Birdie Wife
13-Sep-10, 14:52
Victoria Stilwell is a really good dog trainer on the telly (It's Me Or the Dog), and all her methods are positive, unlike many other trainers. I've watched a lot of Cesar Milan programmes too and some of his techniques are quite harsh and he's come in for a fair amount of criticism on the doggy forums I've seen... having said that, I would say watch them all and see what makes sense to you, but whatever you decide to do, stick at it for at least a couple of weeks, 'cos it's unlikely you'll get immediate results. It's a fairly common terrier thing, unfortunately! Good luck!

Incognit0
13-Sep-10, 15:55
Victoria Stilwell is a really good dog trainer on the telly (It's Me Or the Dog), and all her methods are positive, unlike many other trainers. I've watched a lot of Cesar Milan programmes too and some of his techniques are quite harsh

CM is criticised to the point that the RSPCA have got involved and he has cancelled his UK tour. A lot of the things he does are out of order and unnecessary. Yes he gets results but only because 99% of the dogs involved get no excercise - the problems would disappear with proper exercise without resorting to the horrific tactics he uses.

One of the things I disagree with is his use of the EC. I don't disagree with ECs in general, just the way he uses it. They are supposed to be used as a form of communication in situations where the dog losing it's ear - ie field dogs on the hunt. CM uses it as a punishment - this can make the dog fearful, or in the worst case associate the thing it is being reprimanded for with the pain. The result of this is that stock worriers become stock killers as the kill to stop the pain...EC should be used on the lowest setting the dog responds to and should be used as a 'hey i'm speaking to you' kind of command. Once the dog's attention is gained, the command can be given and the dog praised for choosing to do the desired behaviour. It is all about allowing the dog to make the correct choice and not punishing it for making the wrong on (though a little bit of that needs to happen once the dog actually knows what the desired behaviour is).

So all in all CM = bad, VS = nutty but nice (although I do feel she food treats too much but that's another story ;) )

Tatbabe
13-Sep-10, 17:49
I was only referring to the repetition of snapping a dog out of an unwanted state of mind, i.e. pulling the lead as soon as the dog shows an unwante behaviour.

I agree that some of his methods are harsh, but I think quite often exercise, as one of you mentions, is what many dogs don't get or don't get enough of.

Plus, many people don't seem to do their research regarding the breed they're getting.

buzzard
13-Sep-10, 18:43
I agree with Birdie Wife's training advice, no CM for me (!), why bully a dog when it can learn the same with positive rewards? I am not completely against punishment but many mistakes get made, with worse consequences. Indeed your dog could start to dislike other dogs even more when seeing a dog gets associated with bad things. I also have a dog who is bad with other dogs on a lead. I would advice to reward, reward, reward, if possible to work with a clicker. 'Look a dog! click and treat.' Seeing a dog means reward. If you can distract your dog with tidbits in such a way that it does not show the unwanted behaviour (while it sees another dog at a distance), it may start looking at you for rewards when it sees another dog. Obviously you should not reward the unwanted behaviour, and try to avoid it as much as possible (start with seeing dogs at a distance only, making the exercise gradually more difficult). It will indeed take many weeks to get improvement, but it is worth doing while the dog is still young!
I can highly recommend the book 'Feisty Fido' (help for the leash-reactive dog), from Patricia McConnell.
Good luck!