Sorry this is a long thread, but I've got an 18-month neuteured male dalmatian called Frodo, who I'm having real issues with. It doesn't help that, round about the 6-month mark, I had serious medical problems so his training suffered (my daughters were left to deal with walks etc and he picked up bad habits.)
Frodo is very strong for his size, and barks a lot, both indoors at people walking by, and out on walks. But not always - it's very intermittent. Currently, he's attending beginner/pup behaviour classes, but I'm really confused with all this "reward them for being good, ignore them for being bad" stuff, because while it works for some things for Frodo (.g barking at the window, jumping up at me) there are times when he needs to be punished (with me, this is muzzling him, as he hates the muzzle and I do try not to use it.) My trainer (who uses reward training) says when Frodo barks at people and dogs it's not aggressive, but I don't like him doing it.
Example - took him on a walk today, and he was lovely to begin with - but then, there were few people or dogs about. I put him on the retractable long line on the way home as the park was getting busy and I was worried he might go running up to other dogs or people, and his recall is iffy. We had to pass other dogs, small ones, and he sniffed at a terrier then lunged and bark-bark-barked at it, I pulled him away, apologised etc and rewarded him when he quietened down.
But much worse was when he got excited and began lunging and barking at two girls with a pushchair. I pulled him away and tried to focus his attention, but he was totally fixated on them. Then he lunged forward and ran after them, pulling me over. I nearly let go his leash and he almost got to this girl, who yelled in fright and ran away. She had a toddler with her, for chrissake. This was BAD BEHAVIOUR yet from what I can see, according to modern training methods Frodo isn't a "dangerous" dog, just an excitable one who vocalises a lot. I'm supposed to ignore it then give him a treat when he quietens down. That's not good enough! To my mind, there has to be a punishment strategy as well, otherwise there's no deterrent for what he's doing.
Problems are: Sure, I know people running and waving their arms will get him excited more, but I want him to be safe to the point where people can go up to him, say hallo, and trust their kids a near him, rather than yell he should be on a muzzle or put down.
2 - I know I should "walk him away" if he gets excited, but that's difficult when he's putting all his weight behind dragging me across the grass to get to his target.
3 - Other times, he'll be good as gold with other people and dogs so it catches me out. I should add both these events happened in the park he's familiar with, near my home. On "foreign territory" recently, he was much better.
Any tips on how I can make my dog into a perfect gentleman ALL the time? Other Dallie owners especially welcome.
Frodo is very strong for his size, and barks a lot, both indoors at people walking by, and out on walks. But not always - it's very intermittent. Currently, he's attending beginner/pup behaviour classes, but I'm really confused with all this "reward them for being good, ignore them for being bad" stuff, because while it works for some things for Frodo (.g barking at the window, jumping up at me) there are times when he needs to be punished (with me, this is muzzling him, as he hates the muzzle and I do try not to use it.) My trainer (who uses reward training) says when Frodo barks at people and dogs it's not aggressive, but I don't like him doing it.
Example - took him on a walk today, and he was lovely to begin with - but then, there were few people or dogs about. I put him on the retractable long line on the way home as the park was getting busy and I was worried he might go running up to other dogs or people, and his recall is iffy. We had to pass other dogs, small ones, and he sniffed at a terrier then lunged and bark-bark-barked at it, I pulled him away, apologised etc and rewarded him when he quietened down.
But much worse was when he got excited and began lunging and barking at two girls with a pushchair. I pulled him away and tried to focus his attention, but he was totally fixated on them. Then he lunged forward and ran after them, pulling me over. I nearly let go his leash and he almost got to this girl, who yelled in fright and ran away. She had a toddler with her, for chrissake. This was BAD BEHAVIOUR yet from what I can see, according to modern training methods Frodo isn't a "dangerous" dog, just an excitable one who vocalises a lot. I'm supposed to ignore it then give him a treat when he quietens down. That's not good enough! To my mind, there has to be a punishment strategy as well, otherwise there's no deterrent for what he's doing.
Problems are: Sure, I know people running and waving their arms will get him excited more, but I want him to be safe to the point where people can go up to him, say hallo, and trust their kids a near him, rather than yell he should be on a muzzle or put down.
2 - I know I should "walk him away" if he gets excited, but that's difficult when he's putting all his weight behind dragging me across the grass to get to his target.
3 - Other times, he'll be good as gold with other people and dogs so it catches me out. I should add both these events happened in the park he's familiar with, near my home. On "foreign territory" recently, he was much better.
Any tips on how I can make my dog into a perfect gentleman ALL the time? Other Dallie owners especially welcome.
). My response will be very short for now, but others will most certainly chime in - and I'll try to get back later also. 
), and the instant you see something start to grab his attention, change direction a bit (remember, he's on a 6 ft leash, so it should be easy, and right now, while you're working on some reactivity, he doesn't need to say hi to everyone) say his name, and the instant he looks at you, treat him, GOOD BOY!!!! It's a lot of work, but worth it. 
..it's hard to do without having it spillover...so the others are right, helping siphon off some of this dog's energy will be helpful as you strive to learn how to handle your dog's reactions.
VERY great advice above ^.
