Problems When Going On Walks

[southerngirl]

Missy recently has started having problems when going on walks she is pulling really badly and every little noise her ears prick up and she starts looking all over the place and won't listen to me. It's especially bad when walking by the two houses which have outside dogs. She knows that the dogs are there and will run up to her. Missy's misbehavior on walks just started when we ran into my neighbor who was walking his husky without a leash, (I know some people don't see a problem with walking a dog off leash cause their dogs behave but I don't trust Missy around other dogs so it frustrates me when dogs aren't leashed) so Koda, the husky comes toward us she didn't try to greet Missy but her being near Missy was enough for Missy to start pulling toward us. the next to days Koda came running up to me from her yard once again Missy was pulling really badly. Since this happened Missy has been horrible on walks. What can I do to get her to start behaving on walks again?

 

[Amateur]

I saw your reply to my other post .. I hope it helps.

Today we walked past someone sweeping their drive way, I held out the treats for them to see and kept their attention on the treat and me. If they looked at me they got a treat ... lots of them. Cue " look st me" command and If they ignored the man they got the treat, this worked great until I praised them and Hank turned around to go and see the man, but it showed you can keep their attention this way too when distractions are present. Maybe this might help you, working at a distance from the other dog and gradually get closer.

 

[southerngirl]

Thank u i'll try that tomorrow during her walk.

 

[mewzard]

Yup, like Amateur says...distraction training!! Treats or a toy - aanything that is more interesting than the dog that gets her attention on you. Maybe she is pulling as she wants to find a dog? Did he scare her? Maybe she wants to get home again quicker?
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I tried the 'distraction training' meathod with Oka, but she then linked the toy to the fact there was a dog near, and so i would get the toy out to distract her and she would ignore the toy/treats and scan for the dog. Now i shorten the lead so she's next to me and march past.....she doesn't pull so much now on the approach but just as we are passing she will a bit. I'm hoping that in the end we can walk past, and then slowly allow her to greet the dogs with out messing up the nice walking.

 

[southerngirl]

I'm worried that Missy is wanting to attack the dog not greet it and I really wanted to run in a 5k that other dogs will be in so I'm hoping to meet up at a park with my friend who a a boxer puppy and work on getting her to walk past the puppy nicely and eventually meet her with a muzzle of course. I'm definitely going to try the distraction thing whenever we walk past a dog, deer, and so on.

 

[mewzard]

Did she show aggression to dogs before? Does she show aggression or are you just worried that that is her intent. If she hadn't before I'd assume the husky frightened her. Fear-aggression is something that you can work on BUT a good dog trainer is best to advise you.
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She will pick up your tension, so you have to remain calm whist training.

 

[southerngirl]

Well I'm not exactly sure if its aggression but her ears will prick forward she whines and pulls toward the dog sometimes her hair will stand up. and i am worried about her attacking a dog because i used to have a very dog aggressive dog who managed to slip out of his collar and attack another dog luckily the dog was very fluffy so it wasn't hurt just scared. I have gotten better at not tensing up whenever I see a dog still working on it though.
Oh and Amateur I brought along some treats with me and it helped a lot but when we walked past the houses with dogs she wouldn't take any treats

 

[Husky heaven]

How about using a head collar on her. It will stop her pulling as it turns her head towards you. If her head is turned towards you she can't see the other dogs, and what she can't see she can't react too. She can't slip out of it and it will close her mouth so she can't bite. With more control and the knoledge she can't start a fight you should feel more confident about walking her too. Remember she can feel what you are feeling and will aplify it. If she is feeling stressed she won't eat treats. Good luck.

 

[southerngirl]

Thank you I've been thinking about getting one. I'm deciding between the head halter and the gentle leader I'm leaning toward the head halter it seems to have better reviews.

 

[Husky heaven]

Yes, I have the halter for Grace, she's a nightmare for pulling when she's excited. The excitement comes in handy for agility though...

 

[Amateur]

Can you take her to a dog park where you can stay outside the fence and reward her for not reacting ... them move closer?

My two dogs will sometimes approach another dog ( especially if it has made some barking or lunge movement) with barking and growling but ( I know them ) I just relax the leash and 99% of the time they end up in a play bow before the other dog. I ask the people if their dog is ok before I do this ... as usually its all a bluster move.

I also met another lady on the trail with a rescue dog whom she said was fearful aggressive - I only had Hank with me and for some reason I just knew it would be ok and asked the lady just to let them stay there at a distance while we talked. He dog later play bowed in front of Hank ... I think she was holding her dog back to be safe and her dog was far more ready to meet others than she was ...

Best determine what the actual cause is first ... then you will know how to deal with it better

 

[mewzard]

Hmmm... do you have another dog at home?
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Oka's ears prick forward and she pulls when she see's another dog - especailly if we are approaching it... her's are in excitement. Hackles up can be Excitement as well as fear or aggression. Whats her tail doing? whats her face like - had to look at these things when your trying not to be dragged down the street, I know!! ....tail up would be excitement.. tail straight out flat would be aggression. Agression the eyes are narrowed... excitement the eyes are wide.
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I personaly don't use a head harness but have found a full body harness, with a front clip really good for control. I can keep control of Oka who is 30kg+ even when she pulls... using it has made a huge difference to her excitement when we see a dog and her general walking manners.

 

[southerngirl]

Here is a video of Missy on a walk when going past my neighbors annoying Min Pin who never stops barking.

mewzard yes I have another dog, Chase they are not really friends Missy shows her teeth to him whenever he licks her also she does not allow him in my room, but this is my fault cause before I got her fixed I had to keep Chase away from her so he was not aloud in my room. I am working with her on allowing Chase in my room and not showing her teeth to him. Every once in a while Missy and him will play with each other only for a few seconds though cause Chase is old and doesn't play much. Missy wants him to play with her but he's just too old.

 

[mewzard]

Can't watch the video - it says it's private.
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Maybe Missy just wants to play? Does she have a way of playing with another dog, like a dog park or doggy daycare? We don't have many of those things here in the UK so mostly dogs get to play in public places - but its not easy. It's possible meeting that husky that Missy has thought "hey there are dogs that like to play...oh look a dog!!" and then pulls hoping that she will get to play at the end.

 

[southerngirl]

u should be able to watch the video now.
Missy has never played with another dog before. It may be that she just wants to play cause she's not growling I just really wish she would stop pulling. Would introducing her to the husky help any? Also I'm going to meet my friend at a park who has a boxer puppy and slowly introduce the two.

 

[Amateur]

I can't say for sure, but I'm not convinced she is dog aggressive.​

I think your baby needs to play. Good that you have already arranged a play date.​

As I suggested before, maybe go to a dog park and stay outside and let her get use to seeing other dogs.​

When you think she is comfortable, maybe try her with just one or two other dogs - usually there are some​

awesome dog people who hang out at the dog parks who will guide you along if you ask.​

 

[southerngirl]

Thanks for the advice I'm glad to hear tht shes probably not dog aggressive because I'm running a 5k in march with her. I'll just cross my fingers tht she gets along with my friends dog. Hopefully I'll be able to go to the dog park this weekend and try out ur idea and see how it goes. Should I bring dog treats to try and keep her attention on me or allow her to look at the other dogs until she calms down?

 

[mewzard]

Watched the video with the sound off - all i could see in Missy's body language was intense interest... This is what i have toned Oka down too in 8 months of training!! So she is not too bad! I think that she just wants to play.
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Now re: the attention - this is hard to judge. I started out doing this with Oka and it just made it worse. If you have a dog park (which i assume is enclosed) i would just let her play... maybe get her to sit and look if you can then release her with a cue...I mean you wouldn't take a kid to the park and then keep calling it back every few minutes. Try a recall or two away from the dogs, then let her go again - if she doesn't come back then don't keep calling her or the recall word becomes a 'cue to ignore'. My problem with Oka was that i didn't exsist when dogs were around (even from 400 yards away!) , but Missy doesn't seem that extreme.
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The calmer she is the better. Does she play tug at all? I've just discovered how much Oka loves this game and it has made a massive difference to her training. Playing tug at different distances from distractions helps build focus.

 

[southerngirl]

Update on Missy
Missy has gotten better at walking. She has a head halter which has helped a lot. She doesn't go crazy when we walk past dogs that are confined (chain, fence, invisible boundaries). She still goes crazy if we walk past or are fairly close to a leashed dog. A few days ago we had a victory my neighbors dog(Border collie and Golden retriever must have jump a fence cause they were out. When I first spotted the two I turned around hoping they or Missy wouldn't notice one another. Just my luck they did. They came running and barking thankfully they did kept a distance. Missy was very well behaved she turned her head toward the dogs and whined when I said walk on she looked straight ahead walking on a loose leash. So she's doing better but we still have a far way to go till she is completely okay with walking past. dogs.

 

[southerngirl]

I finally have been able to arrange a day to meet up with my friend and her Boxer puppy. We are going to the dog park on either Thursday or Friday. We're going to work on Missy getting used to a dog walking with her. I'm going to start off far away from my friend and her Boxer gradually getting closer depending on how this goes we may allow them to greet with Missy muzzled for safety other words well let them meet with a fence between the two. Does this sound like a good plan? If anyone has suggestions please feel free to comment.