My canine Ace is a friendly lab mix, however when we see other dogs around our house complex, he pulls towards them – tail wagging – trying to get close for a sniff.
No one seems to care about this other than me.
The other dogs are mainly friendly, as well as Ace is not frightening to many people. He doesn’t bark or lunge.
It’s just that I don’t want my canine to pull.
He walks at a ideal heel when there are no other dogs around.
I want to get back to the point where he heels completely even as we pass other dogs.
So, exactly how do I get my canine to disregard other dogs?
1. I requirement to be consistent.
I’ve enabled Ace to “say hi” to so numerous dogs that it’s worth it to him to pull since he’s rewarded for it at least a third of the time. He’s either ignoring me or he’s discovered that “heel” doesn’t apply when other dogs are around since I haven’t done a great task of enforcing “heel” in that context. If Ace sees one more canine he quite much immediately pulls towards the canine or at least stares at it as well as wags his tail.
2. I requirement to stop fretting what others think.
I’m not sure when I ended up being such a softie, however lately I’ve been concerned about looking “mean” for not enabling my canine to sniff other dogs.
Time to get over that!
Who cares what other canine owners think? When I tell my canine to “heel” or “sit” or “watch,” he needs to listen as well as not disregard me. I requirement to make a point to set him up for success as well as not failure. I requirement to be much more fascinating than the approaching dog! Plus, I requirement to have a consistent, default habits for us both to comply with so it becomes Ace’s practice vs. pulling as much as the other dog.
3. utilize a training collar.
I’ve been utilizing a nylon, buckle collar with Ace 99 percent of the time lately since he really is truly great many of the time. as well as even when he’s not, I can hold him back. It’s just that I shouldn’t have to hold him back. He ought to understand exactly how to behave!
So, I’m going to go back to utilizing a training collar. I have a gentle Leader, a prong collar as well as a easy choke collar. They’re all effective, however I’m planning to stick with the light choke chain collar for this type of training. He uses it high on his neck, just under his jaw as well as behind his ears, which enables me to provide a moderate correction. as well as seriously, these “corrections” are so mild. It’s really the noise of the chain slipping that he seems to respond to.
I’m a fan of the gentle Leader, however I tend to utilize it as a crutch. A gentle Leader avoids my canine from pulling, whether he’s paying interest to me or not. It doesn’t instruct him not to pull. My canine as well as I work together as well as interact much much better when he uses the choke collar vs. the gentle Leader. This won’t be the situation for all dogs, however it’s true for Ace as well as I.
4. draw out the treats!
I typically don’t bring treats on walks since I’d rather not fumble around with them. however if I want to instruct my canine a new habits as well as reward him for it, I’m going to have to begin bring treats on all our walks. I plan to cut back on his meals as well as utilize a few of the kibble as treats, however I’ll likewise mix in much more appealing goodies like bacon or smelly jerky treats. He’s quickly inspired by food, however I do have to hold the food best as much as his nose to get his interest away from other dogs.
5. U-turns.
Doing a “u-turn” on a walk is my default relocation if I requirement to block my canine from something. typically I turn best into him so he either moves with me or I physically relocation him by bumping best into him. We practiced this relocation all the time in obedience classes. Some handlers utilize a command for it like “swing.” I typically just state “heel” as a pointer to pay attention.
I plan to do great deals of u-turns for the time being, complied with by the “watch” command where my canine is rewarded with food for making eye get in touch with with me. This will be simple because he already understands all this. We just haven’t practiced it in this context for a long time.
6. ultimately work on walking better to other dogs.
After a week or so, I plan to work on passing other dogs once again however utilizing “watch” so Ace is rewarded for taking a look at me instead of pulling towards the dog. I’ll most likely provide the oncoming canine a great deal of area at first, stepping to the side as well as ultimately working better as well as closer. My canine did this completely in indoor obedience classes. He’s certainly capable of ignoring other dogs. It’s just that I have not been enforcing the habits I want in “real life” scenarios for as well long.
7. The hardest part – waiting on consent before greeting other dogs.
You understand that part in the Canine great resident test where the canine has to “sit” calmly while greeting a friendly complete stranger with one more dog? Yeah, practically impossible for my canine in genuine life best now. however I’d like to get back into that habit. If we see one more canine as well as the other owner as well as I agree it’s okay for the dogs to meet, I want my canine to sit calmly at my side very first as well as wait on a verbal “OK.”
Ha!
Will we get to that point? honestly most likely not, however I’d like to think about making that a goal. My canine might do this in obedience class as well as during the CGC test, however I don’t believe he’s ever done it “out on the street.”
How about you?
What suggestions do you have for getting a canine to disregard other dogs?
It’s always a work in progress, isn’t it?