Since I'm a bit behind on the blog, in an effort to catch-up, I'm going to post my daily progress and also add in the specific training I did with Victoria.
Our biggest issue is the dogs' behavior on leash when we see another dog coming towards us. The dogs don't seem to mind when a dog barks at them from inside their own house as we pass, or when we pass a fence and that dog is in their yard barking at us. For some reason, it's just when they see another dog walking.
Victoria and I worked on this with Riley and with the help of our neighbor's dog, Maggie (a beautiful Golden Retriever who is sweet as can be). We had a handler with Maggie on the opposite side of the street from our house and off to the right. As we walked out the front door, it wasn't long before Riley saw Maggie and started barking and lunging. Victoria promptly turned on her heel, walked the other way for about 4-5 paces then turned back and walked in the direction of Maggie. We had to do this a few times before Riley realized we weren't going to go towards Maggie if she was barking; once she was quiet, we would head back towards her. When we did get to where we were right across the street from Maggie, Riley didn't bark, but was looking right at Maggie. Victoria told me to reward her because although she was looking and interested in Maggie, she wasn't barking at her. Eventually, the goal would be for Riley to be focused on me, or just not interested in the other dog, but we are taking baby steps!
It took about 5-10 minutes of this training for Riley to "get it". Much to my surprise, she even did well when Victoria turned the leash over to me! In fact, at the end, I was able to get within about 5 feet of Maggie with Riley. It felt so good, I almost cried! I was so happy to see that it is possible and that it does work!
Now the key is to see other dogs on our walks! I may have to borrow some neighbors' dogs just so we can get in some practice. I especially need to practice with Finlay.
Showing posts with label leash aggression. Show all posts
Showing posts with label leash aggression. Show all posts
Monday, June 21, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Dog Training: The Issues
First, I'm going to cover my dogs' issues and the issues on which I worked with Victoria.
Leash Behavior - Probably the most frustrating issue. When on leash, my dogs go berserk when they see another dog. It doesn't matter what kind of dog, big or small, they bark at them all! They also lunge at the other dog and Riley tends to nip at Finlay (redirection of her aggression). Not only is this embarrassing, it's not healthy for the dogs. Note - This behavior is worse in our neighborhood, but does still happen to a lesser extent in parks and other "neutral" locations (territorial behavior for sure).
Barking - Excessive Barking (Ha, right when I typed that, Finlay barked!) - The dogs bark whenever they see a critter out in the yard (bird, squirrel, lizard, etc...), Riley barks when she sees a dog or cat on TV, and Finlay just barks for no reason (boredom?).
Manners - We have had some disputes with my family over my dogs' manners. Namely, Finlay stealing food off coffee tables or Riley jumping up in someone's lap at the dinner table. There are also issues with Riley getting into your lap and demanding attention.
Walking - The dogs also need help heeling on the leash.
For the most part, we worked on the above issues, mostly focusing on the leash/walking and manners. All in all, I think some of the training will help with other issues as well, because we are reminding ourselves that we need to teach the dogs what behavior we like. I've ordered a copy of Victoria's book from www.amazon.com and when it arrives, I will use it as a supplement to the training she provided to me.
Leash Behavior - Probably the most frustrating issue. When on leash, my dogs go berserk when they see another dog. It doesn't matter what kind of dog, big or small, they bark at them all! They also lunge at the other dog and Riley tends to nip at Finlay (redirection of her aggression). Not only is this embarrassing, it's not healthy for the dogs. Note - This behavior is worse in our neighborhood, but does still happen to a lesser extent in parks and other "neutral" locations (territorial behavior for sure).
Barking - Excessive Barking (Ha, right when I typed that, Finlay barked!) - The dogs bark whenever they see a critter out in the yard (bird, squirrel, lizard, etc...), Riley barks when she sees a dog or cat on TV, and Finlay just barks for no reason (boredom?).
Manners - We have had some disputes with my family over my dogs' manners. Namely, Finlay stealing food off coffee tables or Riley jumping up in someone's lap at the dinner table. There are also issues with Riley getting into your lap and demanding attention.
Walking - The dogs also need help heeling on the leash.
For the most part, we worked on the above issues, mostly focusing on the leash/walking and manners. All in all, I think some of the training will help with other issues as well, because we are reminding ourselves that we need to teach the dogs what behavior we like. I've ordered a copy of Victoria's book from www.amazon.com and when it arrives, I will use it as a supplement to the training she provided to me.
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