Hi al, Riley is 15 month old now and after a lot of trying to get her to walk on a loose lead she is really good now. The problem that I can't get her out of is pulling frantically to get to other dogs. I have tried crossing the road to avoid them or just standing still and waiting for the other dog to pass without letting them meet. I have tried letting them meet but I think this is just rewarding her for pulling. I have got down to hold her and try to calm her even this doesn't work. Please any other ideas.
Get another dog They are far less keen to meet other dogs when they have one at home. I tend to get them to sit and wait until the dog has passed if they are on lead. The younger the pup, the harder it is for them so smelly treats are needed.
Hehe, I love Mags' solution Th solution is training, and that means setting her up for success. Distance is your friend. If she's too excited, she's too close, end of. So, go somewhere where you know there will be other dogs, but you can stay way back from them. Reward her with treats and/or games for keeping engaged with you. If she can't do that, move farther away again. You may be a long way away to start off with, but that's OK. Once you know she's completely focussed on you and what you're doing, you can try moving a bit closer. Just a tiny bit. It may be a matter of a couple of paces. Work again on keeping her engaged. This doesn't mean that she can't look at the other dog, or that she has to stare at you, but you're looking for signs of her being relaxed, not just focussed on the other dog, and that she can follow cues you give her. Loads of rewards when she succeeds. You'll gradually work closer and closer, until you can be right next to the other dog without her being bothered by it. There are things that will make it easier and more difficult, and you need to adjust your distance accordingly. If the other dog is relaxing, not interested in Riley, then it will be easier, and you'll be able to reduce the distance more quickly. But, if the dog is playing excitedly, or maybe straining at its leash to get to you, then it will be a lot more difficult, and you need to move back to keep her under threshold. Judge your distance based on setting your dog up for success. In the meantime, if situations arise where you can't avoid other dogs, just minimise the impact. Don't let her self reward by being able to interact with the dog by pulling you there. Stand on the lead so she can't jump around and don't be afraid to call out to the other owner to ask them to keep their distance.
We have this issue BIG time! But it is getting better, using the above techniques. we are pretty much fine with anything up to across the road if I have anticipated it coming and kept her focus on me. Lots of tasty treats and getting her to focus on heal or looking at me. It is still a different story if she's spotted the dog first and managed to work herself into a frenzy or if we are at close range! When we are in a jam I throw some treats on the ground for her to grub around at, which mostly works! Her excitement threshold is very, very low, so I think this will take us a while yet to fully crack. Also some days focus is just really hard to get, especially at the start of the walk, but I think this is because she is a teenager! Good luck!
This is where Leslie McDevitt's book, Control Unleashed, worked for me. Her "Look at That" game. Got us in and out of training classes and trials where dogs were passing in close quarters and past the big, black dog who charges his fence at us.
Everyone should buy Control Unleashed and play the "Look at That!" game. Everyone. It should be required reading for bringing a dog into your home
