Hello! So I was hoping for some advice and training tips/suggestions/words of encouragement about the chocolate lab/chessie I recently adopted. Milo was probably around 1 year old when he was found by the rescue organization. They think he was abandoned by his previous owners because of his size/energy level. Additionally, he was intact when found, so he was neutered around 1 year old. Based on his behavior, they don't think he was properly socialized as a puppy (he doesn't know how to play well with other dogs - he gets totally overstimulated when he sees other dogs and immediately wants to play rough with any dog he sees), nor was he given any boundaries (probably did whatever he wanted all the time). I adopted him in February 2017, and best guess is he will be 2 sometime this month (September 2017). I've had him for about 6 months, and have noticed an improvement in terms of respecting boundaries set in the house, walking well on a leash (using a front clip harness and in areas with minimal distractions), and basic training (sit, down, stay, touch, leave it, look). We completed a "Rowdy" obedience class, where he learned the "Look" command to get his focus on me even around other distractions. That class provided distractions in the forms of other dogs and people to get him used to still responding to me even when distracted. We are now on to the second level that involves training to be able to lay down and relax around other dogs, as well as be able to listen and settle again around other dogs even after playing tug/another game. He is doing absolutely WONDERFUL with my cat. From the beginning, I've worked on "leave it" with him so he doesn't steal my shoes/food/etc, and I used that in the beginning whenever he would chase the cat. He now leaves her alone and can calmly sit when she walks around him. She is also completely comfortable around him, laying on the floor near him in a relaxed posture. However, he still goes absolutely NUTS when he sees another dog on our walks. If they are far enough away, I can catch it early and use the "look" command to get Milo to focus on me. However, it's not always possible to catch it that early, and sometimes the hiking paths are smaller so the dogs walk past each other much closer. Then, it's the whining, sometimes play barking trying to get to the dog, pulling, jumping, and spinning. I'm at a loss on what more to do, besides the training classes and continued practice working my way up to more distracting environments. Any advice would be very much appreciated!! Thanks to those of you who make it through this book! So glad I found this awesome resource.
Hello Joslyn and a warm welcome to the forum! It sounds like you have your hands full with Milo - don't worry, you're in good company here I'm about to take my three out, so this will be short, but I didn't want to read and run. You've found the limitation with "Look at me", being that you always have to be the one who spots the distraction first. It can be exhausting! A more manageable approach is to use the "Look At That!" approach, from the book Control Unleashed (it may be worth getting a copy of this, it's brilliant). The idea of LAT is that you teach a dog not to react to his triggers when he sees them before you can. It's really powerful and I've used it (and continue to use it) successfully with all my dogs, whether the trigger is something that excites them, or something that worries them. It's been written about quite extensively on the forum; hopefully, someone will pop in with a link or two while I'm out, otherwise, you can try searching. Good luck!
Hi, my dog is also a Chessie x Lab (mum was Chessie) -good choice I'd forgotten, until looking back through my old posts last week for something, that Molly did used to charge up to other dogs. I think it was probably when I started to play with her on walks that I started to become more interesting than other dogs. Tug is her absolute favourite but we also play catch with a ball and retrieving dummies. We still do this now she's 4 -walk a bit, play a bit, walk a bit more. Not sure where in the world you are but I also found walking off-lead in a forest was great at that stage as Molly had to concentrate because I kept changing direction and disappearing. It sounds as if you're doing really well in the short time you've had Milo.
Hi and welcome to you both. It sounds like you have made lots of improvements already and are already seeing the rewards which is fantastic. One of the foster dogs I had a few years ago was very similar. If he seen a dog in the distance he would go nuts, and if we had to pass a dog it was mayhem. I changed up our walks and spent a lot of time engaging him in play, whether it was hiding a ball, throwing a ball, retrieving something or scattering treats for him to find. I found this really helped keep his focus on me and helped decrease his need to interact with other dogs.
Alternating between playing tug and walking is such a good idea! I bet Milo would love that! Thanks for the suggestions. I might hold off anything off leash at the moment, because his recall is non-existent haha. Up to now, I've focused on basic commands and getting him to focus on me, so we haven't tackled recall yet. It's definitely on the list! He just gets SO distracted by absolutely ANYTHING he sees (birds, squirrels, leaves blowing around, etc.).
Hello! Again, I really like the concept of mixing playing in during the walk. I'm going to have to try that today! Thanks!
Have a look at the "flexibility" thread that's going on at the moment for some ideas: https://thelabradorforum.com/threads/flexibility.20847 And some more ideas here: https://thelabradorforum.com/threads/keeping-your-dog-close-on-a-walk.12214/
