Despite excellent socialisation when a young pup, Bailey is showing reactive behaviours I'm not happy with. He is barking and when on lead, lunging, to a great variety of triggers. Yesterday it was a mum with a pram but it can be almost anything. Men in hats! Dogs and their owners. School children walking past the front door of our home, although they are on the far side of the road! I do scan ahead of and behind us on walks, but sometimes the trigger just pops up-like the pram which just appeared as mum and pram turned the corner ahead of us. Thankfully mum crossed the road to give Bailey a little distance. Attempting to control a very strong, way over threshold, young Lab is becoming difficult to do- I try to give him distance from the trigger, but when he is like this he is absolutely deaf to my entreaties and it is impossible to walk him away. Even treat streaming doesn't work. It takes all my strength to hold him in place while hopefully the trigger goes away. I'm worried that one day he will pull both of us into the road. I have also just been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis-and I'm in the 'angry' stage of reaction to that! It is only in my hands at the moment but it doesn't help me manage Bailey. I'm thinking that a few sessions with a good behaviourist will help so I'm looking into that at the moment. Bailey has been taken to and passed several basic behaviour classes. At each and every one I have been strongly encouraged to desex him. I don't think this is the way to go. Bailey is a much loved companion and hope I haven't demonised him. Apart from this behaviour he is a delightful companion. He learns quickly, loves his family and is eager to please. Any suggestions will be welcome as I am at a loss here. Criticism gratefully appreciated, if it is something I am doing wrong I want to know!
You don't say how old Bailey is. You certainly haven't demonised him. You have an issue and you are seeking advice. That's what I like about this forum as people are so helpful. My puppy 5 months is lunging at strangers and I am working hard at reducing these behaviours. I too have arthritis in one hand, both knees and one foot - it is quite grim most of the time BUT I have found it no worse since getting Red, in fact the improved exercise having her and losing that bit of extra weight beneficial as she takes my mind of it . I don't think I can give any suggestions but hopefully others will. I constantly scan ahead on a walk, deciding which people to lure her past or when I think it best we cross the road to avoid a situation. I suppose I am hoping the more we do, the better she will become .
Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I can fully sympathise with you having spinal injuries myself (and currently a fractured rib & kidney infection). Are you getting any support around your diagnosis? I have found walking has helped keep me fit and even though some days are hard, getting out with Harley every day does help with my mental and physical health. As to pulling and lunging, this was a major issue for me. I didn't teach loose lead walking when Harley was little and unfortunately by 7 months she pulled like a train. I done a few things that might help. 1. I drove to the nearest shopping centre, sat on a bench and rewarded Harley everytime she looked at me. If I could see she was about to bark, I would say 'look at that' in an excited voice - this would make her turn to look at me/where I was looking and I would treat her. I done all of this sitting down at first so I could hold stand on her lead to stop her jumping/lunging. It was good because we seen a variety of people and vehicles. I also would sit outside our front door and do the same thing and it helped too. 2. Now I know a lot of people don't like these and think it's lazy, but I ended up using a head collar on her as she was too strong and causing me a lot of pain. I started using it to walk up and down my road, then when she was ok with this I moved to the harness. Then we would walk out of our street and a few hundred yards, then come back all on the head collar. After a week or so of doing this we moved to the harness. I done this until we could walk to the shops and back without pulling. We can now walk to the shops and a big further on a flat collar with no problem. I did find that she thought every walk she would be let off lead, but got used to that not being the case. Also, when I started this process I made sure she wasn't hyper and had already been walked or tired out a bit. Over time I stopped that and it was ok. Sorry for the essay.
Yes, to be honest this was my first thought as well. I know they are neither a solution nor popular here on the forum, but for me a head collar was a tool that helped me get where I wanted. Not instead of the training, behaviouralist or other positive shaping methods, but just so that I could keep a reactive dog safe on walks and not have so much pain in my hands that we no longer ventured beyond our front door. Having said that, I will repeat the same thing I always do when I say something positive about my head collar use: (1) Brogan loved the darn thing and would happily put his "snoot" on, so we didn't have the issues that many do of the dog hating it and wanting to rub it off and (2) I used it for way, way, waaaaay too long. Brogan wore a head collar until he was about three years old and had I been more confident (and more observant) we could have ditched it after about six months of use. It became a crutch for me instead of the useful tool it started out as.
Obi and all his pals at daycare wear head collars when they are on group walks. I admit to not being a fan, but he's used to it now and it definitely does not stop him enjoying his walks (with 15 of his best friends). So I'd give it a go. You need to consider your own health and comfort too.
Thanks to all of you. He loves his walk but I'm not enjoying taking him at the moment so certainly something has to change. He gets enough exercise other than walks but I want him to be able to sniff and snortle about! I used a head collar with Cooper (our first Lab) with good results but with Bailey I really didn't want to as I hoped our training would negate the need for a head collar. Naya- what you suggest regarding taking him to the shops and treating him for looking at you makes a lot of sense. We do play the 'Look at me' or 'Look at that' game but I need to use them more. Once again, thanks to everyone-your responses are really helpfu.
