I home board a 10 year old lab, who is adorable in the house and around people, but crazy when out and another dog comes into view. Have had some success with the pulling (used a Halti, which was very helpful), but he is never let off the lead (also an issue, as he needs so much exercise) and when we come across another dog he barks (loudly) and desperately pulls to get out of his harness and get to the other dog. I do not think he would be vicious, but his owners say he was never socialised, as they lived in Cyprus, where there are very few pet dogs, but I think he does not know who to play. Having said all that I have always tried to avoid other dogs, as there is always the unknown. Any suggestions? He is such a lovely dog otherwise, very playful at home and affectionate. Many thanks, Julie
Hi and welcome. Have you tried a long lead (15ft+) with a harness which would give him some freedom, but you are able to get him if he does become aggressive? I have used this method when I've had foster dogs with no history. Are there any other people near you who have dogs that you could walk with to help get him used to other dogs? The other thing you could try is LAT. if you put LAT in the search box on this forum, it will give you lots of guidance on how to keep his interest on you instead of other dogs. Hope this helps a bit.
I second LAT - it's really helpful. Also, it may be an idea to find a group training class that might help. Our dog has always been OTT around other dogs, but he is getting better and better with controlled exposure. Whilst most of the dogs at our class are young, there are a few older ones, so I don't think you should worry about being an old dog at school.
How kind of you @Julie Baker to be looking at ways to help your home boarders feel more comfortable! I have a similar scenario, which is I have an almost 9-year-old male black labrador, adopted a few years ago, who is lead reactive, and even off lead has a compulsion to dash off and meet unfamiliar dogs. Although this is harmless, and certainly not aggressive, I completely appreciate that being on the other end of a large, black labrador running full pelt towards you could be quite unnerving! We are fairly sure Casper has not been socialised, not that the past really matters, we just look at the dog in front of us and work from there. Our approach was first to get him checked over by the vet. X-rays revealed Hip Dysplasia as well as Ankolysing Spondylosis. Although it wasn't obvious there were any pain symptoms at the time the Xrays were clear in their diagnosis. Now, this is worth a mention, dogs can be so stoic, and hide pain very well, so they may seem OK, but actually can be carrying some low-grade pain. In our case, it helped us devise a good plan to make him feel more comfortable. Then to tackle the undesirable behaviour, for which training is on-going, I am afraid there is no quick fix, however, it is quite good fun working on it! LAT (look at that) has been mentioned before and is very effective. The principle is simple, changing our dogs' response through counter-conditioning the existing response to the presenting trigger (person, another dog, odd man in big hat.. ). Changing the response from a negative lunge or bark, to a more positive behaviour... mum, I am looking at you, where's my treat??? LAT thread: https://thelabradorforum.com/threads/look-at-that.22184/ Good luck and do keep us posted!
Finn is lead reactive too! He is the most wonderful dog for us, humans, but towards other dogs he is barking his lungs out. We manage to control this by LAT. He now sometimes play with other dogs (off lead) and less barking!
