Hello First time dog owner here, thought labs were supposed to be easy! haha. What I am finding is many people have opinions on what you should do with your dog so I am getting confused with how to handle this particular issue. Looking for words of wisdom from older lab owners who may have gone through the same thing. My issue is... he gets over aroused very very quickly when he sees other dogs. So much so I darent let him off lead. What I have been doing so far is on lead walks only, we practice loose lead every time. If I see a dog coming in the distance I tend to pop him in a sit stay and we wait until they have passed. Lots of praise, yummy rewards etc. This can go well 9/10. However on the occasion where we have no choice but to directly pass someone and the situation is not able to be controlled (i.e the other dog is excitable, we have to pass closely or the other dog is off lead) he goes 0-100 in the blink of an eye, hackles up, bouncing about, up on hind legs, completely deaf. Now I was of the understanding that I need to teach him calmness around other dogs, so the sit stay I had been doing and we also sit and watch dogs from a distance. But a few people have said to me....well just let him greet and play then other dogs wont be such a big deal. But I worry that could make the issue worse. End goal is to be neutral to other dogs (and people for that matter). I just cannot see us achieving it and I dont know how to progress. Anyone been through this and come out the other side? I dont want to be constantly avoiding other dogs the rest of his life! Thanks
We have the exact same problem with our 10 month old. I thought it's not even ok to let the dog stare at other dogs and people in the distance, but that's impossible! When she sees someone interesting (= basically any person or dog) she sits and stares and waits for them to go by. Sometimes even lays on the ground to make sure I cannot nudge her to move. I don't want to drag her around so there's nothing much I can do. When the other people/dogs are at leash's end, she lunges towards them to sniff and/or happily greet them. I need to have treats and commands ready anytime we pass anyone. I have tried to turn her around and be interested only in me by giving super treats, but she glances around and tries to pull every time, when they are near enough. The only trick that sometimes works (when the other people or dogs are passing by a bit further away) I offer a super yummy stick she can lick and nibble while passing. Almost never has this worked with a loose lead. She's having her first heat at the moment, so we're hoping she calms down a bit after that.
Hi, are you still having the same issue? My boy is now doing what yours does, the sheepdog down and then the pounce! If I try to create more distance he’s just looking back constantly it’s like dragging a rock. I’m at my wits end, it’s starting to make me anxious to walk him . I feel I have no control at all in these situations
Look up the section on this site for Look at That (LAT). Initially, you have to be able to control the distance between your dog and other dogs so that you can manage the dog's level of arousal. I suggest you read Grisha Stewart's book called BAT 2. She has a chapter on lead/leash work. Before the pandemic I would have also suggested you attend a well run dog training class held by an instructor who knows how to deal with desensitisation and counter-conditioning.
I have attended a few classes for leash behaviour and it's been really good. Number one: the treat has to be extraordinarily good (I use raw meat, ha). Number two start easy, reward her for just looking at you instead of the interesting object. Number three name this desired option (eg. Leave it) and connect the command with her looking at you. Then you can try to apply this to different situations where you place an interesting object or a dog out of reach, when she tries to approach them by pulling, do not move. When she turns around to look at you instead, reward instantly. This works pretty well with smells and people, but with dogs the distance has to be rather long OR the treat has to be extra good. The process is promising though, trying to take it slow and reaffirm a lot.
We have the exact same problem with our 10 month old. I thought it's not even ok to let the dog stare at other dogs and people in the distance, but that's impossible!
I have an 8 month old chocolate lab who when meeting other pets or people she wants to jump all over them in a very hyper state. An example, we have a large area of grass where people walk along with their dogs or the kids play football. I am careful to let her off when there is nobody else around and practice recall with her which she is very good at until another dog or person comes along. A guy who has a working lab came over to us and immediately she gave chase and caught up with the dog who was very patient with her and basically just ignored her but she would not leave him alone and continued to follow him wherever he went all the time trying to get in front of his face as if to say 'hey look at me I'm here let me jump on your head'! And all the time I was calling her but it was as if she had closed her ears to me and was completely oblivious to anything other than the dog she was following. We also have an 8 year old Pyrenean Mastiff who just wont tolerate her at all - but I have read on https://fello.pet/en/dog-breeds/pyrenean-mastiff/ it's a common thing.
