Hi guys. So we've rescued a 6 month old lab (been in the family). Been caged for very long periods of time through the day and not been getting walked. He's come to us and we are giving him plenty of excersize and not using a cage, he loves my 2 year old lab and my little boy. He's fine with people in the family. Today we took him for a walk and 3 strangers were approaching us and he had his back up growling and barking, like he was protecting us. And obviously for the people coming towards us it must of been scary. I got him on his lead and as they walked passed he sniffed them and was wagging his tail. My other dog doesn't do this he just walks passed. We have only had him 3 days, settled really well with us just when we are walking he's unsure. Is it maybe because he hasn't been walked/socialised? My question is what can I do so walks are more enjoyable and he's not as nervous when strangers walk towards him. Thankyou for your time - sorry about the super long post! X
Hi @Siobhan Prentice , welcome to the Forum from me and Cassie, who is nearly 2. She's not my first dog but my first Lab. It sounds as if your new dog will have a better life with you than he did previously . He's still really young. When Cassie was that age and up to about now really I had to manage her really well on walks where she might meet people, I think it just surprised her, she was mostly used to walking in places where we rarely met people at all, and not strangers. She was well socialized so that wasn't an issue. Perhaps you could use a harness and longline until he learns to take such things in his stride? If he was wagging his tail it doesn't sound like he's aggressive, just unsure. But I'm not a behaviourist, and hopefully other members will be along soon. What helped her, as an only dog, was walking with other dogs as she was more focused on them than passersby.
When re--homing a dog the general advice is that it takes 3-4 weeks for the dog to really settle so pkease be aware that you could gave a few isdues appwar in tge coming weeks as he relaxes and is no longer on his 'best behaviour' It does sound as if he has some fear/anxiety when oytside and being approached by strangers. So what we want to do is change his view tgat strangers are scary to strangers are good because he gets great rewards. So with a good supply of tasty chicken, hotdog, cheese - whatever really is a huge reward for him when on a walk when you see a stranger approaching, and BEFORE he starts to react take him to the side of the path, ask for a sit and then reward him for any small movement towards you and keep feeding that chicken while the stranger approaches and passes. You can use a clicker to bark the look/calm or use a marker word. Over numerous interactions with strangers your boy will start to turn to you when he sees the stranger in expectation of the treat, so keep rewarding - this is the reaction you want . Gradually you will be able to slow down the rate of reward and very slowly phase them to an intermittent schedule of reinforcement where sometimes you give a treat, sometimes you don't and sometimes you give a jackpot
Awww so pleased for your wee doggy having found such a great home - not a fan of cages / crates at all - sounds like he’s going to have a great life once he settles in. Once he gets used to walks I’m sure he will be fine meeting people. Good luck.
We have had a fair few fosters come through our gates over the last few years. It is interesting as the dog that arrives on day one is usually very different than the one two weeks, one month, two months later. With that in mind, we normally focus on our guest being comfortable around the house, with us, and all the new smells in our environment. We don't ask for any behaviours, keep our distance, but quietly praise or give treats when they make good choices, going to their bed, sitting nicely, going for a wee in the garden. I would hang fire for a bit on walks where they are likely to meet other dogs/people as what can often happen is a condition called "trigger stacking". This can be very subtle with fosters, especially those who seem OK initially, ie: quiet and submissive. Basically "trigger stacking" is a build up of stress due to exposure to situations where the trigger which can be a person, other dogs, child, tractor, cyclist to name a few examples. Then, suddenly and apparently for no reason, the dog can develop stressful behaviour, barking, whining, or display other forms of more subtle anxiety, stillness, lip licking, whale eye. Trigger stacking is a bit like when us humans, have a bad day at work, then the car breaks down, then something else happens, finally, it can be something quite minor and we completely overreact and lash out much to our friends /families surprise! So if I were you, just take a few steps back, work on building trust in a safe environment, home, garden. Don't worry too much about meeting dogs at this stage. Then very slowly you can through positive reinforcement techniques work on some good experiences with other dogs. LAT as described above is a very good technique.
Noooo, I've never done this. Not me. Nope, nuh-uh, no way. I'd also add that sometimes even good stress (excitement, high-arousal play etc) can add to the trigger stacking so when you're working on reducing stress levels, also avoid this side of the spectrum and just concentrate on calm behaviours.
