I`ve got Sam walking quite nicely on a loose lead, I use a slip lead , he is really good most of the time : But what he sometimes does if someone we know is coming towards us is to carry on walking nicely and then do this sudden pull towards the person or dog . Sam is very strong and it worries me that he could pull me over , he`s ok if the distration is over the road, its if its on our side and just as they draw level . What I am trying to do it to anticipate the pull, make him sit and take out a treat, get him to concentrate on me and give him the treat once the distraction has gone, is this the best way or should I be dealing with the lunge itself rather than trying to prevent it ?
Re: Sudden lunging You have it absolutely right. Get him focused on you and reward for the correct behaviour. Much more effective than trying to correct a lunge in full swing!
Re: Sudden lunging I'm really glad (Kate from Cornwall) that you brought this issue up as I have the same problem with my 7 month old bitch Kassy. It's even worse though if you have other dogs that are not on the lead and they approach, it's an absolute nightmare trying to get her distracted when these dogs are basically right next to her. To top it all this one person whose dogs are never on a lead basically told me I was not very good with Labradors and I should "let Kassy off to play rather than let her jump about". He then told me it was me who "needed to get some training!". Cheeky *****!! I've had dogs for about 20 years and although Kassy is my first Labrador I don't think I should be letting her off the lead to play just because she's jumping and lunging! Also, she had already had her exercise and secondly we were only feet from a busy main road! Having said all this I'm very willing to hear what other, more experienced Labrador owners think. My main experience is with Border Collies and Rough Collies and they seem to be an entirely different approach to Labradors. At the moment all I feel I can do is to avoid this exceptionally rude person at all costs, which so far I've managed to do. Helen from Fife, Scotland.[size=12pt][/size]
Re: Sudden lunging Hello Helen and welcome My Sam is now almost 15 months old , and as you can read from this post , he still does this although he has improved an awful lot . I agree, it would be foolish to let Kassy off lead, mainly due to the close proximity of the road but also because you would be rewarding her for naughty behaviour . I started working with Sam at about Kassy`s age and taught him the Look at Me command , he is very food led and so bits of cooked sausage helped an awful lot So , you see the distraction approaching , stop walking and get Kassy to sit and with the help of treats , Look at Me , at this stage I didnt give Sam the treat, just used it to get him to focus on me and nothing else so showed him the treat and when the distraction had passed , I`d say Good Lad and he got the treat . It did seem to take an age and he still does a lunge from time to time but has improved a lot , you`ll get there and yes, avoid those people who cause the problems !
Re: Sudden lunging Hi Helen, and welcome to the forum Seven months is a pretty boisterous age and some labs can be a bit over the top with other dogs and people. It is 'friendly' thing that is common in the breed, but difficult to manage. One of the best ways to approach the problem is to teach the dog how to behave, on the lead, in the presence of another dog, right in the middle of your kitchen (or somewhere similar) Teaching these skills at home gives you a whole lot more control and much more chance of success when you meet a silly person out on a walk. If food does not distract her, you can reward Kassy using her enthusiasm to play. To start with you can release her and let her play with the other dog as soon as she turns and looks at you. Later you can move the goalposts and insist she comes and sits in front of you to get her reward. All you need is a friend with a dog who will come round and be you training aid. Meantime, stand your ground and try not to let people you meet influence you, keeping her on the lead is the right thing to do. Pippa
Re: Sudden lunging I could walk three German Pointers, at heel, on the lead, dead easy. However, my one Lab who, due to a broken elbow, learned to lunge and despite weekly training lessons, will still lunge at other dogs, though I can sort of control him. Now I have another pup (8 months) who walks beautifully to heel, but not when he is with the other dog. I know I could not control two dogs and they are not interested in food or the command "watch me" when other dogs are about. It is very depressing. Stacia
Re: Sudden lunging Riley is overly friendly too and seems to go deaf when other dogs are around so it's on the long lead and he's made to sit when other dogs approach. A lot of patience and persistence is needed but he is slowly getting better and has started to look at me while sitting which gets big praise and reward. Proofing has been our challenge and I'm enlisting some help from a professional trainer for this. We should start working with him in just over a week so fingers crossed
Re: Sudden lunging Hi Kate and Pippa, sorry for taking so long to get back to you - my elderly Dad ended up in hospital and so I've been busy looking after him! The advice you've given is great and I think just knowing that Kassy's behaviour is normal - although naughty - is a relief since I know what I'm working with now. I do have friends who can help with this, although not my own Border Collie as he just tends to want to 'herd' Kassy around - to top it all he gets exasperated I think, and she gets bored with him! LOL! Many thanks again. Helen.
Re: Sudden lunging Hi Helen, glad you have a friend that can help. And hope your Dad is recovering. Pippa
