Hi, I have followed this forum since getting my Hooper as a puppy, he is a wonderful 2yo Labrador, golden retriever cross. He is really responsive to training and is great until he spots another dog or other exciting thing. Then he is completely headless, for this reason we can’t let him off the lead or really relax on walks etc. He is very big 35kg and very strong and I worry that he could pull me or my husband over or knock someone else over. Today we met a border terrier that he has always been reactive to and He pulled my husband across the road. Both dogs barked and Hooper ended up with a nasty bite but the other owner got knocked over and now I am worried that he is not safe. We have tried everything to make sure he is controlled and trained but what can we do with a large excitable dog. Luckily this time the other person wasn’t hurt but I am now really worried about what could have happened. We have had one to one training as well as puppy classes and he does brilliantly until he gets over excited by other dogs. It is only ever the dog he is excited about but because of his size he can easily knock people over by mistake. Any suggestions??
Can you play some fast paced games before you walk him? Might take the edge off? Does he have any dog friends he can play with? Might be worth trying to hook up with someone with a dog of similar age especially a well socialised one for play dates and walks.
That’s a great idea we used to have a good game of tug before a walk and I had forgotten that. Trying to arrange a meet up with some tolerant dogs is a good plan too Thank you
