aggression - running out of options

[jason lindgren]

i have a 2 year old bc - about a year ago she began to get a little aggressive toward people (strangers and friends). i hired a dog trainer and started working on the issues. very little changed other than the fact that she would lunge at people without warning (she'd growl before the trainer stepped in). so - i hired ANOTHER trainer. the second trainer actually did a lot of good. she is much easier to control on a leash now, she doesn't bark at every little thing, she doesn't nip at people who i invite into my house...BUT - she still tries to nip people when we're walking in the park. she doesn't do it ALL the time - but all it takes is once and my precious little amie could be taken from me. what i do now is try to keep myself between her and passer-by's. but she will still silently jump at people on occasion and i *know* that if i'm not there to stop her, she WILL give em' a little nip. it's not an attack or bite - she's a VERY sweet dog. but she just LOVES to nip people in the park it seems. the fact remains that it IS aggressive behavior and I just want it to stop. yesterday. i can't believe i'm even considering this, but a shock collar has crossed my mind on more than one occasion. i just can't help but think that if she calmly allows people to pass and is praised/agressive - shocked, that she'll understand the behavior is not to be tolerated for a second. everything else - ALL of her other issues have been fixed and she's a wonderful dog. it's just this one thing - and it's a big one - that needs to stop immediately. what can i do? do you think a shock collar would solve the problem? (i'll probably be flamed to hell for even considering it but i just don't know what else to do)

[Bo Peep]

Have you taught her "leave it"? That works for my dog, he's just too darn friendly. I say it right before we approach another person and he goes on his way.

[jason lindgren]

Have you taught her "leave it"? That works for my dog, he's just too darn friendly. I say it right before we approach another person and he goes on his way.

 

 

yes, she knows leave it...but that's reserved for things kids drop on the trail...french fries, chips, bread...not that kids drop them - but dead birds, the occasional squirrel.

i'd prefer that not nipping at people is a behavior and not command driven, yah know?

[Meg+Whiley]

With this dog and my others, I would jerk the leash downwards when they would try to jump or nip, with a sharp no. If that didn't stop them, I would make them sit/lay with a hand on their back or back of the neck. ( not hurting, just making them stay ) until the people had passed. The pup I have now does a lot better. She will try once to jump or nip, I pull the leash down and she sits right away and calms down. Then we can start running or walking again.

[kelpiegirl]

Does she fixate on these people as they approach. If so, you need to stop it before she even perks her ears. You want her to fix on yuo, not the other people. Shock collar won't work unless she has been trained to avoid to start.

Julie

 

i have a 2 year old bc - about a year ago she began to get a little aggressive toward people (strangers and friends). i hired a dog trainer and started working on the issues. very little changed other than the fact that she would lunge at people without warning (she'd growl before the trainer stepped in). so - i hired ANOTHER trainer. the second trainer actually did a lot of good. she is much easier to control on a leash now, she doesn't bark at every little thing, she doesn't nip at people who i invite into my house...BUT - she still tries to nip people when we're walking in the park. she doesn't do it ALL the time - but all it takes is once and my precious little amie could be taken from me. what i do now is try to keep myself between her and passer-by's. but she will still silently jump at people on occasion and i *know* that if i'm not there to stop her, she WILL give em' a little nip. it's not an attack or bite - she's a VERY sweet dog. but she just LOVES to nip people in the park it seems. the fact remains that it IS aggressive behavior and I just want it to stop. yesterday. i can't believe i'm even considering this, but a shock collar has crossed my mind on more than one occasion. i just can't help but think that if she calmly allows people to pass and is praised/agressive - shocked, that she'll understand the behavior is not to be tolerated for a second. everything else - ALL of her other issues have been fixed and she's a wonderful dog. it's just this one thing - and it's a big one - that needs to stop immediately. what can i do? do you think a shock collar would solve the problem? (i'll probably be flamed to hell for even considering it but i just don't know what else to do)

[jason lindgren]

Does she fixate on these people as they approach. If so, you need to stop it before she even perks her ears. You want her to fix on yuo, not the other people. Shock collar won't work unless she has been trained to avoid to start.

Julie

 

when she sees them, they get her attention so i try to regain her attention (politely), but i don't correct her until she's in the act. but that's a fantastic approach and i'm a little embarrassed that i didn't think about it. tomorrow, i'll take her to the park again and as soon as she starts looking at them approaching, i'll give the correction.

as a side note - the first trainer was a positive-reenforcement trainer only. this dog is WAY to stubborn for that apparently, so i moved to a different trainer and a pinch collar which has worked wonders. i also used small nylon bags with pieces of chain in them to beat her. (TOTALLY kidding) i throw them on the ground with a loud "NO!" and she stops whatever she's doing straight away. but i'd feel pretty silly walking through the park throwing crap at the ground while shouting. but maybe people would just think i have turrets syndrome and leave me alone...

 

anyhow...i'll focus on her diverting her attention from me and see where that goes. thank you so much! the more i think about it - the more that just makes perfect sense! thinking back, the second trainer actually told me to always keep her focused on me and what i'm doing. i am totally at fault here and firmly believe that the handlers are generally the problem and RARELY is it the dogs fault. she is such a wonderful and sweet dog - when i tell people she used to love to bite people they are in complete shock. she's such a sweetie...

 

thanks again! i'll post an update in a week or two...

[Vickkers]

I'm working with a police dog trainer right now and he's working wonders with Clover... he's working (like someone else said) with me always having Clover's attention on me *no matter what*. It's really neat to see him with the Malenois that he trains. He demonstrated what our eventual goal with clover is with one of his dogs and no matter where the trainer went, what he did or who he brought that dog near, the dogs attention was ALWAYS on him until the trainer gave him the release word.

 

I don't know where you are but Buddy Lawson of Canine Enterprises in NC sounds like he might be a good match for you. Clover is dog aggressive not people aggressive and only gets snarly when other dogs come up to her so this method might not be as ideal as say your situation.

 

I'm not sure what you've done with the other trainers but his method might work for you. If you're not in NC (or local enough to him) he might be able to tell you where to go or you might be able to find a similar style (police and search and rescue) of trainer in your area.

 

Buddy's information is:

Buddy Lawson

Canine Enterprises

336-407-7088

www.lawsonk9.com

 

I am going to be out of town all next week but you're welcome to PM me if I can help any further.

 

Good luck!

[PSmitty]

Yup, I agree with Julie. You've got to stop her before she gets locked in on the approaching person, by getting her focused entirely on you. I'm not sure I'd go with a pinch collar. I'm not opposed to them, per se, but I think a head collar might work better here. A Gentle Leader or Halti is a great tool in circumstances like this, as they allow you control of her head.

 

My next point is, if it continues, and this is her only problem, not people visiting your home, for example, how about walking her in a less populated area? Consider alternate forms of exercise that won't involve her coming in contact with too many people.

 

And lastly, if all else fails, a muzzle. It's better than giving up an otherwise wonderful dog.

 

Best of luck to you!

[jason lindgren]

Yup, I agree with Julie. You've got to stop her before she gets locked in on the approaching person, by getting her focused entirely on you. I'm not sure I'd go with a pinch collar. I'm not opposed to them, per se, but I think a head collar might work better here. A Gentle Leader or Halti is a great tool in circumstances like this, as they allow you control of her head.

 

My next point is, if it continues, and this is her only problem, not people visiting your home, for example, how about walking her in a less populated area? Consider alternate forms of exercise that won't involve her coming in contact with too many people.

 

And lastly, if all else fails, a muzzle. It's better than giving up an otherwise wonderful dog.

 

Best of luck to you!

 

honestly - giving her up is simply not an option. she'd sooner live a life of solitude, knowing only my friends and family before she went ANYWHERE. i have too much emotional capital invested in her for that to happen. which is also why i'm willing to try anything to get the behavior to stop - as harsh as the training may be. when i started working with the trainer, i almost cried because i thought it was too harsh - LOL! but knowing that it's for her own good allows me to suck it up and deal with it. after seeing the difference in her - i'm sold. i was afraid it would make her scared of me but it's only brought us closer.

 

i think it's still WAY too early to consider a muzzle. especially after reading all of the great advice you guys have offered.

 

90% of the time i have her on lead, she uses a martingale collar - it's only in heavily populated areas that she gets the pinch collar. it gets her attention faster than the no-slip collar. however...she will still ignore it if she really wants to. she's a stubborn little girl! but you guys have given me some fantastic ideas and i greatly appreciate it! i'll keep yah posted...

 

edit: i have a head collar and she HATES that thing. as soon as i put it on, she's pawing at her face to try and get it off (which usually ends in success - for her, not me)

[Guest WoobiesMom]

I hope you find a solution -- and soon. You sound at the end of your rope. I can say that I've seen 2 owners using shock collars responsibly at the dog park and it has made an enormous impact. They both say they only had to use the lowest shock setting once or twice and the dog's response was phenomenal! Now all they have to do is very rarely use the tone or vibrate warning and the dog falls right into line. Both dogs had more issues w/other dogs than people but, if you can't find a trainer to work without it, it might help. Good luck!

[PSmitty]

honestly - giving her up is simply not an option. she'd sooner live a life of solitude, knowing only my friends and family before she went ANYWHERE. i have too much emotional capital invested in her for that to happen.

 

That's great to hear! I was afraid when you said "running out of options" that giving her up might be in the back of your mind. I've read posts from people dealing with much *less* who are wanting to give up on their dogs. It's refreshing to see someone dedicated like you.

 

i think it's still WAY too early to consider a muzzle. especially after reading all of the great advice you guys have offered.

 

I agree, that's why I said "if all else fails". I guess there's some stigma attached to walking a muzzled dog in public, but if it means the everyone is kept safe and the dog is still able to get out and experience life, why not? But, I agree, you've got lots of other ideas to consider first.

 

I don't have any experience with shock collars, and don't feel comfortable advocating their use, particularly for a problem like this, I fear it might make it worse, but I don't know. So, I'll let more experienced people handle that part of your question.

[nancy]

We met two very nice border collies outside a pub in West Yorkshire this spring. One was all kisses. The other wore a muzzle. He wasn't bothered by it, but he was more reserved. The owners said he's usually great, but that, in strange situations (not at home, new people, crowds) he can get upset and nip.

 

So a muzzle is not the worst solution.

[Lenajo]

Where exactly does she "nip"? Does she pull at clothes? arms? Does she turn quickly and stalk feet? Does she draw blood? How does she act if people say HEY STOP THAT? How does she act if they stop and try to be friends? If you are walking on a path and put her at heel on the outside of the path, with you between her and people, does she try to cross in front to grab people?

 

I would rather muzzle her now, and train her everywhere and anywhere to solve her reactivity, that muzzle her later, because she's had a hunk of someone. She won't see a stigma in the muzzling, that's only about people.

 

I don't like the "look at me" thing that's so popular now to prevent aggressive acts or worse, fearful ones. Dogs have great peripheral vision, and they don't have to gaze at you in rapt attention to know what you are doing and feeling. I want my dog to look at what's out there, and then relax/control himself accordingly. Of course it's easier to do the other, but it doesn't really solve the problem.

 

Shock collars can work on some things, but like any powerful tool you have to have perfect timing or it will go against you. One second off and she is being shocked by the now evil stranger in her eyes, and you will have a real issue of proactive aggression. For pet training of a very reactive dog I prefer a prong collar, not because it is "tough" but because it is very precise. The correction is given in the slightest tug and then it is over and no problem. No yanking or pulling, and no restrictive feeling head collars.

 

Problems like yours really do require a trainer to look over the situation in person. Can you pay the training you like to come to the park with you once or twice?

[jason lindgren]

Where exactly does she "nip"? Does she pull at clothes? arms? Does she turn quickly and stalk feet? Does she draw blood? How does she act if people say HEY STOP THAT? How does she act if they stop and try to be friends? If you are walking on a path and put her at heel on the outside of the path, with you between her and people, does she try to cross in front to grab people?

 

I would rather muzzle her now, and train her everywhere and anywhere to solve her reactivity, that muzzle her later, because she's had a hunk of someone. She won't see a stigma in the muzzling, that's only about people.

 

I don't like the "look at me" thing that's so popular now to prevent aggressive acts or worse, fearful ones. Dogs have great peripheral vision, and they don't have to gaze at you in rapt attention to know what you are doing and feeling. I want my dog to look at what's out there, and then relax/control himself accordingly. Of course it's easier to do the other, but it doesn't really solve the problem.

 

Shock collars can work on some things, but like any powerful tool you have to have perfect timing or it will go against you. One second off and she is being shocked by the now evil stranger in her eyes, and you will have a real issue of proactive aggression. For pet training of a very reactive dog I prefer a prong collar, not because it is "tough" but because it is very precise. The correction is given in the slightest tug and then it is over and no problem. No yanking or pulling, and no restrictive feeling head collars.

 

Problems like yours really do require a trainer to look over the situation in person. Can you pay the training you like to come to the park with you once or twice?

 

she pulls at clothes mostly. she's never drawn blood and it's certainly a fear issue. if people stop to try and pet her, she runs behind me. i actually went out and bought a soft-muzzle just a while ago because i feel the same way. i know she has a problem and it'd be irresponsible of me to use people as her guinea pigs! but even more concerning to me is the one person who says "your dog bit me! i'm calling animal control"! i'll give these suggestions a shot and if i can't seem to sort it out, i'll call out the last trainer again. i really liked him and his methods stopped ALL of the other behavior right away. all of our sessions were at home though - so those related to the home are all gone. REALLY gone! as an example - she LOVES the frisbee and will play for hours. my neighbors dogs love to run up and down the fence barking at her and she'd chase them back and forth barking all day. (to be clear, she is an inside dog and goes out only to potty and play - the rest of the time she's in with her family - where she belongs imo.) well not only was i able to make her stop chasing and barking at them, but if they're outside (still barking at her of course) and i throw the frisbee even in the general direction of the fence line - she sits down and stares at me as if to say - 'hey asshole! you trying to set me up for trouble or what!?" she won't go NEAR the fence or bark if they're out barking at her.

[mbc1963]

One of the things that really helped me with my dog's aggression towards other dogs was learning to read his body language. It sounds silly and elementary for someone who'd lived with dogs her whole life, but I'd never owned an aggressive or reactive dog before Buddy, so I hadn't had to focus on the facial expressions dogs show right before they cross the threshhold into reactivity. A VERY good book that can help you tell if the dog gets the least bit anxious or aggressive is "The Other End of the Leash." LOTS of diagrams and photos to help you visualize. The clearest sign for me is Buddy's commisure: when the corners of his mouth start moving down towards his nose, I know he's about to go all snarky.

 

My trainer said that I needed to do the praise and corrections immediately, when the first thought of doing something crossed the dog's mind. That's what helped me most with Buddy - watching every situation very carefully, and giving him the command for the right thing to do ("LEAVE IT") immediately when there was even a chance that he might react. This was really important, because he definitely seems to be able to control himself very early on, and choose not to lunge, much easier than he is able to calm himself down from a lunge or growl that's already in progress.

 

Likewise, when he saw a stimulus he was prone to react to, but didn't react - say, he saw another dog across the street and then kept on walking, with a relaxed posture - I did the happy-voice "Good job!" LOTS of treats and rewards when the behavior and body language suggested calm instead of aggression. Likewise when Buddy began to actually listen to me at the "leave it" command. (It doesn't have to be "leave it;" it can be whatever cue you want that will signal to the dog that he should NOT jump at people.)

 

Another thing I will suggest is to give the dog a replacement behavior. Buddy will now do a lie/stay in place of running at another dog, growling. He even puts himself in a lie/stay sometimes if a large, stranger dog approaches us and I step a bit to the side - he anticipates that I'm going to ask him to put himself down, even in some situations when I had no intention of doing that. It's a hoot to watch!

 

I know my dog's aggressing at dogs isn't nearly as scary as your dog's nipping at humans, but it might stem from the same wiring in the brain. Good luck! It's a tricky situation, but it sounds like it's workable.

[Chesters mom]

I have a 3 - 4 year old BC. I got him from the shelter a year ago. He had been 'dropped off' there and they didn't have any history on him. He was - and still can be - a nipper/biter. I'll be very interested to hear how the suggestions given work for your dog. Mine has come a long way in the past year. I have a great trainer we have been working with, but I'm thinking about changing to a trainer who has more experience with herding dogs, who have that nipping/biting tendency.

 

The problem I continue to have with my BC is that he can be unpredictable. He is incredibly fast and has the reflexes of a cat. I have worked a lot with him in calming techniques, and they have worked wonders. I have learned to watch him like a hawk and as my trainer says, 'anticipate, anticipate, and anticipate'. After a few weeks, I'll think, boy have we come a long way and then, after several weeks of not nipping at all, he gets excited and wham - he nips. I am hoping that as time goes on, with the appropriate corrections, the nipping episodes will cease.

 

He is an amazing dog, and really loveable, but did not learn at an early age what is out of line as far as his behavior. He didn't even know how to 'sit' on command a year ago. I think he had been allowed to jump all over people and probably had minimal human appropriate interaction. I am sure that his nipping is what got him to the shelter.

 

Anyway, I will keep an eye on the boards to find out how your little girl is coming along. Good luck to you. I'll let you know how my boy is doing.

[Darci]

i have a 2 year old bc - about a year ago she began to get a little aggressive toward people (strangers and friends). i hired a dog trainer and started working on the issues. very little changed other than the fact that she would lunge at people without warning (she'd growl before the trainer stepped in). so - i hired ANOTHER trainer. the second trainer actually did a lot of good. she is much easier to control on a leash now, she doesn't bark at every little thing, she doesn't nip at people who i invite into my house...BUT - she still tries to nip people when we're walking in the park. she doesn't do it ALL the time - but all it takes is once and my precious little amie could be taken from me. what i do now is try to keep myself between her and passer-by's. but she will still silently jump at people on occasion and i *know* that if i'm not there to stop her, she WILL give em' a little nip. it's not an attack or bite - she's a VERY sweet dog. but she just LOVES to nip people in the park it seems. the fact remains that it IS aggressive behavior and I just want it to stop. yesterday. i can't believe i'm even considering this, but a shock collar has crossed my mind on more than one occasion. i just can't help but think that if she calmly allows people to pass and is praised/agressive - shocked, that she'll understand the behavior is not to be tolerated for a second. everything else - ALL of her other issues have been fixed and she's a wonderful dog. it's just this one thing - and it's a big one - that needs to stop immediately. what can i do? do you think a shock collar would solve the problem? (i'll probably be flamed to hell for even considering it but i just don't know what else to do)

I would not reccomend a shock collar to some one who has never used one. Your timing has to be perfect, or else your just shocking the dog and they dont inderstand why. A shock collar is defined as "pain without injury." To use one, you have to know how to really read your dog, and know the very first signs of the offensive behavior. It sounds like its a game to her. Time for the game to stop. Biting is ...nipping or otherwise, an unacceptable behavior, and the dog needs to know that under no uncertin terms. We all love our dogs, as we all love our children. But we dont not disapline our children do we? No means no now, tomorrow or next year, and they must realize that you mean what you say. Asking or allowing her to just focus on you durring your walks does not stop the problem. Correction, consistant correction, stops the problem. But you have to correct the second you know or see the idea start to form. In most states, there is a 3 bite law. Even a nip can be considered a bite, especially on a child. If you really love your dog and are really concerned about this problem, its time to really work on it. A good Herman Springer choke collar, placed properly on the dog, and a few well calculated corrections and you should start to see some progress. But as with any type of correction, timing is everything. Biting is a serious thing, and should be dealt with swiftly and with authority on your part. Its no fun to have a dog you cant trust, and the longer you keep her away from folks just cause she may nip them, isnt helping. A muzzel, isnt helping, a shock collar wont help. She needs to learn that it is unacceptable to you under any contions, on or off lead. I wish you the best of luck with her, and hope that she doesnt hurt or scare some unsusspecting stranger.

[Pat W.]

Jason,

 

Its wonderful that you are willing to put so much time,effort, and love into your girl alot of people would just dump and be done. What you may want to do is go back to ground zero for you and Amie, like you have just gotten her. First is she food or toy motivated, if either find out what her most favorite yummy treat or favorite play to is. Set that aside for training only.

 

1) Ask a couple of friends to help you out on this. You need to sit in an area where they can pass by Amie easily. Give them each a bunch of those favortive treats and ask them to quietly walk past you and Amie. When they do have them randomly toss a treat at her, ignoring her other wise dont look or talk to her. If you are using a toy vs treats when they pass by ask her to "Watch me" This is a very easy command to train. When she looks at you reward with lots of verbal praise and a moment of play time, then resume. Once she is comfortable with them walking by ask them to randomly jog by again ignoring her whle tossing treats or you rewarding.

 

2) Once you are comfortable with her response to passers-by in step one move the training to a park that you normally go to. Sit far enough away from a path that Amie cannot lunge/nip but close enough that she can see the action. Again reward with treats or play for the "Watch me" command when see alerts and then looks at you. Lots of verbal praise, treats or toy play. As you grow more comfortable with her behavior move closer to the walk way, if she becomes reactive move back until she is more relaxed.

 

3) When you feel confident add your own motion to the mix. You will need to be very alert to her behavior and when she alerts on a person. When she does this ask her to sit, give her the "watch me" command and show her that you have a treat or the toy. When the person moves by release and reward.

 

This will take time there is no quick fix as Im sure you know and this behavior will always be under the surface you will need to be alert to Amie in these situations.

 

For in the home you can employ the same idea, but have baggies of treats ready to give the guests when they arrive or again a toy to reward her yourself. Again visitors will randomly toss a cookie with out any inter action with Amie. Amie should be on leash and in a down/stay postion by you. If you are using the toy vs treat you will need to randomly reward and play for a moment when she does not alert. If she does alert use the "watch me" command and then reward

[bcnewe2]

I'm more in Lenajo's camp about the look at me thing. I think the issues are trained responses more than you realize.

 

I have a reactive male dog.. He's not reactive to people but other dogs. What I've learned over the years of handling him was I totally added to his issues by expecting the reactions to take place. Mom's nervous, I'm nervous, let’s just fight before things get worse was our regular interaction.

 

After learning how to control myself I learned to help the dog calm down. Responding before things started was a great help but not in a normal manner as in...Hey you, don't start anything or any type corrections. By then he thought the offending dog was making the corrections or that I was just amping him up for the fight. More like a Hey you let's not go there in a real calming manner. The words and feelings I choose were of vital importance because I couldn't use any words or feelings that I'd ever used before. We had inadvertently trained the fight feelings really well ;( I think if I'd have tried a shock collar and I'm not an anti shock collar person but they don't happen to be a tool in my training box at the moment things would have gotten much worse.

 

I'm not a positive only trainer, and have nothing against them but sometimes knowing when corrections are called for and when directions are called for is a good thing for me.

 

A muzzle would be my fist inclination while you're working things out. Better safe than sorry and it'll help you to relax while you're figuring out what's going on.

 

Hope I made a bit of since, it's hard to explain in writing.

 

Good luck

Kristen

[Lenajo]

The "watch me" thing is way overrated. It solves almost nothing, but you do end up with a well trained handler that dispense treats quickly while saying it at the slightest change of environment.

[Pat W.]

I politely disagree, the "watch me" or "look command" the way I train it mean means just that look at or watch me and dont do another thing until I release you. I dont care if you can see squirrels or cats or whatever performing handstands in your periphial vision. Iam in control and I make the decisions, I am not a cookie dispenser, my guys work for the treats, in fact Im might be on the stingey end of things

[OurBoys]

Jason,

 

You have received a lot of good advice on this thread.

 

For us, the 'Leave It' command works for the most part. My boys know the when we say 'Leave It', no matter what 'It' is, they turn away and continue walking.

 

I especially like the idea someone here had about having the trainer go to the park with you. Ask them to watch you as well. Are you subconsciously sending your bc messages? If you're nervous, she'll know. Maybe she nips because she has misunderstood your nervousness. Maybe she feels when you guys are in the park, she has to be the alpha because of your nervousness and she feels she needs to protect you for some reason. Just something to ask the trainer about....

[Lenajo]

I politely disagree, the "watch me" or "look command" the way I train it mean means just that look at or watch me and dont do another thing until I release you. I dont care if you can see squirrels or cats or whatever performing handstands in your periphial vision. Iam in control and I make the decisions, I am not a cookie dispenser, my guys work for the treats, in fact Im might be on the stingey end of things

 

"Don't do anything" and "watch me" does not have to be done together. "Watch me" is a way to get around not teaching the dog what you want it to actually do. In this case I would want the dog to look at the objects he isn't sure of and relax. It is difficult to teach that when a dog is only allowed to see something out of the corner of his eye.

 

Without excessively anthropomorphizing it can be said that dogs and children do have a few things in common, and it would be thought bizarre for a child to only deal with unknown situations, or that they could only follow commands, if they are staring into their parent's eyes in the situation or when being told the command. It is similar with a dog.

 

Let the dog look. Teach him how to act. Remember that these are working dogs, and they can look at their greatest desire in life and still fully register that the handler is in control. The need to be stared at is a human one. The dog just needs to know what is expected. He doesn't need to be eyeball to eyeball with you to know that.

 

I don't want my dog looking at me - I want him looking where he is going. I want him looking at the sheep. I want him looking at the trail ahead when we track. I want him looking at the jump ahead and listening to my requests about the next one - I should be the corner of his eye, not his focal point. I want him heeling (outside the circus of the ring) and looking ahead at where we are going.

 

The debate of "positive versus negative" is apples and oranges to this. You can use either method, as long as you are consistant.

[OurBoys]

"I don't want my dog looking at me - I want him looking where he is going. I want him looking at the sheep. I want him looking at the trail ahead when we track. I want him looking at the jump ahead and listening to my requests about the next one - I should be the corner of his eye, not his focal point. I want him heeling (outside the circus of the ring) and looking ahead at where we are going."

 

Ditto. My job is to tell them 'left', 'right', 'leave it' or 'tunnel', 'A-frame', etc.

[ShoresDog]

I don't know if anyone has already mentioned this, but a basket muzzle will be better than a soft muzzle. With the soft muzzle, the dog can't pant. They're more comfortable in the basket muzzle. And it does send a clear signal to people, "If you don't know me, don't come up and try to pet me!" Best keep the dog safe from biting anyone, since the result could be so bad for her.