Miss Scarlet Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Recall in earlier posts I mentioned the guy I work with and his wife is a vet? I went to his house on a fact finding mission. He met us in the front yard, and as I suspected, Scarlet barked and nipped at him. He was being very slow to interact with Scarlet, not trying to pet her, but calling her name. We eventually went into his fenced back yard, and I let her off the lead so she could sniff around. (Also recall, he's the one with 7 dogs) His dogs were inside, and barking at us. After a while, his wife the vet came out. She knelt down, did a kiss sound, and Scarlet came right over to her, and she was able to pet her!! NO BARKING - - NO NIPPING!!!! Then she went over to Keith, and barked some more! After that she came out with her chocolate Lab. He didn't really pay much attention to Scarlet, but she barked at him. I guess she's in a different environment, and uneasy. One thing Keith observed, is when the Lab moseyed over to greet me, Scarlet barked a lot.. So perhaps she's being protective of me? And on out trail walks, perhaps that's why she's barking and nipping at passer's by? Maybe I should let my daughter walk her and see what happens? Keith and I walked around in the woods on their property and Scarlet was fine.. like I've said before, a good sniff trumps ANYTHING! After the walk and a total of about an hour or so, Keith was able to pet Scarlet. I'm still perplexed at her actions, but maybe the more I do this kind of thing, the better. She's done the barking act to other dogs that I get close to as well. Any ideas on how to get rid of this behaviour? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murray Momma Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Not too sure on a cure, but Murray had a bit of guarding issues with me and random dogs. We signed him up for doggie day care and part of the facility's procedure was a meet-and-greet with Mur and to see him interact with other dogs (both with and without me present). They took us out in the yard with a lovely 7 year old lab mix and a younger (possibly 3) pit/lab mix. Two of the nicest dogs I've met, and I can see how they would be a good match to gauge Mur's interactions with younger and older similar sized dogs. The pit/lab was instantly playful and wanted to say Hi to me and Mur. Mur wasn't so sure about this and hid behind my legs, growling. Once Mur was thrown a ball and realized this was supposed to be fun, he took off and had a blast. Same situation without me, he just had a good time without the first 5 minutes of "why is this dog trying to see my mom?" The facility offered "puppy preschool" with a dog behaviorlist and that helped immensely with this issue. He had a similar reaction at his first OB class, but again, once he realized he and the other dog could be buds and at the end of the day, he goes back home. Perhaps increased socialization in a monitored environment like our puppy preschool? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Any ideas on how to get rid of this behaviour? What do you want her to do in these situations? What does that look like? If you are going to "get rid of" a behavior, it is going to have to be replaced with something. If you identify what you want that to be, you will be set to create a strategy to help her learn how to meet that goal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Kristine hit it right on the head (and you worked on this with Miss Scarlet and her car-lunging) - if you want to "get rid of" a behavior, you need to replace it with something else that is an acceptable behavior. Once you realize that, and decide what that is, then you can get to work on changing her response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejano Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 I would also avoid situations where she is overstimulated - seven dogs barking in the house is rather unnerving! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Scarlet Posted February 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2013 Thanks for the responses. I just want her to enjoy other people when she meets them instead of eventually barking and then nipping at them. I'm going to get her enrolled in agility. I think that may help her lack of social behavior. Usually when she meets a dog on our walks, she loves to interact and play. (unless the other dog is aggressive) It's when I get too close to the other dog where she acts out. Should I be scolding her and telling her "no" when she barks at the other dogs? I thought possibly I was sending the wrong signal down the leash line when someone walks past by making her stop and sit while I shorten the lead, so I didn't do anything one time, and unprovoked, she STILL went over and jumped up on this guy, and it looked like a nip in progress. Those are our two biggest issues with her.. Other than that, she's a great little dog! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted February 13, 2013 Report Share Posted February 13, 2013 Thanks for the responses. I just want her to enjoy other people when she meets I'm going to get her enrolled in agility. I think that may help her lack of social behavior. Agility usually helps build self-confidence - which MAY help with some socialization issues as you describe, but I don't think it will be the 'cure'. In my agility classes, dogs do not interact. Other instructors/programs may have more socialization in their classes, but you are there to work your dog in agility, not to socialize. I would definitely recommend working on her socialization skills specifically as suggested in prior posts. Jovi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted February 13, 2013 Report Share Posted February 13, 2013 It's when I get too close to the other dog where she acts out. Should I be scolding her and telling her "no" when she barks at the other dogs? What are you doing to reinforce her when she is calm before reacting to the dog? What are you doing to communicate to her, "this is correct" when she is acting the way you want her to? It sounds to me like you may be leaving her to go over threshold without giving her any feedback prior to that point. Perhaps you could find someone to work with who can help you recognize what you are looking for and remind you to reinforce that behavior before she reaches the threshold point. I thought possibly I was sending the wrong signal down the leash line when someone walks past by making her stop and sit while I shorten the lead, so I didn't do anything one time, and unprovoked, she STILL went over and jumped up on this guy, and it looked like a nip in progress. Those are our two biggest issues with her.. Other than that, she's a great little dog! Have you tried LAT? Based on what you describe, I believe you would see results very quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Scarlet Posted February 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 Have you tried LAT? Based on what you describe, I believe you would see results very quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Scarlet Posted February 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2013 I don't know what LAT is... please explain... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted February 15, 2013 Report Share Posted February 15, 2013 I don't know what LAT is... please explain... It's the "Look at That" game from Control Unleashed. It's a technique that teaches a dog to see things that he or she fears/gets agitated by/reacts to be calm and confident in the presence of those things. If you are interested, see if you can get hold of Control Unleashed - the Puppy Program. It's a book and you would get a ton of helpful info from it. The program can be done as well with an adult as a puppy. I recommend the puppy book over the regular one just because it is more user friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum24dog Posted February 15, 2013 Report Share Posted February 15, 2013 I don't know what LAT is... please explain... Common advice in past years has been to get a dog to focus on the handler in the presence of something they are likely to react to but this can be hard on the dog. Imagine that you knew someone you thought was going to attack you was creeping up on you from behind but someone was trying to get you to interact with them and ignore it. Not easy. LAT is the opposite in that it is intended to change the dog's perception of what it finds scary by pairing the sight of the scary thing with something pleasant. Just classical conditioning. My dog is/was scared of horses. If I see one far enough away for him not to react I will mark the moment he spots it with a reward if he remains calm. Actually what I reward is spot the horse, look at me. I use a clicker because I find it gets the message over quickly and clearly but it isn't essential. Gradually we work closer to horses until they aren't a problem. I'm still happy for him to have a boundary that he will not cross because getting too close to strange horses is not a great idea if you are a dog. Substitute dog/stranger/vehicle or whatever for horse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Scarlet Posted March 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2013 Good tips... It'll be eaiser to help her with this when the weather breaks, and more people are out walking and such, Since her elbow fur was worn off when we got her at the shelter (and she was only at the shelter a week)... perhaps she was kenneled for a long time, and never had interactions with cars or people? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p4nh4ndle Posted March 9, 2013 Report Share Posted March 9, 2013 My dog is/was scared of horses. If I see one far enough away for him not to react I will mark the moment he spots it with a reward if he remains calm. Actually what I reward is spot the horse, look at me. I use a clicker because I find it gets the message over quickly and clearly but it isn't essential. Gradually we work closer to horses until they aren't a problem. I'm still happy for him to have a boundary that he will not cross because getting too close to strange horses is not a great idea if you are a dog. Substitute dog/stranger/vehicle or whatever for horse. This has worked very well for Becka, for whom nearly everything is scary/exciting/aggitating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChantalB Posted March 10, 2013 Report Share Posted March 10, 2013 Good tips... It'll be eaiser to help her with this when the weather breaks, and more people are out walking and such, If that mean that the walking routes are less crowded now, start right away, best to have less opportunities to go over threshold (the point where you lose the connection with your dog. For my dog it's when he won't take food. And I know all the tiny little steps before he hits that point.. When he won't take food it's time to pick him up .. All 50 lbs of him! ... And carry him to the jeep, put him away for awhile.. Rarely happens these days unless I let it) when you begin. Stay far away at first, find the threshold spot slowly. Reward like crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.