Roy Posted December 4, 2003 Report Share Posted December 4, 2003 Two weeks ago we adopted a female BC about 2 years old (spayed). She obviously came from a good home - the rescue group said the owner was sad to give her up due to a new baby. She has proven to be fully house broken, takes to her crate well and has come along very rapidly on obedience and learning to walk at heel. Here's the problem. Whenever, we come within a block of another dog she begins a low whimper that usually sets the other dog off barking and pulling on their lead, particularly with larger dogs. Distracting her with treats has little effect, although she responds well to treats for her other training. After the first couple of walks with her, I went to a pinch collar, which she seemed to recognize, and I've had to use only lightly to get her to largely ignore squirrels, cars, etc. However, several strong tugs are required to get her to follow when another dog is around and the whimpering doesn't stop. We live in a good area for long walks, with both sidewalks and trails, but I'll soon have every other dog owner in the area upset with us if I can't get this to stop. Any suggestions on how to correct this would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Devils Posted December 4, 2003 Report Share Posted December 4, 2003 Some ideas: Maybe working on a strong leave it command. It is great when you want the dog to leave whatever it is interested in: cars, dogs, people, rocks, trash, etc... If the dog really loves a ball or frisbee try taking that on walks and distracting the dog when other dogs are around. When the whining starts, about face and go the other direction...you may end up going in circles for awhile but it could help give you the control. When other dogs are coming, put the dog in a sit or down stay, etc... If the dog is whining and not growling it could be that she wants to play with the other dogs... Have you tried going to a dog park where she can play with the other dogs (assuming she is good with other dogs). There is a dog park at the South Run ReCenter off the FFX County Parkway. I am not a fan of dog parks but I know others like them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giuseppe&bernie Posted December 9, 2003 Report Share Posted December 9, 2003 I would focus on a couple of aspects: how is the social life with other dogs in a 'free' situation...does she ever get to play free with other dogs? Observing the behaviour would give you a good idea about what is going on. Whimpering and setting up for a real fight are different attitudes...and the dog knows that you are on the other side of the leash. Two weeks is a very little time....I would not exclude here trying to figure out here rank in your social group. 'If' this is the case...distracting here should only pospone the problem. I would anticipate just a fraction before the whimpering starts with a firm 'NO'and stop walking so that the 'No' plus a quick pull on the leash can be percived as the only signals. IMHO the 'strength' of your signal should be just enough to get the message to your dog. My two cents. Giuseppe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailrider Posted December 9, 2003 Report Share Posted December 9, 2003 I wouldn`t punish this dog when you have only known her for such a short time. I would prefer the redirect ideas. You need to keep the dog`s trust until you know each other. She may be fearful as well as wanting to socialize. Patience until she has more confidence in you and herself will probably give you clues as to what is happening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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